Las Vegas: staying far from a conference venue — 70,240 steps in four days
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In October I flew to Las Vegas for a conference: a very large tech conference, the kind that quietly takes over a whole corner of the Strip. It was my first time in the city, and I assumed the conference would be the exhausting part. Long days, too much information, not enough sleep. I was wrong. The exhausting part was my hotel.
This is the story of a booking made too late, a hotel that looked “close enough” on the map, and what my phone's step counter thought of the whole arrangement: 70,240 steps in four days, about 40.9 km. If you ever go to Las Vegas for work, learn from my feet.
“Close” on the map, far on foot
By the time I booked, every hotel near the venue was full. Properly full, not “a few expensive rooms left” full. I ended up at the Hilton at Resorts World, at the north end of the Strip. On the map it honestly didn't look far: a few centimetres, a short ride, maybe even a pleasant walk.
Here's what nobody tells you about Las Vegas: the city is drawn at the wrong scale. A block is not a block. A hotel is not a building; it's a small town with its own weather system. “Across the street” can mean fifteen minutes on foot, two pedestrian bridges and a monorail decision. My hotel was lovely. In walking terms, it was also in another prefecture.
70,240 steps, one day at a time
The conference itself was enormous: around twenty thousand people, thousands of sessions, and a venue so big that “let's meet by the entrance” needs a follow-up question. Which entrance? Which building? Which floor? Crossing the venue from end to end was a small hike on its own, and that was before the walk back to the hotel.
Add the evenings (dinner somewhere down the Strip, a show, a wander) and the numbers settled into a pattern: 17,560 steps a day on average, roughly 10.2 km. Every single day, in shoes I'd chosen for looking presentable rather than for distance. By day three, my feet had opinions. By day four, they were filing formal complaints.
To be fair to the city, a lot of that walking was a pleasure. The interiors are ridiculous in the best possible way: frescoed ceilings in the venue, a squashed red Beetle displayed as art on a casino floor, and, in my own hotel's shopping area, a giant glowing emoji ball in sunglasses. Las Vegas does not do small.
Then the sun went down
If the days belonged to my step counter, the nights belonged to the city. Honestly, they were the best part of the trip.
One evening I saw O by Cirque du Soleil, the water show. Performers kept rising out of a lake that became a stage that became a lake again. At one point a whole group balanced in a tower above the water, lit red, while fountains erupted behind them. I gave up on the physics and just enjoyed it.
The conference's official party was another level entirely: a full live set by Maroon 5, outdoors, for a crowd of conference people who had all, by then, reached the same conclusion about comfortable shoes. There's something surreal about watching a stadium act with a conference lanyard still around your neck.
And the food. One proper steakhouse dinner: a filet that arrived sizzling in butter, and stone crab, just back in season a few days earlier. American portions are not a rumour, by the way. Order like someone who has walked 17,000 steps, because you have.
On the last night, killing time with colleagues near the casino floor, I fed a few dollars into a slot machine, mostly so I could say I had. It paid out $610. I've chosen to read this as the city apologising to my feet.
What I'd do differently
Book the venue hotel the week the dates are announced. At a conference this size, location isn't a luxury. It's stamina management. Every yen or dollar you “save” gets paid back in steps.
Measure door to door, not on the map. Check the actual walking route from your hotel's entrance to the venue's entrance. If anyone describes it as “just across”, verify. Twice.
Treat shoes as equipment. Pack the pair you could walk 10 km in, and actually wear them, even if the other pair is prettier. Especially then.
Sort out phone data before you fly. Maps, rideshares, restaurant bookings, the conference app: my phone was my tour guide, translator and taxi dispatcher all week. I now compare US eSIM options before a trip (paid link placeholder) (paid link) and set it up on the plane, so there's no airport SIM queue when I land tired.
Read American prices as a two-step. The number on the menu is not the number you pay. Tax appears at the till, and the tip goes on top. Budget for both and nothing stings.
My conference-trip checklist
- Book a hotel near the venue as soon as dates are announced.
- Check the real door-to-door walking route, not the map distance.
- Pack shoes you can walk 10 km a day in.
- Set up mobile data before the flight.
- Leave the evenings free. In Las Vegas, that's when the city happens.
Would I stay at the far end of the Strip again? The hotel was lovely, the emoji globe and I are friends now, and the slot machine covered my shoe-replacement fund. But next time I'm sleeping next to the venue, and walking 70,000 steps only if I choose to.
Questions people ask me about this trip
How much will I walk at a big conference in Las Vegas?
More than you expect. I walked 70,240 steps over four conference days, about 40.9 km, which averages 17,560 steps (roughly 10.2 km) a day. Much of that came from staying far from the venue, so a closer hotel should bring your number down.
Is it worth staying at or next to the conference venue?
In my experience, yes. By the time I booked, every hotel near the venue was full, so I stayed at the Hilton at Resorts World at the north end of the Strip. It was a lovely hotel, but the daily walk to and from the venue added up fast. Book as soon as the conference dates are announced.
Are distances on the Las Vegas Strip longer than they look?
Yes, much longer. Each resort is huge, so “across the street” can mean fifteen minutes on foot, with pedestrian bridges along the way. Check the real walking route from door to door rather than trusting the map.
Do I need mobile data or an eSIM in Las Vegas?
I relied on my phone constantly for maps, rideshares, restaurant bookings and the conference app. Setting up a US eSIM before the flight meant I had data the moment I landed, with no airport SIM queue.
What costs should I plan for beyond the hotel?
Menu prices in the US don't include everything: tax is added when you pay, and a tip goes on top. Build both into your daily budget. And don't count on the slot machines. My $610 win was pure luck.