Telling you where to stay is a fool's errand. Vegas has something for everyone. It's like discussing what hotel you should stay in when visiting Atlanta. What you want to do, and what you want to spend will scatter answers all over the board.
Fortunately, I have stayed in every hotel in your list, except Excalibur. I have played poker there. I have had drinks there. That was enough to determine that I will not stay there. So instead of a recommendation, Here's a brief review from my recollection of each...
- Bally's - Its central location and low rates has returned me to this hotel numerous times. It's a short walk to some of our favorite haunts, including Battista's Hole in the Wall and Ellis Island. It also has a very basic poker room, and is walking distance to (the last time I counted) 17 casinos. I define walking distance as 1 mile. I could walk further, but I'm often there in the summer and 1 mile in 115 degree heat is plenty. Still, that's 17 chip harvesting opportunities. The room accommodations are on par with an older Holiday Inn.
- Excalibur - As mentioned I have not stayed here. It is old and smoky. They cant fix a drink to save their life. Pleasant enough staff, many that are so old they were probably there when the place opened. However, that age also means the manners of Vegas when it was really trying. It also means that they all think smoking is cool. Ah, the 1900s...
- Flamingo - Also very central, I love the slick nature of this hotel. It's cleaner than Ballys, but also a little more pricey. It has a nice garden for walking off a bad beat. Room accommodations are on par with a Hilton Garden Inn
- Luxor - Another old hotel, this one is rumored to be on the chopping block. The rooms are oddly shaped because of the pyramid design, and its location puts it far removed from most poker rooms, now that Mandalay Bay and the Luxor have packed up their tables. Still, it may only be a matter of time before this beast is imploded, so you may get a nostalgic kick out of that. The rooms compare to a Red Roof Inn.
- Mandalay Bay - I love this place as well, but for me it's a summer only destination. They have a great adults only pool (no screaming kids) and a great pool if you have those screaming kids. It's at the very end of the strip though, so I only stay here if I have a car. If I have a car, I'm driving an hour south into the desert for some stargazing. Man-Bay makes that trip south really eazy, because you are already practically out of the city. The rooms and spa are nice if you enjoy those things, on the level of a Hyatt Regency hotel.
- Mirage - My experience here is skewed, because we tried the $20 dollar trick here with a $100 bill, and landed in a suite. A massive suite bigger than my whole friggin' house. As such, everything was impeccable for us here, as the suite came with a card that allowed us to go to the front of every line - which was a big deal at the time. In a pandemic it probably means less. The hotel is very nice though, on the level of an Embassy Suites.
- Paris - This one was a bit of a disappointment to me. In my one trip, the room felt small and dark, which did not match the price I paid. Luckily I didn't pay a lot because I went during the pandemic, and the room was literally $0 per night. They still hit you with a "resort fee", so it still cost $78.63, but it gave me access to all the amenities like the pool (closed) the exercise room (closed) and free local phone calls - though there were no phones in the room, but it's handy if you remember your old landline phone, but forget your cell.
- Planet Hollywood - If you are young and hip, this is a better choice, because your quality of drunken bachelorettes is far higher here. Your ability to score with one (or more, if you got game) of them is a driving factor to the cost. It's a good location with Aria's and Bellagio's poker rooms across the street, and cheaper than either of those locations (or the Cosmo). The rooms are fine, but I'm 20 years too old and too married to fully enjoy the experience anymore