Although Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city in America, there are some travelers who prefer distinctly different accommodations when visiting Sin City — someone else’s house.

Staying in private residences in the Vegas area, which boasts nearly 150,000 hotel rooms, has become very popular in the last decade, says Michele Pombo, who deals exclusively in such rentals for Southwest Management Group.

“Number one, you get more bang for your buck … plus you enjoy the kind of privacy you can’t possibly have in a hotel,” Pombo says. “For instance, you can have your swimming pool, but you don’t have to share it. And if your children are with you, you don’t have to walk through a smoky casino every time you go to your room.”

Pombo’s inventory of about 90 properties ranges from studio condos to five-bedroom single-family homes with swimming pools in gated communities. They usually are rented by the month — a studio goes for as little as $1,300 a month, while a four-bedroom with a pool in tony Summerlin is about $5,000 a month — but some homes are available by the week or even by the night.

The interest in residential rentals has risen with the enormous growth in the World Series of Poker, held from late May through mid-July at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino just off the Strip.

The WSOP is actually a collection of dozens of tournaments — 58 events this year — that attracts tens of thousands of players. Many of them head to Vegas with plans to stay from a few weeks to nearly two months. For two, three, or four players sharing the rent, residential accommodations are a comfortable and economical way to hunker down for the duration.

For the best-bankrolled of high rollers, a company called Las Vegas Retreats offers rentals that live up to their website descriptions as “mini-castles” featuring five and six bedrooms, swimming pools with surround sound and sunken bars, billiard rooms, and one that even has a giant outdoor chess set. Some of these properties go for more than $2,000 a night, or $35,000 to $50,000 for the seven weeks of the WSOP. But more typically, the company offers $500-a-night properties.

“If two or more couples are already planning to stay at a nice Strip hotel, such as the Bellagio, they can stay at one of our upscale homes, have a wonderful resort experience and the privacy to boot,” Las Vegas Retreats owner John Palmer says.

“We have 24-hour service,” Palmer adds. “If the guests have a problem, they are never alone. They can reach us any time.”

When looking into a residential rental, prospective customers should ask about additional fees, such as heating for spas and pools, cleaning services, and damage deposits.

Few places in America have been hit harder by the declining housing market than Las Vegas, and while the glut of vacant homes may offer some sweet deals for potential renters, there are also potential problems that can snare the unwary traveler.

For instance, a renter could put down a hefty deposit on an attractive home that looks terrific on the Internet, but find out at the last minute that a bank is foreclosing on the property and that it is no longer available. So, as usual, checking first is common sense.

Pombo, of Southwest Management, suggests customers check brokers’ credentials with groups such as the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, or the Licensing Department of the state Real Estate Division.

Private vacation rentals of condos and homes also can be found through websites such as www.vrbo.com, Vacation Rentals by Owners. Again, check out a property — and its owners before paying. And always pay by credit card since, if there are problems, you have some recourse under federal fair-credit laws.

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