Hotel Review Thread

[Garick]

Recent stays:
MGM Grand Overpriced and rooms are a bit dated. Not awful, but not grand. Definitely not worth the price and the damned resort fee. Poker room gets lots of foot traffic, so lots of casual players. Almost entirely $1/2NL, though. They occasionally spread $2/5, but never anything higher, and only other game is tiny FL. If you want to play here, though, I'd stay at the Trop and get as good a room for much less and probably be closer to the MGM poker room than the average MGM room.

Paris Rooms are a bit dated, but location is awesome and it's a great alternative to IP/Bally's when you are in grinding mode but spouse/girlfriend is in vacation mode. Book through the Total Rewards site (no card required) for best deals, ime. Nicely done theme, good restaurants at reasonable prices (esp Mon Ami Gabi). Pool is meh but pretty quiet if you are a lounger more than a partier. No poker room, but basically every big room (except MGM Grand) is in walking distance.

Yesterday's news:
Excalibur King Arthur's Castle, if King Arthur built with Legos. All theme stuff here is very cheesy. When I stayed there a few years ago (not by choice, airline overnighted me) the room seemed to fit the medieval theme, it was dark, close and depressing. Service was almost non-extant. I would love to hear that this place has been upgraded, but based on the prices and reviews I see, I doubt it. Poker room is small, but I hear games can be very soft here. Location is meh. Not far from MGM, but again, if I want to stay at this end, I'd go with the Trop.

Treasure Island When I was last staying there, rooms were awesome. This was a decade ago though, and I don't know how they've stood the test of time. Casino floor is loud and caters to a younger crowd. Poker room is small. It's well run, and I'd like to see it succeed, but it seems to just keep scraping by. Right across the street from the V, though, which is a great room. Also close (and trammable) to Mirage, but that room is dying.

[tmc123]

Any idea if the room renovation is complete? Am there 3 days before moving to Rio for the WSOP. Thanks.

[lozen]

I have stayed at a bunch but thought I would review some off strip ones


Southpoint

Yes off the strip but very clean and nice rooms. Great food at budget prices. Nice pool also. They get some good 1/2 games going. Have a daily shuttle to the strip and back at certain times.

Red Rock

My favorite Vegas hotel 5 stars all the way. Yes way off the Strip in Summerlin but just first class all the way. Great Poker Room and pool

Sunpoint

Like to stay here for cheap accomadtaions and a 4 star hotel. Close to all the golf and if you want poker a short trip to the Red Rock. Poker room not great. Mainly Limit

[eco74]

Originally Posted by lozen

I have stayed at a bunch but thought I would review some off strip ones


Sunpoint

Like to stay here for cheap accomadtaions and a 4 star hotel. Close to all the golf and if you want poker a short trip to the Red Rock. Poker room not great. Mainly Limit

You mean Suncoast

[Professionalpoker]

Originally Posted by jan81

Aria

Stayed at Aria for three nights on Memorial Day Weekend in 2011 for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. Had a regular room with 2 queen beds.

Hotel is awesome and fairly luxurious but not over the top. The crowd is mostly between 25 - 55 years of age.

The room is pretty good with an excellent bathroom, really good technology, and a amazing bed.

Poker room is great and was always busy.

+1. Had a comp that I gave to a friend. Standard room was excellent.

[jan81]

Any one stay at Harrah's?

[mitman25]

Stayed at Harrahs a few years ago, it was fine. Nothing special, but not bad at all. For price and location it is good. I think it is nicer than IP and usually pretty comparable in price and basically same location.

[Pork Fri Rize]

^ That is really subjective upon if you're booking a package, or directly through the hotel, or your tier status on rewards card. Just a quick look on Orbitz, a 1 week stay flying out of LA is almost double that of Imperial.

[HypersionSD]

Planet Hollywood

Pros: Bathroom is great, tub and separate shower and a separate toilet. Resort is great tons of poker action and great looking cocktail waitresses. Restaurants I tried are also good.

Cons: Room is not that great for a 4*, too small. Overpriced most of the time.

Bottomline: If you can get a good price it's a great deal.

[CB3]

I'll post up quick thoughts on each hotel I've stayed in. Depending on what you want to know further feel free to PM or ask questions here. I tend to get my company to pay for rooms so "value" isn't really something I can guage.

In a decent order of my favorite to least favorite stays:

Cosmopolitan:
--Misc: My current choice hands down but I've never paid to stay here. Either booked it on my company's dime or paid with Marriott Points. So take that into account when reading review. I've probably spent 7/8 nights here. I'm Marriott Platinum and get treated as VIP at Cosmopolitan. I'm sure that helps me like the place. (guaranteed comp. room upgrade, 4 free breakfast buffets daily, VIP check-in, no waiting in lines, etc).
--Location: Can't be beat IMO. Center strip.
--Rooms: I've stayed in the wrap-around suite, as well as a fountain view terrace. Wrap around suite coolest room I've ever stayed in, but pricey. Fountain view terrace very well appointed, comfortable, modern, and view can't be beat. Definitely helps when trying to close at the club.
--Casino: Bars and restaurants are pretty sick. Flashy/luxurious decor all around (bordering on too much to some). I'm only playing as high as $15 min blackjack/craps and found it hard to find a table in that range. Never during primetime. The bars are definitely a place to meet nice looking ladies, but IME they are the type that go for guys with money.
--Pool: Haven't been yet during the day. Seems pretty cool from a tour at night. Will be there 31st-4th this coming weekend and will edit.
--Clubs: Haven't been to Marquee yet, but definitely gets some serious talent from watching the 4am parade.

Aria:
--Location: Almost perfect for an MLife grinder.
--Rooms: Very cool, well appointed and technologically interesting. Definitely modern and very comfortable.
--Casino: "New Vegas" all the way. I like the decor and the gaming experience. Don't think I need to comment on how nice the poker room is on this forum. One of the hot spots.
--Pool: Very nice pool, comfortable, upper-class clientele. A little too quiet for my tastes though. No real music playing, definitely not a "party".
--Clubs: Haze- had a great time here one night. Mainly after meeting a Light Group promoter who took care of us for no real reason at all. (no line, no cover, VIP access). Gold Bar- great for drinks before going out (2-for-1 coupons handed out all day), but not good for meeting anyone.

Mandalay Bay:
--Location: Sucks. Complete south end of strip.
--Misc: Only stayed here one night before the rest of the group arrived the next day.
--Room: Nice room, well appointed. Can't really remember much but I left wanting to go back.
--Pool: Best pool on the strip by my experience, hands down. Huuuuuge with real sand entry and many different areas to find what you are looking for.

Venetian:
--Location: Not that great IMO. Almost north end of strip.
--Room: Had a basic suite for 4 nights. Having to show your key card at elevators to a guard made having randoms stop by difficult, but we got over it. Very "old luxury". Took forever to walk to our room in whatever tower we were in.
--Casino: Had a very easy time finding $10 craps/blackjack tables. Also did very well there so I'm sure I'm biased.
--Pool: N/A. Was winter when I was there.

MGM Grand:
--Location: Not that great IMO unless you are MLife grinding. Ridiculously long walk to Planet Hollywood, it's nearest neighbor casino on that side of strip.
--Misc: My old stand-by. My yearly trip with the guys used to always end up here. They are all MLife grinders so we stay here for the pool/restaurants and they gamble mostly at NYNY where we get rated easier.
--Rooms: Have consistently been "nice but not noteworthy". Very comfortable, everything you really need. No frills.
--Casino: Basically same review as the room. Nice but not noteworthy.
--Pool: So far my 2nd favorite on the strip. Good/fun clientele, a bit of music playing, lazy river winding around the whole thing means your "scenery" constantly changes.

Somewhat more random order:

Flamingo:
--Location: Pretty good. Almost center strip, great for CET Total Rewards grinding.
--Rooms: Had a Go room. It was "oddly" decorated, felt like 70's porn. Nice and clean though. No complaints.
--Casino: Certainly not new and clean. A dump compared to the rest of the bunch I've reviewed.
--Pool: Seems to be a really nice pool and crowd and party atmosphere. Only problem was that all of the chairs were gone by 11:30am and you had to lay on the cement. Past that, pretty good.

Palms:
--Misc: Forced to stay here for a bachelor party. Never thought I'd venture off strip. It wasn't AS bad as I expected to be off strip, but was a pain to cab to strip everyday. If your crowd is all about clubbing and the pool, might be a good spot for you.
--Location: Sucks.
--Rooms: Standard room. Nice enough, no complaints.
--Casino: Didn't gamble much there. Restaurants weren't the best selection from my recollection.
--Pool: Not sure if they still run "Ditch Fridays", but they did when I was there. I haven't been to a Day-club like Wet Republic, etc yet...but this was the closest thing to it. A little more "Jersey Shore-ish" of a crowd, but they were all up for a good time. No cover for the pool for residents and a decent party atmosphere.
--Clubs: Got a booth for the bachelor party. Alex at the Palms took care of us and we had a great time at Moon/Playboy Club. Pretty sick views of the strip and a good crowd.

Monte Carlo:
--Location: Decent. MLife land.
--Rooms: Standard. No frills. Nice and clean.
--Casino: Decent enough. Not flashy at all. I actually like the poker room and usually clean up here against the very in-experienced tourists. I think lack of a game going 24/7 keeps the sharks away.
--Pool: Not a big fan of the pool. Small, not always easy to find sun during certain hours. Think there is a sand volleyball court if that is your thing. I think the wave pool attracts too many kids for my liking.

Treasure Island:
--Location: Not great IMO. Almost north end of strip.
--Room: No frills, nice and clean.
--Casino: Same.
--Pool: I was waiting for someone still playing in quickie poker tournament and hung out at the pool. Very small, but the crowd and DJ brought out a very MTV Spring Break atmosphere if you are into that. A couple girls were hammered and putting on a show usually reserved for Sapphire or Spearmint.

Paris:
--Location: Very good. Mid-strip. CET TR land.
--Room: No frills, nice and clean.
--Casino: Same.
--Pool: N/A. Was there in winter.

Harrah's:
--Location: Good. North side of CET TR land.
--Room: No frills.
--Casino: Little more dumpy than above reviewed places.
--Pool: Meh. Not a huge party atmosphere, not an experience of any kind. Square pool with water. Basic as it gets.

Rio:
--Location: Sucks (when not June/July).
--Room: Very big seeing as the whole place is suites. Otherwise standard. No frills.
--Casino: No frills. Not very pretty. Decent minimum bets though.
--Pool: Pretty decent from my memory. Good place to hang out. Not a real party atmosphere when I was there.
--WSOP: Obviously redundant on this forum, but there is no beating staying there when playing WSOP. Walking upstairs to your room or downstairs in the morning to start your grind is pretty priceless for your mental state, IMO.

Luxor:
Decent enough place for old Vegas. Perfect for cheap stays. Location not so good.

Excalibur:
Only stayed here one night (well technically a few hours) when a girl took me back to her room. Can't really say I'd ever stay there by choice.

Upcoming this week: Planet Hollywood to be edited in later.

[BadNewzKennelz1]

I'll add Bally's to this list:
Location: Center strip, with cheap Ellis Island food nearby
Room: No frills but the price was right, good for a group of guys but probably not the best place to take a wife/girlfriend maybe
Casino: Not bad, but the Poker Room is kinda in a weird area, right smack in the middle of the floor, gets noisy especially when people are winning at the nearby craps tables etc.
Pool: Not sure went during March Madness

[vigilanteez]

Hooter's:
--Location: Not horrible, you are a quick walk to the MGM and Tropicana.
--Room: Motel status.
--Casino: Very small. Probably the smallest on the strip, but good for low limit gaming.
--Pool: Not terrible. No music or anything. Just a nice place to relax.
--You should only stay there if you want to save money and just use the room to sleep and shower. One major plus is having the Hooter's restaurant downstairs. Can't go wrong with that.

[ChaseThisLight]

great idea for a thread IMO, looking to book a trip my self and would be really useful if there was an Imperial Palace and Circus review (unless I'm a tool and missed them), for the budget market please

[Waitwut?]

Vdara:
I stayed at Vdara in september 2011 for 6 nights.
I arrived at a thursday night at around 7 PM, where I was the only person at the check-in line. That being said, 5 minutes later I was in my hotelroom at the 45th floor. The room was nice with a kitchenette, 2 flatscreen TV's, a very comfortable bed and a very uncomfortable couch. Our room faced the bellagio (fountains) and part of the strip, wich was pretty cool. The room was very clean and decent.
Roomservice was pretty fast, but expensive.
As said, the hotel has no casino, but it's a short walk to Aria and the Cosmo

[jan81]

Originally Posted by ChaseThisLight

great idea for a thread IMO, looking to book a trip my self and would be really useful if there was an Imperial Palace and Circus review (unless I'm a tool and missed them), for the budget market please

Today, 02:47 AM #7012
JamesAt15
grinder




Join Date: May 2005
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 688 Re: LVL FAQ, Quick Questions, General Vegas Discussion, Etc

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You'll probably hear a number of horror stories about IP, but here's a reasonably recent review of IP from VegasTripping that can probably be best summed up as, "Jesus, people, it's not that bad."

I haven't stayed there myself, though, which is what you were asking, sorry.


http://www.vegastripping.com/feature..._id=222&page=1