Vegas is becoming a rip off part 2 : a year later review

[gettocard]

May some of you will reming this topic :
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=159111.

Well,I've just came back from Vegas again and unfortunately I have to say that things have not improved since my last year visit. Of course I did not expect to improve dramatically so quickly,but getting even worst ??...what the heck !!!

First of all the obnoxious resort fee most resort "mandate" in your final bill. Well,let me tell you this : are you guys serious ?? Stop it already !! Or make it a one time 20 bucks at check in,not for every day of my stay.

Since we had 2 weeks to spend in Socal we decided to avoid most pricey hotels, also because we came to a point that in Vegas it doesn't really make any sense,unless of course we're talking about places like Circus Circus or Riviera. Stayed at Bellagio many times and loved it,but 149 per night plus and extra 20 bucks for the extra fee no thank you,Mr Lanni. By comparison,it does a lot more sense to stay at Wynn and pay $199 per night. Either way we opted for the good old Treasure Island where I've scored an unbelievable 3 nights for 150$ including resort fee. Comfy enough mattresses for me too,wich is what is most important. Smokey casino,old carpeting and room furnitures falling apart ? They've got you cover !!!

Now,last year I came to a conclusion that while gambling became cheap,food became very expensive and service has gone down the drain,this year it seems the gambling is still cheap,food is still very expensive ( TI breakfast buffet is one dollar more than the Bellagio breakfast buffet !! But don't worry,they are both to avoid imho.) but most important hotels in general are kept in an unbelievable state of disarray an seediness. And I mean all of them.
Let's take the hotel that stands as a force to be reckon with : Wynn . Wynn and Encore suddendly looks like very old and dusty establishments. At first I've thought the new standard set by Aria made me feel like that but no,that's not the case. It is clear that Mr. Wynn is spending a lot more time in it's Macau casinos and his places here in Vegas are falling apart. Of course I do understand most of the shut down boutiques in the corridor between Wynn and Encore are due to a bad economy,but what hell...keep the damn place clean and tidy !! And,bottom of the barrel....I've saw a mexican kid selling chewing gums on the bridge between Fashion Show Mall and Wynn....now you know Steve is not in town !!!

Least but not last : I don't feel safe on the Strip anymore like I used to feel few years ago or during the "good years" 1998-2007 when I've lived in town for 3 years. The area between the Aladdin ( it's Planet Hollywood now but I'm and old timer ) and the Harely Davidson Cafe' is filled with very mean individuals giving you aggressive stares,offering you drugs or singing their hip hop stuff with each other. No,I don't feel safe on the Strip anymore,take it from someone that knows this town better than himself.


But ...is there a positive note ? Yes there is ! There is that new resort in town most older resort should now learn from : The Cosmopolitan . Hated it last year,understanded and loved it this year. The place is clean and smallish,smallish because of the multilevel thing,and it has a general feel of intimacy. We really loved the idea of being able to grab a slice of pizza and eating it while inside the hotel sitting on a wooden bench and NO slot machines in sight !!|

Other than this positive note it's sad to say it but I don't see any more reason for me to go back to Vegas for a while,not until resorts will pick up on the economy again. It's funny tho, because Vegas newspapers reports 10% increase in room occupancy and room prices month after month,while an insider very good friend of mine tells me most hotels with 3000 and plus rooms inventory keep at least 2000 rooms closed during the week or during very slow weekends.....is that how you make +10% occupancy every month....... ?

What else ?? The Las Vegas Hilton is now called LVH and it's bank owned,so is the good old Palms. Lot's of half built and not completed buildings throughout the valley,a true sad vision.
The Loft 5,a trendy apartment complex I was very interested in few years ago sits in the middle of the desert and poor maintenance is taking a toll on it's facade,here and there you can see some curtains open or closed,a sign that someone managed to buy a small unit unit for a whopping 170K$ back in 2003 or 50K$ in 2011....

[mtrunner]

I was just in Vegas in December and I had a fabulous time. I still love Vegas and will continue to go back. The food is more expensive but there are now better choices and better restaurants to choose from and to be honest they are no more expensive than a restuarant in NYC or other major city in the US.

I do agree there seem to be some seedy characters on the strip and I didn't see a lot of polic while we were walking around. That has to be cleaned up.

Are you sure the Palms is bank owned. I am pretty sure the Maloofs still own it and are doing just fine financially.

[Dan Pierce]

In all my travels Vegas is one place I've never been.
dP

[azguy]

[QUOTE]
but most important hotels in general are kept in an unbelievable state of disarray an seediness. And I mean all of them.
Let's take the hotel that stands as a force to be reckon with : Wynn . Wynn and Encore suddendly looks like very old and dusty establishments. At first I've thought the new standard set by Aria made me feel like that but no,that's not the case. It is clear that Mr. Wynn is spending a lot more time in it's Macau casinos and his places here in Vegas are falling apart. Of course I do understand most of the shut down boutiques in the corridor between Wynn and Encore are due to a bad economy,but what hell...keep the damn place clean and tidy !! And,bottom of the barrel....I've saw a mexican kid selling chewing gums on the bridge between Fashion Show Mall and Wynn....now you know Steve is not in town !!!
[QUOTE]

Really the Wynn and Encore are old and dusty

[gettocard]

Originally Posted by mtrunner

Are you sure the Palms is bank owned. I am pretty sure the Maloofs still own it and are doing just fine financially.

Yes,Palms is owned by 2 banks actually,Mr Maloof still holds a 3% ownership and supervise day to day operations. The Greenspun family still retains a 0.1% on the property,but I could be wrong on this.

[gettocard]

[QUOTE=azguy;3037005][QUOTE]
but most important hotels in general are kept in an unbelievable state of disarray an seediness. And I mean all of them.
Let's take the hotel that stands as a force to be reckon with : Wynn . Wynn and Encore suddendly looks like very old and dusty establishments. At first I've thought the new standard set by Aria made me feel like that but no,that's not the case. It is clear that Mr. Wynn is spending a lot more time in it's Macau casinos and his places here in Vegas are falling apart. Of course I do understand most of the shut down boutiques in the corridor between Wynn and Encore are due to a bad economy,but what hell...keep the damn place clean and tidy !! And,bottom of the barrel....I've saw a mexican kid selling chewing gums on the bridge between Fashion Show Mall and Wynn....now you know Steve is not in town !!!

Really the Wynn and Encore are old and dusty

Wynn is a 7 years old property,an enormous time for a Vegas hotel after all. Yes,you can clearly see Mr Wynn's flowerish carpets are not as red as they used to be...

[mtrunner]

Originally Posted by gettocard

Yes,Palms is owned by 2 banks actually,Mr Maloof still holds a 3% ownership and supervise day to day operations. The Greenspun family still retains a 0.1% on the property,but I could be wrong on this.

Wow pretty crazy. I had no idea the Maloofs were in such bad financial shape.

[masterserg]

[QUOTE=gettocard;3037049][QUOTE=azguy;3037005]

but most important hotels in general are kept in an unbelievable state of disarray an seediness. And I mean all of them.
Let's take the hotel that stands as a force to be reckon with : Wynn . Wynn and Encore suddendly looks like very old and dusty establishments. At first I've thought the new standard set by Aria made me feel like that but no,that's not the case. It is clear that Mr. Wynn is spending a lot more time in it's Macau casinos and his places here in Vegas are falling apart. Of course I do understand most of the shut down boutiques in the corridor between Wynn and Encore are due to a bad economy,but what hell...keep the damn place clean and tidy !! And,bottom of the barrel....I've saw a mexican kid selling chewing gums on the bridge between Fashion Show Mall and Wynn....now you know Steve is not in town !!!


Wynn is a 7 years old property,an enormous time for a Vegas hotel after all. Yes,you can clearly see Mr Wynn's flowerish carpets not as red as they used to be...

I stayed at the Wynn at the end of 2009 and it was great. As for the rest of Vegas, I agree with the OP ... did not enjoy it one bit.

[kareemthedream33]

I'm going in May with a bunch of my buddies, staying at the Flamingo. I'm really looking forward to it, never been to Vegas.

[Submarino]

Andy while I agree with some of the things you say about Vegas I don't agree with you when it comes to service. I guess it all depends on where you stay and how much you are willing to spend. We always stay at the Wynn or the Encore and service is nothing but spectacular and perfect! Since they cater to very affluent Asian tourists that won't put up with any service crap they need to excel. We typically like to have dinner at Sinatra, Mastro's, Le Cirque and all I can say is that we've had some amazing meals and great service there. Another great option where we have stayed only once is the Aria, very nice place, great food options and modern casino without crazy ladies or party boys around.

[gettocard]

Originally Posted by kareemthedream33

I'm going in May with a bunch of my buddies, staying at the Flamingo. I'm really looking forward to it, never been to Vegas.

If you have never been there you're gonna have a blast,don't worry. Flamingo's pool is one of the coolest in town

[conrail]

I got that sense about Encore when I was at the Wynn a few years back, that it was starting to show its age, but the Wynn was still sparkly clean I thought. Interesting to note it's going downhill too.

[wantonebad]

Vegas is desert and nothing lasts very long! Plus every person in the world wants a week in sin-city to get their "wicked-on" at least once in their life. Some do it everyday, but most of us are somewhere in between.

Every resort sees a ton of traffic, most hotels are obsolete the moment they are completed, that's why they all are under some form of renovation, and that schedule can fluctuate with the economy.

Calling anything in Vegas "seedy" is redundant, by it's very nature it caters to what lives under rocks, obviously, but the real charm or deviousness is they can also take care of the folks who think they're going to a vacation destination. That's why they use so much paint and glass.

[rodrob59]

I've been going out 2 or 3 times a year since 2000. Not like it was in the old days of 2007 when construction was going 24/7, but nothing lasts forever. I still think Las Vegas is a good value. Where else can you stay at a hotel like Bellagio for $150 a night? I'm not happy about the resort fees either, but the Caesars properties don't charge them.

I'm headed out in two weeks and looking forward to a great time. The ole girl hasn't let me down yet.

[Hooper]

We love Vegas, we stay at the Flamingo, good bang for the buck and very central to the strip ! Great pool and next to Margaritaville for cheap eats and good drinks and a pretty commanding view of the fountains at the Belaggio

[Vee-Dweller]

Got to disagree about the Wynn being unclean and dusty I have stayed there every year since it opened in 2005 and was there last in mid October last year staying in one of the new redecorated resort rooms which was as clean as ever but i do know where the op is coming from.
Seeing restaurants like Alex closed wth 2 michelin stars really speaks volumes about the economy in Vegas also lots of shops gone in the fashion show and forum shops and beggars on all of the footbridges near the 5 star properties plus the ghosts of Echelon and fontainebleau down the strip give Vegas an in limbo kind of eerie feel for me.
Also prices are going up like mad, a bottle of Budweiser at the B bar in the Wynn was are you sitting down..........$8.00.. that's crazy for a bottle of domestic beer.
I don't think i will be back for a while which is sad as it's my favourite place on Earth
Rolex pic....

Happiness is the Wynn pool almost to yourself on a Thursday aftenoon and a Strawberry Daiquiri in late October ,90 degrees...........nice...

[RRGHOST1]

Go to Vegas every year and going there in September.We stay in the Excalibur because its cheap and the pool area isn't overlooked or in the shade,so in a good position if you want to sunbathe all day. Have not got a lot of money but i still love the place.

[BarkMaster]

Originally Posted by mtrunner

Wow pretty crazy. I had no idea the Maloofs were in such bad financial shape.

The Palms Hotel and Casino offloaded much of its debt to TPG Capital, which owns Caesars Entertainment Corp., and to Leonard Green & Partners LP.

[WARVET]

My first job was at the Shell station across from the Silverbird Casino on the Strip in 1980. Vegas eats people up and spits em out, I worked the Midnight shift. quite the experiance for a 17 year old.I pumped gas for Pimps, whores, sore losers, lucky winners, show girls, good country Grandmothers and everything in between.

[AAMD11]

I dont particularly care for the Hotel room itself, I'm never in it haha. As for the Resorts themselves I don't really see any aging per say, unless you go to the downtown "Freemont Experience" that down there is nasty, BUT it has its plus as its very cheap to gamble over there compared to the big resorts. I was just over there not even a month ago, Stayed at Ceasars.

[seand442]

The resort fees are what chap my ass. I don't want to pay $20 a night for a USA Today, gym access and unlimited phone calls. It's Vegas, I'm not going to use the gym. Does anybody make off-property calls from a hotel room anymore? I will use my cell phone and guess where I can get the news? Yup, cell phone again.

Having said that, I am looking at the Flamingo in March. Good rates, no resort fee and Margaritaville readily accessible.

[AAMD11]

Originally Posted by seand442

The resort fees are what chap my ass. I don't want to pay $20 a night for a USA Today, gym access and unlimited phone calls. It's Vegas, I'm not going to use the gym. Does anybody make off-property calls from a hotel room anymore? I will use my cell phone and guess where I can get the news? Yup, cell phone again.

Having said that, I am looking at the Flamingo in March. Good rates, no resort fee and Margaritaville readily accessible.

Flamingo and Imperial Palace are where my friends book their rooms, I stayed with them last year in Imperial, not aesthetically eye pleasing but its centric and cheap. As I said we are NEVER in the room!

[bungcarlo]

You need to have connections if you truly want to enjoy Vegas. Get free shows, buffets, upgraded rooms. We are talking about the "sin city" here. Otherwise, they'll suck the living life out of you! As long as you keep a low profile and remember, what happens in vegas...you know the rest! Although I have lots of friends in Vegas who can give me a penthouse room for 1 dollar, get me free tix for Phantom or whatever, Vegas truly bores me.

[gmh1013]

[QUOTE=azguy;3037005][QUOTE]
but most important hotels in general are kept in an unbelievable state of disarray an seediness. And I mean all of them.
Let's take the hotel that stands as a force to be reckon with : Wynn . Wynn and Encore suddendly looks like very old and dusty establishments. At first I've thought the new standard set by Aria made me feel like that but no,that's not the case. It is clear that Mr. Wynn is spending a lot more time in it's Macau casinos and his places here in Vegas are falling apart. Of course I do understand most of the shut down boutiques in the corridor between Wynn and Encore are due to a bad economy,but what hell...keep the damn place clean and tidy !! And,bottom of the barrel....I've saw a mexican kid selling chewing gums on the bridge between Fashion Show Mall and Wynn....now you know Steve is not in town !!!

Really the Wynn and Encore are old and dusty

I goto Vegas 3-4 times a year....The Wynn is Dusty? maybe Laughlin NV
@ the Edgewater...but the Wynn

[Ebruner]

I disagree wit the OP. I go 3 times or so a year, stay at the Wynn, Eat like a king, shop like mad, start each day off with a massage, and see several shows. I avoid the low rent end of the strip.

-Eddie

[Zed Homme]

I agree with the OP. While I wouldnt say that the Wynn is dirty or dusty, it does feel like a really bad acid trip. I heard Steve Wynn designed the place himself, it all makes a lot more sense when you discover that he is actually legally blind.

Vegas used to make its money on the casino floor, hence all the perks and cheap rooms. Nowadays it has become a "destination" and more money is made in the restaurants and shopping malls. Prices have shifted accordingly, and yes, due to its desperate attempt at becoming high class, costs have skyrocketed.

I find myself in Vegas at least 8 times a year, but most often, it involves me getting into my car in the long term parking lot at mccarren and getting right out of town. Vegas has become totally lame imo.

[clnance]

The Wynn "old and dusty"? Couldn't disagree more-

The resort has earned AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star...Wynn and Encore collectively hold more Forbes five-star awards than any other resort and casino in the world. Wynn Las Vegas also made Forbes Award history by earning five-star ratings in every category—Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa—for two consecutive years. It has held the distinction of winning the award in the Hotel Sector for 4 consecutive years, since 2007. Old and dusty hotels do not get such ratings...

I stayed at Wynn less then a year ago and visited a month ago and the place is spotless.....I have not seen many hotels that can hold a candle

Aria is nice (stayed there in June) but is not in the league of Wynn or even Bellagio for that matter

[Lion]

I'm with Dan, I've never been there.....not much of a gambler!!!

[Lion]

Opps...double post.....

[gettocard]

Originally Posted by Zed Homme

I agree with the OP. While I wouldnt say that the Wynn is dirty or dusty, it does feel like a really bad acid trip. I heard Steve Wynn designed the place himself, it all makes a lot more sense when you discover that he is actually legally blind.

Well,the place has actually been designed by Roger Thomas, a sort of "in house" architect friend of Steve Wynn. But yes,colors and draperies mostly come from Steve Wynn mind. Nothing wrong with that,they are beautiful indeed,but the glitzier they are the faster they get old,like what happened when Mandalay Bay opened back in 1999. The casino was spotless and full of energy,now it feels like a big box full of slot machines. I still love it anyway,Mandalay Bay is still my favorite "resort experience" hotel in Vegas

Anyway, I've heard out of a whole month Steve Wynn spends 3 weeks in Macau and 1 week in Vegas,up until a couple of years ago it was exactly the opposite. You can tell when the boss is not around and there's a lot of cost cutting involved....