Before City Center...

[goldengreeke]

I am probably in the minority here, but I do not like city center. I play at the Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, and Encore when I want to be somewhere nice.
otherwise I play at Harrah's.

[boots]

I've stayed all over the place. My first Vegas visit was 20 years ago this month, for the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show. My employers decided to send me at the last minute, so I was at the Tropicana while everyone else was at a non-gaming hotel near the convention center. I was not-so-secretly glad, because it allowed me to wander around and form my own first impressions of Vegas without anyone else coloring my perceptions.

Before I went, I always thought I'd hate Vegas. But I instantly fell for this crazy, ridiculous, vulgar, harsh, entertaining, magical place. And even now I prefer to visit solo, whether I connect with others along the way or not. I find Vegas very restful. It's like an ocean with really loud waves.

Over the years, as I've gotten older and more demanding and am able to spend more $ on entertainment, my Vegas hotel/casino choices have evolved quite a bit. I've always been a sucker for high-grade kitsch. But I've gotten spoiled by staying at really nice hotels, and don't enjoy compromising on quality at this point. In general I'd rather pay to stay at a great place than take a crappy room for free. I also insist on rooms with blackout drapes that work the way they're supposed to. And rooms without random flashing lights that wake me up. (I travel with a roll of electrical tape, just to cover up all the annoying glowy things.)

I used to love Luxor when it was new and shiny, and animatronic camels still greeted incoming guests, but it got pretty ugh by the end of the '90s. After that I stayed at Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Treasure Island (in its pre-TI days, when there were still pirates), or Aladdin (in its pre-PHo days).

During the '00s I also stayed quite often at Venetian, and later Palazzo. But for some years now I have been unable to give owner Sheldon Adelson my business for political reasons. It's like voting against myself. This still makes me a little grumpy, because I liked the hotels and think they treat players relatively well, though I never won much at either casino.

From around 2006 on I stayed at Wynn a lot -- and Encore as well, once it opened. (I actually prefer the Encore rooms, though it's more of a hike to get there.) I still occasionally stay there. The energy sometimes feels a little dozy to me, and it's hard to get good, modular food without laying down some real money, but their beds are wonderful. A big reason I drifted away from W/E is that they yanked out all their Aruze games in the wake of an ugly boardroom brawl. And I do love me some Aruze!

I haven't been a full-time "Wynn lady" since early 2011, because that's when I fell madly in love with The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. I love the wit and humor and design details, the food, the people, the balconies with *that* view, the feeling that (for better or worse) crazy, random shit could happen at any second -- and the fact that, up until 2014, I never lost much at their casino. We'll see how 2015 goes.

Other places I've stayed: MGM, which is OK if it's free, but doesn't do much for me aesthetically. Aria, which always disappoints me, both room-wise (inadequate drapes, pilled sheets) and gambling-wise. Vdara, which is a worthy non-gaming stay, but generally requires an upfront spend, and the Roman shades let in too much light for my taste. Mandarin Oriental, which is lovely and gorgeous, but is again a deliberate non-gaming spend. The Delano, which after some consideration I think is OK if not fabulous, though I had some maintenance, noise, and light control issues. Nobu, which is a mixed bag -- rooms are very comfortable with great amenities, but they're very dark and have no view to speak of, and I have yet to win anything at Caesars or any other CET property.

Off-Strip, I've stayed at Red Rock -- attractive, B+ level rooms, but I hate the overly loud classic rock in the casino. And M Resort: I love the casino, but the rooms are practically paved in depressing woodgrain laminate, and there's an unblockable light from the back of the mini-fridge cabinet that always wakes me up. One time I got comped into a suite at M Resort, and it still wasn't nice enough for hotel princess me. Though at least the mini-fridge light wasn't an issue!

[dvandentop]

Stayed at mgm tropicana palazzo mandalay bay. Monte carlo before. Wasnt as serious of a player back then though.

[SoCalRob]

Wow @boots! You definitely sound like my kinda friend. I'm kind of the same way, if I have the money I prefer to pay for quality of service than settle for a free room for the sake of it being for free. Since I haven't had the money yet nor have I played often enough at Cosmo I haven't gotten chance to stay in their rooms. One of these days I definitely will want to because of the views they offer from the pictures I've seen.

[Drgonslyer]

We stay mostly at CET places, never really have had a bad room and they are free. I have gotten the comp adds from the Wynn and P/V but when I call they never have any thing open. Last stay was in the Cromwell, the room was nice but a little dark and it was non-smoking. What was great is that you stepped out of the elevator and you were in the middle of the casino. Security at the elevators 24/7 plus your room key activated the elevator. Never had a noise problem that some people talk about while staying there. As far as food goes Johnny Rockets will work just find but I also like a good steak.