Flew Sat 9/1 BOS-LAS on JetBlue for 1st time...excellent legroom and Direct tv ( exactly as you described Dr. V!)...no headwinds, so we arrived 50 min early!...then, the ultimate frustration: no gate!...so we sat in ';penalty box'; for...wait for it...........50 minutes!
Since it was 11pm on a Sat nite, the taxi line took about 17 seconds as we hurried along the line of waiting cabs to the number 3 spot...taxi fare was $16 plus $4 tip, with no tunnel.
We were staying at Hilton for 2 nites, because I was utilizing my Hilton Diamond award points...this was first time back here since I saw Elvis ( slim Elvis) back some 35+ years ago...it will be another 35 years until I step back into that place. Even for a free room...well, it wasn%26#39;t really free; I earned those points staying at Hilton properties...unlike a casino comp, these awards are separate from the gaming aspect of the LV Hilton ( a late Merv Griffin Resorts property)...it%26#39;s only managed by Hilton...so they couldn%26#39;t care less that we were there...and it showed in the bored face of the front desk clerk...';Oh, we can%26#39;t give you a Diamond upgrade tonight...it%26#39;s late';....me, ';are you sold out?';...clerk,';just about';...me, ';please let us have a renovated non-smoking King, like the Diamond desk promised us';...clerk, ';that%26#39;s only a request, not a guarantee...even on a reward';. I just love verbal jousting like that, especially after a 5 1/2 hour flight....finally, she magically and majestically found a room in the renovated North tower...we entered room, and it was very nice, with a plasma tv and new, modern furnishings...very nice, except the bed was stripped, and had no sheets on the mattress!!...a call to the desk promised a housekeeper immediately...the rest of the room had been cleaned...bathroom, etc...evidently, during the day, they were waiting for freshly laundered sheets, and just forgot to come back...so, 25 minutes later, (it is now 12:30 am...but 3:30am for us, because we were on eastern time!) the housekeeper came, along with a bellman with an envelope from the Manager...inside was a $100 comp for TJ%26#39;s Steakhouse for our inconvenience!...along with a brief note for us to be sure to enjoy our Diamond stay...cool!...all those stays at Hampton Inns at airports across the country is finally paying off!...so why don%26#39;t I like the Hilton Las Vegas?...because the hotel itself is dingy, slightly dirty feeling...maybe worn out is a better description...our free breakfast (brunch) buffett on Sun morning was truly terrible...just bad institutional, hotel catering food...you know the type I mean?...so bad, in fact, that on Mon morning, we paid for a Continental room service breakfast of coffee, pastry basket, OJ (not fresh squeezed) for $33 with tip, rather than have our free buffet.
We walked past Quarks bar...only two or three people in there...unappealing...especially after perusing the bar menu at the entrance...';Vulcan Hot Wings';...etc...please....maybe I%26#39;m getting to be an old f@rt...could be.
Dinner Sun nite at TJ%26#39;s Steak House was overpriced (went $60 over our $100 comp with a couple of Grey Goose martinis each at 14 a pop)...steaks were ok...liked old pics on wall from Elvis and Rat Pack days, though...showing Kirk Douglas and many other celebs from 60%26#39;s sitting in same room we were in...so the Hilton does have that nostalgia thing going for it...but that%26#39;s about it.
Played some $10 and $15 single and dbbl deck BJ...but all were 6/5...in fact, that was the same in every casino we visited this trip...it%26#39;s not bad until you actually GET a blackjack, and then the affront of what they are doing to us as players, actually sinks in!
Anyway...dealers were not especially friendly...nor were fellow players...just the whole vibe of the place was off...
Next...on to Paris for two nights of Harrah%26#39;s comp offer of two nights a month.....TR to follow tomorrow...thanks for listening!
Semi-belated TR; 9/1 %26amp;9/2 @LV Hilton; 9/3%26amp;4 @ParisThanks for the report so far. Hope your stay in Paris is better than the LV Hilton.
And you got the check in person that was doing you a favor by checking you in? Hope you didn%26#39;t put her out too much. Hope she didn%26#39;t get a hernia getting off her stool. (We got the same thing when we checked in at a different casino last month)
Can%26#39;t wait for the rest.
Semi-belated TR; 9/1 %26amp;9/2 @LV Hilton; 9/3%26amp;4 @ParisGeeeeze, this sounds a little painful. You go to Vegas to enjoy and really don%26#39;t want the I don%26#39;t care attitude at 3am your time! Hopefully everything goes better at Paris.
Thanx Mitz and Low...the Hilton wasn%26#39;t TOO terrible, you know?...just tired out...and the attitude of front desk clerk was over-riden by some unseen manager who gave us the $100 dinner comp for the unmade-up room...I guess it%26#39;s just that we generally stay at higher rated properties in Vegas and elsewhere.
Maybe losing at every WOF and other slots we played at Hilton helped contribute to my sour taste?...oh yeah, also lost all during three separate $200 buy-ins at BJ tables.!...very few people were seen winning at ANYTHING during this trip...even at Paris and at Bill%26#39;s.
Second half of TR (Paris 2nites and visit to Bill%26#39;s to see Big Elvis- which I had previously reported on a couple days ago...see ';Big Elvis was spectacular'; thread) will be forthcoming later today...cheers, all.
Zricky47 - We%26#39;re staying at the Hilton next week; also comped but using Resorts Destination dollars from Atlantic City.
Did you try any of the other restaurants at the Hilton? We were planning to go to the Steakhouse for a special occasion dinner; do you think there are better choices? I like Benihana%26#39;s too, but I can get that here. Any other advice about the Hilton? Did you use or see the pool? If so, what did you think of the cabanas (we might get one for a day). Any recommendations about the spa/gym and the Star Trek Experience? Did I mention I have a LOT of these destiny dollars to burn?
Cheers,
LuvBreezes
LUV...your resorts comp will get you MUCH better treatment than my Hilton Honors Diamond VIP award, as I explained in my post...yours is casino-related, while mine was from excessive business stays around the country and world...they like you much more.
TJ%26#39;s is ok...expect to spend 150-225, depending on wine choice, dessert, cocktails, etc...it%26#39;s white tablecloth, and VERY old Vegas feeling...across the hallway is Benihana%26#39;s Rainforest Village...it%26#39;s cooling and soothing in there...we had some sushi and drinks (sushi bar is tucked down on right, past the bar)...walkways and waterfalls lead your way...sushi was good...don%26#39;t bother with Benihana itself, that%26#39;s where all the tourists were lined up...it was a good show when I first went 25 years ago in LA....but, now, there%26#39;s too much else to see, you know?...
Didn%26#39;t go to pool...but, hey, if you can get a comped cabana (say that 5 times), get it, and live The High Life!
Didn%26#39;t do Star trek thing...I think it was $42 per person...but, again,if it%26#39;s on Merv%26#39;s estate, go for it!
That was it at Hilton, we then moved to Paris for 2 nites, which reminds me, I have to write Part 2 of this TR!...have fun!!! hope I helped.
Zricky47...I%26#39;m totally with you on the ';vibe';...or lack-there-of......at the Hilton! Just didn%26#39;t like it!!
We ate the dinner buffet, and the shrimp (fried and boiled) were good....but that%26#39;s about it.
No-one was ';winning'; that we could see (or hear)......
I can%26#39;t wait to hear about your PARIS experience.....now, Paris I love!! oui, oui!!
Thanks for the TR......I%26#39;m glad you ';stuck to your guns'; and got the good tower...even without sheets! LOL......
Hey Tex...I forgot to mention that, when we finally did get our sheets, the obviously brand-new bed was the new signature Hilton pillow-top TempurPedic foam thing...wow, what a fantastic bed!...rest of hotel still sucked, as I previously said. When nobody wins, you can remodel rooms and put in new beds, right?
Zricky,
I couldn%26#39;t agree with you more about the Hilton, what happened to that place. When we were there in August it smelled like burnt oil. It took us about 20 minutes to find a fairly clean spot to play slots. ugh. . . . .
zbethg
Yikes - you guys are scaring me!
We were going to pay for an upgraded room, hopefully a suite. I contacted a host out there and am expecting great things. I%26#39;ll post a report when I return.
LuvBreezes
Luv...don%26#39;t be scared...pay for upgrade to ensure...maybe comp will cover difference when you check out...confirm NORTH tower only...if suites haven;t all been renovated, then a large King, like we had will be super....have a drink in Rain Village, like I said, and you%26#39;ll relax!!
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