just returned from a week in las vegas: 3 nights at bellagio, 2 at wynn.
have been staying at bellagio since it opened, so i know it pretty well. first
time staying at wynn.
the reason for my 'not' in the subject line is that i'm more convinced than
ever that they are apples and oranges. bellagio is a world-class
'carriage-trade' hotel; wynn is a boutique hotel. of course, i'll make some
comparisons, anyway. 
some very personal reactions (i'm not claiming any kind of authority here)
and personal judgments, for what they're worth:
聽聽聽聽* wynn floral arrangements are beautiful, but sparse (including the
very 'leafy' atrium); bellagio's conservatory is spectacular
聽聽聽聽* the wynn lake is small, aimed at the few who can see it, and
contains a waterfall wall of brick, which i just don't get; the bellagio fountains
are spectacular
聽聽聽聽* the wynn decor is uneven (compare post-modern sensibilities in
floors, fixtures, bathrooms, etc., to french provincial finish (!) on furniture in
rooms); bellagio's design concept is spectacular and consistent
聽聽聽聽* in terms of high-end or 'carriage-trade' services, compare: main
entrances; valet pickup areas; cafes; quality of staff; pool areas; spaciousness
聽聽聽聽* the wynn tower suites section--with its own check-in (and vip
check-in), elevator, restaurant, and pool entrance--certainly would appeal to the
carriage trade. i loved it, but my friends all thought it a bit offensively
snobbish (guess i'm a snob...).
聽聽聽聽* however, the room i was in no way a suite, and, by comparison to say
bellagio and paris and caesar's, almost stodgy (i was pretty shocked by the
dullness of the decor) and somewhat claustrophobic (even though the bathroom
may be big, the shower and tub are small). bellagio's standard rooms are no
great shakes, either, though nicely designed. however, their standard suites
are very nice, and the penthouse suites are great.
聽聽聽聽* in fact, i found all of wynn to be claustrophobic, truly, whereas
bellagio is so expansive; this, of course, might reverse itself who those who
prefer a boutique establishment
聽聽聽聽* wynn's casino was extremely noisy (i actually wore ear plugs);
bellagio is very quiet, and, to me, soothing (so maybe, like the room, i'm
stodgy?)
聽聽聽聽* i love the non-glare machines at wynn; i hate the glare everywhere
else, bellagio included
聽聽聽聽* wynn has lots of 9/6 job, 8/5 bp, and 9/7 db at dollar level;
bellagio has almost none until you hit $2 and up; and, of course, at wynnn there is
the one famous bank of mostly full pay (however, beware the air-conditioning
on the end seats--very cold and breezy).
聽聽聽聽* wynn seeks to be exclusive (in the sense of excluding) far more than
bellagio; as has been mentioned often, most everything in wynn turns in
聽聽聽聽* wynn has the fun bonus bingo game while you're playing; i actually
had a streak of three in a row 'stamp' (four numbers together at any corner)
wins of $50-70; then, two games later, an 'X' win of $560! a cool something
for nothing.
聽聽聽聽* it was very nice to be rfb'd at wynn based on only one previous
day's play there a few months ago.
聽聽聽聽* others have praised wynn's buffet; i don't think it's quite on
bellagio's level (though i don't think bellagio's buffet is as good as it was at
first--but then i really liked the free champagne touch; that didn't last too
long). the food in the deli and cafe was fairly ordinary, though i did like
the lamb chops in the cafe. the italian restaurant was a disaster (of course,
i can't remember the name). i ordered one appetizer (of course, i can't
remember which), and actually had the waitress whisper to me that everyone sent
that back! i then ordered the fried calamaretti, and--yup--they were so
salty i couldn't eat them. on a positive note, the waitress saw that and
immediately said she would have them redo without salt, which she did. (and they
weren't 'little' calamari ('calamatetti'), anyway, but full size slices). the
main course was also very salty (braised beef shanks with rigatoni--a great,
though heavy, combination), but edible. i won't even bore you with the
appalling service in the cafe (mostly because the waiter simply did not understand
english at all well).
聽聽聽聽* in addition to the claustrophobia of the room and the halls and the
general ambience, the outside is also claustrophobic since wynn is 'squeezed
into' its space up front, and will be more so when tower next door completes.
also, at bellagio i am in the middle of the strip; at wynn, i feel more
isolated.
聽聽聽聽* after the reviews, i had very low expectations for 'la reve', but
found lots in it to like. however, it cannot come close to comparing with 'O'
or 'mystere'. too much bungee jumping and not enough actual physical
performance (except that the diver/swimmers were great). i found the male/female
ring-masters, and especially the awful white-suited threesome, to be boring,
out of place, and major speed bumps in the production, especially the rat-pack
threesome (could someone please justify their existence in the show for me?).
and i was shocked to see quite a few empty seats--i don't think i've ever
seen a single empty seat in 'O'. i think they may be in trouble.
聽聽聽聽* in fact, i was really surprised actually to keep over-hearing (in
quieter moments...) the staff saying they were bored, they were falling
asleep, it wasn't crowded, etc. a minute set of observations, obviously; we'll
have to see the numbers to see if they are, in fact, slowing down.
so, would i go back to wynn for the hotel and casino? no. would i go back
for the vp? probably.
anyway, please remember that i am aware that i am just expressing personal
opinions (one of my friends thought the casino floor was the most beautiful
she has seen, bellagio included). but i always find your logs to be great to
compare to my own experiences, so i thought i'd return the effort! thanks.
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