Just returned from a week-long trip to LV that spanned the weekends of the
8th & 15th. Here's some notes of interest:
Imperial Palace: You may have heard that IP has been purchased by Harrahs.
If you have any IP pts, you may want to use them before the changeover.
Currently the employees have no idea when that might happen. Normally, I leave my
pts alone & don't worry about the changeover but I inquired about where the
pts may be used. Restaurants, of course, Bettys ice cream parlor & gift shop in
the back. But found boutiques take the pts too & was pleasantly surprised at
their prices. Both wife & I bought shoes. We recently went shopping at
Charisma at LVH & found similar products & better prices here. I don't think this
will last after the changeover.
Casino Royale: Blackjack coupons no longer good at the only true BJ table.
This was a 6-5 table but with a coupon for 2-1 on first BJ which made it a
good play while waiting for BJ. LVA had the CR coupons in its top 10 last
month. Yeah I blame LVA for the downgrade.
Venetian: the $5 JB bank near high limit entrance which was recently reduced
to a double row of 4 slant-tops is now gone. Don't think the others against
the wall have changed.
Fiesta Henderson: used my $60 FP & earned 5 scratch cards (Oct promotion).
Each was worth 100 pts. If you remember be sure to use their brochure coupon
to get another free card. I gave my cards away so I wouldn't have any excuse
to go back. Right now with all the new freeway construction around there it's
a mess with exit signs misleading you or not even telling you where to exit.
I retraced the 215 route looking for the signs & finally figured out they
weren't there. If I were to try again, I'd come in on 95 or take surface
streets or just avoid it till it's all cleaned up. It's probably been reported
already but the MS-NSUDs which I used to find in the 5-plays are gone. Didn't
check them all but enough to give up on seeing them again. It's not a 100%+ game
but, honestly, I have never lost on that game.
Edgewater, Laughlin: strayed over there for 3 days as Laughlin just to see
what was going on. Oct promotion is the Treasure Chest drawing where you get a
max of 5 envelopes/day (50pts/envelope). This turned out to be better than
past Treasure Chests for me as I picked up 2 4-7s coupons (max $125), 4 2X
pts, & $35 cash, a cap plus some gift shop discounts. BTW, many scheduled events
have been changed or cancelled. For instance, upcoming BJ Tournament
invitational for this month has been cancelled, VIP Game Show next month has been
cancelled. Part of this is due to remodeling, part of it is due to new
policies. MGM plans to make its presence felt by New Years so advise taking advantage
of all invites this year as you might not see them next year. This might be
the last time we see the Game Shows & Treasure Chests.
Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton: this was the main purpose of my trip as I played in the
baccarat tournament on the 8th. Made the semis but not the finals. It was
difficult to meet the theo requirement (4000) but put in a lot of hrs. (Why do I
feel that vp players are having the welcome mat pulled? Play requirements
weren't upped for the table players.) Anyway, the money that they're putting into
upgrades at LVH are improving the property & I agree with prior comments
that it is still a good value over the Strip with the proviso that you are
selective about the offers that you accept. In some recent prior trips have stayed
in rooms & suites which had undergone renovations & have to say that I liked
the improvements.
LVH vs Venetian: If you're playing at $30K/day that earns you high C2 at LVH
which means all the LVH-owned restaurants & the Lanai suites or better
compared to standard room & the lower tier of restaurants at Venetian. Sounds like
you're getting a better deal at LVH until you actually stay in the rooms &
eat at the restaurants. The standard Venetian room is 700 sq ft which is
larger than the LVH Lanai suite &, if you've ever been in one, there is no
comparing the furnishing. Venetian wins. As for restaurants, Benihana's at LVH is
above average & the only dining experience at LVH that I look forward to there
although service & food at the other 3 are good but not memorable. Of the
lower tier restaurants at Venetian, Grand Luxe is the best 24-hr cafe in LV that
I've experienced & Royal Star (chinese) has some of the best & freshest dim
sum. For very good dining with great atmosphere, there's Zeffirino's
overlooking the canal & singing gondoliers, the restaurants in St Mark's Square &
many others to choose from.
If this comparison were made to the MGM-Mirage properties, I'm not sure I
could make the same case for their lower-tier restaurants vs LVH's gourmets but
those at Room-Food-Limited (RFL) are usually allowed one gourmet per casino
which are usually pretty good. And MGM permits cross-property comping which
means you have many restaurants to choose from.
Anyway, LVH's recent push to upscale their customer base will run into a
ceiling as customers compare their offers & play requirements from the Strip.
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