I'm staying at the VENETIAN!! HELP!

[Typhinie]

I have just had the worst week! After having the guy I am dating screw me over :mad: and my best friend starting to date someone I used to be in love with graemlins/cry.gif and a million other things, the only thing that kept me going was that I was going to Vegas on the 8th. I was staying at the Palms but just changed my reservations today (5 days prior to departure) to The Venetian! This has made me forget all my worries! Considering the price of the room was only about $30-$40 dollars mmore, I think I made the right decision. graemlins/biggthumpup.gif Anyway, the only drawback was that I had to get a king bed instead of two queens. It was about $30 extra per night to get the two queen room!!I am only going with a friend so I figure maybe I'll try the $20 trick to try and get a 2 bed room. Anyone been successful at the trick here? Or unsuccessful for that matter? ALso what are the standard rooms like? Do the have good views? Also, How's the casino? Any luck there? Also, I know the pool isn't anything like MB, but what's it like? WOW, I am so excited I am about to go crazy... I apologize for all the questions, I just don't know what to expect. :confused: But I apreciate any imput on the Venetian, any stories you want to share, or anything! graemlins/beerchug.gif

[YoungGun]

You should have no problem getting an upgrade at the Venetian in the middle of the week. They're huge (5th largest hotel in the world, 1000 more rooms than Bellagio) and have a hard time filling up. That's why they're the only hotel of their calibur on the strip that can be booked using Priceline and Hotwire. It is a very nice hotel, much better than The Palms. The public areas of the place are really well themed and pretty amazing. I've been in one of the rooms in the main hotel. My friend and his girlfriend had one once. Rooms are huge and have everything you could want including 2 TVs. If you don't swing an upgrade, one of you could always take the couch or call for a rollaway. The rooms are so big, neither option could be uncomforatable.

There are lots of travel sites out there that can describe The Venetian better for you. It can get expensive there since the gambling limits are high and there is no buffet, only an expensive "gourmet" food court. There are a few nickel slots where the cocktail service is still surprisingly good and a Panda Express in their shopping area. Otherwise, prepare to seek cheaper activities outside the Venetian.

[sharoncity]

You are gonna LOVE the Venetian!!! The couch in the livingroom area is a pull out sofa, so that can always be used if you don't get the two bed option.
The pool area is nice, nothing spectacular. Two large pools. LOTS of chaises and room to spread out. I enjoyed laying out and having a few dips in the pool. The drink attendants were around fairly often, no complaints there. One of the pools was mostly in the shade during the afternoon. But the other is quite large as well. And there was a third smaller pool by the cabanas. Not too many kids around when I was there in Sept.

I didn't have any success in their casino - couldn't find any $5 roulette tables. Played slots mostly and they took me for all my money there. My hubby had an interesting afternoon playing BJ. He found a $5 table one afternoon around 2:00. Casino was fairly quiet - it was Tues. The dealer was new to Venetian - second day on the job. Hubby typically bets $5 - $25 a hand. Pit boss there took a liking to him and started talking to him and then, in a round about way, coaching him. He'd complain when he got a bad hand and the pit boss would come over and say "you have to double down here", "You're not gonna win $1,000 betting like that", "take a card on that" All sorts of advice for him. Any how, this guy who never bets more than $50 on a hand suddenly has more like $300 bet on a hand! graemlins/eek5.gif He ended up walking away with $1,100 for about 3 hours of playing. And he had a great time too! graemlins/biggthumpup.gif But he was so nervous while he was playing, he had blisters on his elbows from digging them into the table!! graemlins/laughing.gif So I guess I'm saying we found the casino dealers and pit bosses to be a friendly bunch!! graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

Have a wonderful time - Venetian is fabulous!!

[blackjack]

The place is beautiful & the rooms are huge. As noted previously, the sofa is a sleeper so if the king bed is too small for a couple of friends, then you have another option. The pool is open & big. Lots of room but nowhere near as nice as Mirage. The waitresses were quick & the food at the cafe at the pool was good. The casino minimums are high but Casino Royale is right out front if you want some cheap fun. I tipped a 20 & got a high floor strip view. My major complaint was the service - bellman & housekeeping in particular. No offer was made to take our bags up & as we found out, the trip from the desk to the elevators through the casino with heavy luggage was a b**ch. Leaving was the same - bellman promised to have our bags with a cab waiting. We had to wait fo the bags & carry them ourselves accross incoming traffic & wait for a cab in the taxi line graemlins/cussing.gif . Housekeeping was non-existent. We had our room cleaned once in 4 days :eek: even after several calls to complain. We ended up raiding a maid cart for extra towels & soap (and all the lotions our hands could carry... they owed us big). Hopefully you will have better luck with the service. Otherwise, the hotel itself was awesome. The Grand Lux has some great food that is reasonably priced graemlins/biggthumpup.gif .

[LearningVegas]

....

It's good to see you so excited about going to Vegas, Typhinie. I hope you really enjoy your trip. :D :D :D

My last experience at the Venetian could serve as a model. I GOT THERE LATE, a very wise move as it turned out. Some people get there about 10AM, hoping to get the best rooms before anyone else. But at 10PM, most of the rooms aren't clean yet. You have to wait until the best rooms are clean. I guessed it would help to get there about 1PM, and it really seemed to pay off. I'm sure 4PM would be too late, but you might want to consider 1PM.

Anyway, I got there and found almost no line. The "traffic cop" then told a few of us to check in at the Venezia lobby. I didn't know that this was an automatic upgrade to the Venezia tower, but it was. I asked the clerk for a high floor, good view, no construction noise. They're all trained to act like there's no such thing as construction noise, but the previous time I was on the 31st floor with construction on the 32nd.

She finally told me I would be in the Venezia tower, where there was no construction, so I thanked her and gave her a $20 gratuity. I then asked her what kind of view I would have, and in this case there were no kings with views, so I told her I'd settle for 2 queens. She told me it would be a pool and garden view, which applies to the Venezia rooms, and it was a good view just like she said, 11 floors above the garden and 21 above the Strip. I could see the Rialto Bridge, the Campanile, and part of The Mirage. Not really a Strip view, but I was satisfied. At least it wasn't a view of the air conditioners on the roof of the Sands Convention Center.

The last thing she told me, by the way, was that she had just given me $70 per night in upgrades for two nights, apparently hoping I wouldn't ask for anything more. I was through asking anyway; I did pretty well for twenty bucks. For a longer stay, like 4 or 5 days, a $50 tip may be the standard for really good treatment. I don't know for sure...

Let me also point out that I paid $159 through Priceline while they were asking $179. So this was not the slowest of days, and some people may get better upgrades when the prices are lower, which means that the occupancy is lower.

All standard rooms at the Venetian are great, and there's no need to ask for anything except high floor, good view, no construction noise. Some of the views are bad, and they try to charge for view upgrades, just like Bellagio and Paris. I once tried asking for a Strip view at Paris without showing him the money yet, and of course it didn't work. He asked me if I wanted an upgrade that costs $35 per night. No, thanks...

BTW, this isn't hard to figure out, but the smoothest time to ask for "high floor, Strip view" and show the clerk some cash is right after they ask about "king bed, non-smoking." That's when they start looking for a likely room, and you want them to start with some motivation.

I've heard and read about people getting very good results from their Venetian Players' Club cards, provided they play some slots or video poker. (And apparently it doesn't have to be a lot of play, so don't play any more than you can afford and enjoy...) In the future they may be offered room discounts or even free rooms on nights chosen by the hotel. For table games, they say it takes $25 bets to get rated, but who knows for how long and with what results?

Some of the less expensive restaurants at the Venetian are very good, like Grand Lux Cafe and Taqueria Canonita. I tried Bouchon for breakfast, and it was very good and not that expensive.

Best wishes for a pleasant trip... smile.gif smile.gif

[ June 03, 2004, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: LearningVegas ]

[Typhinie]

WOW! I can't wait. This place sounds really classy! Thanks so much for all the advice!This is only my second trip to Vegas and I couldn't be more excited. This is my first of 3 trips this summer and I am sure it will be the nicest! I will try the $20 trick. I am not a very "slick" person, but what's the worst that can happen?! Even if I can't get 2 beds or a view, I am going with a girl friend so I know I could deal. I visited the Venetian on my last trip, but it being my 21rst Bday, I didn't stop drinking for 4 days and everything is kind of fuzzy smile.gif II already signed up for their "Players card". I just need to pick it up when i get there. I can't wait. I swear... when your having a bad week, there is always something just arround the corner to make you feel better! I have an envolope full of money that I have been saving for my gambling. Tuesday can not come fast enough!! Thank again for all the advice/ stories/ input!!!!!!