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Help with decision on home hotel

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by Paul S, Apr 10, 2013.

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  1. Paul S

    Paul S Newbie

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    Hey all!

    I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow for a Thursday to Monday trip @ the Cosmopolitan with the wife. I'm trying to decide on a "home" hotel. That is not to say I would never spend any trip other places, but a home hotel for me and the occasional trip where my wife comes with me. The Cosmo is beautiful but I have heard the gaming is on the weak side (They don't care about Table players, etc.). Here is some of my pertinent info.

    - I'm gambling about $2,200 3 times a day (1000 Craps, 1000 Roulette, 200 BJ) for a total of 6,600. I usually gamble until I have win around half my buy in or I lose it. My total trip buy ins is around ~$27,000.

    - I'm 28, so having a young professional vibe is relatively important. This includes a cool nighttime bar or club to maybe take the edge of from time to time. The hotel cleanliness and comfort of the rooms is paramount.

    - Comps are fairly important, mostly in the free stay department or food. Which place would my play earn a host? I'm not chasing comps either so my play won't increase.

    Cosmo, Aria, Wynn, MGM Grand, Caesar's, NY NY, and Mirage all on my radar. Any thoughts? feelings? advice? Go rogue and spread my cash at different hotels and see what happens? Thanks all!
     
  2. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    I'd probably recommend Wynn...I think they would provide a host at that level, and they have great table gaming conditions. The hotel is top notch when it comes to service and cleanliness, so no worries there. for nightlife, they have XS and Surrender, plus pretty good restaurants and bars.

    I like Cosmo a lot, I stayed there last year. the rooms, restaurants, and clubs/bars there are awesome, but gaming leaves a little to be desired. I think you can arrange for their high limit room where they can offer better rules, but last I heard even at $1000 a hand their BJ rules call for H17.

    Maybe stay/gamble at Wynn/Encore, and party at Cosmo?
     
  3. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    By the way, my father-in-law usually plays about your amount, but just in the sportsbook, and he will usually get food comped on his trip, and a night taken off the bill, etc.
     
  4. ilovetogamble

    ilovetogamble Tourist

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    That is a tough call. I guess it all depends on which casino you feel the most comfortable with. Obviously, the newer and highly established hotels are most suitable for you.

    My preference is the MGM properties. I am not saying there company is better than other gaming companies but the simple fact is that they have more properties to choose from. So once you are good with one MGM property you can pretty much stay any of their other properties for free with no problems and they have many different varieties of high quality Hotel/Casino.My home base was at MGM Grand but when ARIA was opening they sent me an invite to stay at the ARIA. My new home base for gambling is the ARIA now.

    But I am a fan of MGM and Aria for a home casino but I am weird when it comes to why. I don’t think you want to know – it’s actually silly.
    But the places you listed are all good home base. Good luck and I hope you are comfortable in choosing one.
     
  5. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    Now we're curious as to your reason for staying at MGM properties!
     
  6. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    definitely skip Caesars, NYNY and Mirage. at your level you should be at the nicer properties. I would skip Cosmo personally because the gaming atmosphere is slow and comps are really lame.

    best comps for your buck is still at Mlife casinos. Wynn is tighter, but the place is really nice. my home base is mostly MGM and occasionally the B. a 30k bankroll for 4 days should be enough to get a nice suite @ RFB, but that all depends on how many hours you actually end up putting in and how much you bet. playing the wheel will definitely help the theo, but craps is slow on that department. and your BJ bankroll is low, so that's not going to make much of a difference.
     
  7. ilovetogamble

    ilovetogamble Tourist

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    LOL- I guess I set that up for myself.

    I’m not sure if it is silly or weird - now that I thought about it.

    But here are some little reasons why MGM was my home base for awhile.

    9 – 10 years ago before I hardly gambled and had to pay for my rooms. While checking in the lady said, “it's your birthday today.” (Which it was)I wasn’t even thinking about my birthday just wanted to head to my room to use the bathroom. I didn’t say anything she upgraded me to a suite. When I checked out with the same lady she comp my room. That had never happened to me anywhere else.

    They have 3 convenient Starbucks. I need my Americanos.

    There is a phone charger thingy on the casino floor. It looks like a big ball of cables and has an extension for every type of phone. Sometimes you don’t want to walk back to your room to get some extra juice for your phone.

    MGM used to give you a shoe polish pad with the rest of your vanity kit. They don’t have that anymore – actually all the places I stay at – don’t have that. Unless I am the unfortunate one to not receive one every time.

    The United Artist Theatre is next to the MGM. Sometimes I want to see a movie.

    I find the access to the 15 freeway easier from MGM grand compared to other properties. Sometimes I need to get somewhere quick.

    The size of the MGM. I like to exercise so I like to walk everywhere. Aria and the cosmopolitan for example, was brilliantly constructed for convenience and utilized there space effectively. The elevators and escalators give you quick access to restaurants and other amenities. MGM is pretty much laid out all in one floor and there is a lot of walking to get to one place. It sucks when you are drunk though but it helps you walk it off. Lol

    FOR THE ARIA

    Jean Phillip Croissant.

    The convenience of the CVS pharmacy in front of the property.

    Jean Philippe next to the elevator from your standard room.

    Free drinks from the sky suite lobby. (Soda for mixing drinks, etc…) Sometimes you got to be cheap.

    Plenty of BENCHES in front of the casino entrance close to the water falls. Sometimes you just need to sit and enjoy the crisp fall morning or spring weather with a croissant and coffee. You’ll be surprise on the limited peaceful seating spaces at all the strip hotels.

    Jean Philippe mint ice cream. (Obviously, I love Jean Philippe)

    Obviously, these are not the main reason I had MGM and ARIA as home base but these little things I greatly appreciated.

    But you can’t go wrong with the other properties for your home base but Mlife has given me better offers then TR. Encore/Wynn can be tight and even the bartender are tight as well but its a nice property. Sorry I went Long.
     
  8. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    Actually that's not silly or weird at all! I guess everyone has their own reasons. For me, I like the Wynn because when my wife and I went there on our first anniversary, they bumped us up to a Tower Suite (walked us over to the lobby, etc.) and sent up champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, and every time I walked through the Tower Suites lobby I was addressed by name, etc. I don't gamble enough to where I worry about comps, so the service and luxury of the joint is what keeps me coming back.

    I did love the location of the Cosmo though, and I liked their "scene" better.
     
  9. Paul S

    Paul S Newbie

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    Great advice so far! I didn't think putting 6,600 a day at risk would net so many choices of the top tier. Hell I even left Bellagio out of it. I guess most of my concern is with being treated well as opposed to disposable. I haven't really been a fan of CET (especially now after the whole resort fee debacle). Plus, CET doesn't have Bally's video roulette which i really enjoy when I don't need a lot of screaming around me. I've pretty much at this point am looking at Wynn/Encore, Cosmo, and MGM Props (Bellagio, Aria, Mirage, MGM G). I just want to use this trip to establish a rapport with the hotel, and hopefully a host.

    - Should I concentrate on one hotel (say, Aria) and then call around other MGM props for my next trip to see what they can do? Or should I just spread around to wherever the wind blows and put future RFB comps on the backburner?

    My appeal with Cosmo is that the place is sexy as hell while still staying relatively young. Wynn feels weirdly old, am I wrong on this? Perhaps I should pick up golfing! MGM Grand is doing a lot to bring it around and I like the mix of food and table minimums, and I feel as if they would go the extra mile for my play. So I guess it comes down to the best service for my level of play.
     
  10. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    I never thought wynn seemed old...maybe a but more refined and mature than Cosmo, but I'd say its a good mix. But I know what you mean - we'll probably mostly play at wynn (I'm probably more of a $1k a day guy) and party at Cosmo.
     
  11. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    If you're bringing a 27k bankroll and playing to it (i.e. prepared to lose 27k) for 4 days then you should be RFB at any of the nicer properties as shifter suggested. But it's hard to tell from your post what you mean exactly. The comps are mostly based on your average bet and time played, not so much the actual buy-in. What is your average bet at roulette and craps not including odds? With a 1k buy-in per session it's unlikely you're betting enough for RFB, though you may be and roulette comps at a high rate. That's why total buy-ins isn't too informative a number.

    Nonetheless, from the casinos you listed Wynn, Aria, and MGM are all around better for gaming, rating table players, and fun vibe. Read some of the recent threads on Cosmo and ask yourself if you would really want to give them any of your gambling dollars.
     
  12. ilovetogamble

    ilovetogamble Tourist

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    Cosmo is the new trendy place. Everyone has their own preference but I fear the Hard Rock and Palms crowd may start filtering over to the Cosmo – then it might get old. (It’s a joke but you get what I’m saying.)

    Wynn has a good mix – it all depends what date you arrive on. I get what you are saying about the old feel though.

    Aria - I get a "Business Vibe" while im playing. Which I Prefer.

    MGM - Has a good vibe with all different types of people.
     
  13. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

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    I guess it depends which place you like the most! Now I don't gamble at that level, but I do really enjoy Aria's casino. Probably my favorite as far as size, choice of games, and there seems to always be at least some action going on there, and it's new and clean it's nice. Less pretentious than Wynn or Bellagio.

    I would want to get in a gaming group like Mlife... at least then you could have choices in the future, if you do something like Cosmo or Wynn, that's all you got.

    I'd stay away from Caesars. IT's always a zoo, and every other CET property kinda sucks. NYNY is old and outdated, you can do better, Mirage is fine, but similar to Caesars its always so damn busy, and I don't really like their casino. Cosmo is great, but yea, i feel like nobody goes there to gamble. They have great everything else though.
     
  14. Paul S

    Paul S Newbie

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    You guys are great. I love the varying levels of replies and definitely one thing is staying constant, Cosmo sucks for gaming haha. I guess I'll just gamble there when I can't get away.

    Right now I'm leaning towards Aria or Mirage. They seem to be just one step below Bellagio and are very decent, along with MGM Grand which isn't as nice but has a jack of all trades type of vibe. Wynn is nice and I may play there when I'm up that way just to see if some mailers come through at some point.

    I guess some of what I'm saying is getting lost in translation so I'll try to be more specific. If I just played a good amount dollars over 4 days, and I am looking to book another trip in say 4-5 months, which of these properties is going to be estatic about getting my business?

    Right now my plan is to just gamble at Aria (with a little Wynn and Cosmo mixed in) and that way at least the other MGM properties can see all of the data they would need to compete, and its even worth it to them.
     
  15. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    I believe that most "metrics" within MGM have Bellagio and Aria pretty much on the same level - their top properties.

    Keeping your play at Aria and Bellagio will surely result in some sweet come back offers. And, probably MGM, Mirage, M-Bay as well.

    Cosmo only can offer Cosmo. And, with bankers bleeding money, anything is possible. They have been working on getting their players club website working for over two years. Personally, I have emailed their Cust Svc and a host I have worked with for a room... zip.

    CET will give you free rooms with a few hundred dollars play. At least for a time.
     
  16. Oskee2001

    Oskee2001 Low-Roller

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    Sounds like Aria might be up your alley....then you'll have Cosmo right next door for your partying needs.
     
  17. TrunksFull

    TrunksFull Tourist

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    If Comps is your #1 priority, I would avoid Wynn.

    If Gambling is your #1 priority, I would avoid Cosmo.

    If a fun, young atmosphere is #1, I would avoid Aria.

    You just need to decide what is most important but you can't go wrong with any of your choices.
     
  18. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Yeah... God help the Cosmo if I show-up to stay and play. LOL
     
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