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Jockey Club questions

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by redowl, Aug 28, 2012.

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  1. redowl

    redowl Tourist

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    My wife & I and another couple currently have a room booked at the Jockey Club for 5 nights in early November.
    Can anyone that has stayed there give me a general overview of the amenities/cleanliness?
    One of my specific concerns is how you get into the Cosmo (I would imagine this will be the casino we use late at night & early in the morning). Is the casino floor easy enough to get into from the J.C. or is it confusing and indirect? Also, is it safe? Will our wives be able to comfortably move back & forth, or does it require walking through a dark alley/parking garage/service entrance/etc?

    We booked this hotel for its location, space, and price - we knew going in that it wouldn't be a penthouse. However, if it's a dirty and less-than-reputable hotel, we can cancel our reservation without penalty and look elsewhere.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions!

    R.O.
     
  2. Snotick

    Snotick Low-Roller

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    I have owned two weeks at the JC for the pst 4-5 years. I love the place. I will try to cover everything I can think of.

    If you arrive by taxi/shuttle/limo, you will enter on the North side of JC (between JC and Bellagio) I usually tell the Cabbie to take surface streets to Flamingo and the come back South on the strip. (since you cannot access the JC entrance while traveling North on the strip. No U-turns) There is a port cochere located in between the two JC buildings. From drop off to front desk, it is about 40 steps to the check in desk.

    If you are driving your own car (or rental), I recommend going to the port cochere and using the Valet parking. This will allow you to check bags (if necessary) or get your bags to the room. There is also a section in the Cosmo parking garage (Level B3) that has designated JC parking spots. This is the only level of the Cosmo parking garage that will have access via the JC/Cosmo Elevators.

    As you enter the JC from the Port Cochere, you will see glass doors immediately to the left. This is the hospitality area. You can check out DVD's, get a cup of coffee in the morning, and retrieve the boarding pass you printed. (the computers are outside the hospitality sweet)

    As you check in, beware of the vultures standing at the desk area behind you, they are timeshare people and will strike up a conversation every chance they get. They will also mention something about a ticket and a drawing. Just try to avoid them.

    Just past the Check-in desk, you will find a convenient store. This place is OK if you want to grab a quick snack. But, it is a little on the pricey side. And they only accept cash.

    Check-in is pretty standard. The Jockey Club is basically two 11 story towers with 18 rooms on each floor. The building closest to the strip is the Ascot Tower, the other is the Derby Tower. The area in between the two buildings houses the pool. When you check-in you can try to ask for a North Room in the Ascot Tower, on an upper floor (7-11). This room will give you the best view of the fountains, and will give you quickest access to the check-in desk and the little convenient store.

    The only thing that is a little tricky with the JC, is how you get to your rooms from the check in desk. If you are staying in the Ascot Tower, the elevators right by the check-in desk will take you straight to your rooms floor. If you are staying in the Derby Tower, you will need to take the check-in elevator to the second floor and then walk past the pool area to the second tower, up a few stairs and take the Derby Tower elevator to the floor you need.

    You can get to Cosmo quickly from either tower. As I mention, the pool area is on the second floor. You go outside and walk past the pool area. To the left of the ice machine/exercises room, you will see a couple of grey doors. Open those doors and you will see two elevators. Take either of them and they drop you off right on the Cosmo Casino floor. (make note of where the elevators are, they can be a little tricky finding the first few times from the casino floor. Just remember they are across the main aisle from the Book & Stage bar)

    The pool is not very large. To get from the walkway to the Cosmo elevators, is maybe 35 steps. Also, this is the same elevators to get to the B3 Parking level of the Cosmo Garage.

    I use this entrance 95% of the time when I am coming or going from JC. From there I can go upstairs and head South on the strip, or I go out the front of Cosmo and cross the street to PHo.

    There is a sidewalk that you can take if you exit the JC from the Port Cochere entrance. It can be dark at night. So I would just stick to walking through Cosmo. (they are suppose to be remodeling the sidewalk area sometime in the near future)

    I feel completely safe at the JC, They have there own security staff patrolling the small grounds area. Since only the JC people use the casino elevators I mentioned, there is rarely any traffic in that area.

    They keep this place very clean and well maintained. Occasionally you will see a stray bottle or something, but when you return a few hours later, it will be cleaned up. All of the rooms and indoors areas are none smoking. There is a smoking area outside by the pool.

    The rooms were just remodeled last year, and are nicely done. Depending on which room you booked (1 or 2 bedroom) the layout will be a little different. Mine are 1 bedroom units that can sleep 4 people. Basically, its like a studio apartment. As you enter there is a kitchen and dining area. To one side there is a living room with a couch, chair and entertainment center. Past that is the "bedroom" that houses a king size bed and another TV. The bedroom has two doors that can be closed (french door style) to give privacy to the living room (the couch folds out to accommodate the other 2 people). Sadly, the bathroom is off he bedroom area, just inside the double doors. There is also a large walk in closet in the bedroom area that includes a wall safe (free) and an ironing board/iron.

    The bathrooms have always been clean and well stocked with towels. My only complaint is the hard water when showering. I always feel slimy when I get out. But, this is a problem in other hotels as well.

    The kitchen will have everything you could need to cook (minus the food). There is a full sized fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker. There is a shuttle the runs to the grocery store a couple of times a week if you want to buy groceries. And another shuttle that runs once or twice a week to the Outlet Malls. (free of charge)

    Housekeeping does a good job. My only complaint would be that they will call your room if you have the Do Not Disturb sign on your door. I'm not sure why they do this. I have taken a nap in the afternoon and had them call to make sure I didn't want service. Otherwise they come in every day and make the bed and check to see if you need new towels. Sometimes they may not get to your room until after 5pm, but they do get there. (They also restock your coffee if you use it, but they do not do your dishes)

    There is free wifi throughout JC. If you don't have a laptop, there are two computers on the 1st floor by the hospitality suite. Also there are ping pong tables and BBQ grills available by the pool to use. They have a Hot Tub and a Sauna by the pool area and the exercise room has a couple of treadmills, elipticals and a nautilaus machine.

    They started working on the pool area the end of July, so I am not sure how it will look when you arrive in November.

    There you have it, everything you could possibly want to know about JC and then some. I will be there for 12 days in Sept/Oct. So, if you have any specific questions, I can check and get back to you.
     
  3. jr7110

    jr7110 VIP Whale

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    I had a Jockey Club timeshare for a few years (purchased dirt cheap on eBay)but got rid of it because I never used it. I always ended up wanting to stay at the nicer hotels like Bellagio, Aria and VDara instead and it was a waste to keep paying fees for something I did not use. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with the property itself. I did reserve a couple of days a while back just to check out the room and see what it was like, and I found it to be very nice looking and spotless. I tested the bed out and it seemed very comfortable. It is, indeed, like a small apartment with a full kitchen. The last time I glanced at the JC pool (from a Cosmopolitan Terrace Suite balcony back in April) there was still a big black netting covering the entire pool area. This was designed to keep debris from falling into the pool during construction of City Center, but that is long over so I have no idea why the netting is still up. I also have to say it does not look like the JC pool gets much sun (if any at all).

    The one caveat I would give to you is that many of the rooms have no view. And by that I don't mean a bad view - I literally mean NO view. Because City Center and The Cosmopolitan were built around the Jockey Club, a lot of the rooms have a solid gray wall just a couple of feet away as a "view". If you are not planning to spend much time in the room, or the view does not matter to you, then it is not a problem. However, if you have a desire to gaze out at the neon lights of Vegas at night while you relax in the room, you aren't guaranteed that you will get one of the rooms that does have a view (some do have a great view of the Bellagio Fountains, but it will probably be a roll of the dice on check in).
     
  4. jrinct1

    jrinct1 VIP Whale

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    I was there a bunch of times years ago before Cosmo.. but Snotick pretty much nailed it.
     
  5. redowl

    redowl Tourist

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    Wow,
    Thank you for taking the time to type all that out - it is all extremely helpful information.
    You covered all the questions I had on my mind, and then some!
    As far as rooms with a view go:
    We're staying a 2 bedroom unit, but I doubt we'll spend a lot of time in our room. With that said, a room with a view of the Bellagio Fountains sounds a lot more appealing that a room with a brick wall outside the window. At a residency/timeshare property like the Jockey Club, is there anything we can do to increase our chances of getting the view? Should we call in advance (if so, how far in advance?), should we try the $20 trick, etc? Like I said, we won't be devastated without a nice view, but I'm willing to put the effort in if there's a chance we could get it.

    Thanks again for everyone's replies!
    R.O.
     
  6. Snotick

    Snotick Low-Roller

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    With staying in a 2 Bedroom suite it's going to come down to pure luck. As I stated in my other post, there are 11 floors in each tower. All of the 2 bedroom suites are located on the 4 corners of the building.

    Some of the units at JC are not rented or sold as timeshares, people actually own them like condos or live there full time. Based on my latest newsletter from JC, they state that the Ascot Tower has 10 two bedroom suites and the Derby Tower has 14 two bedroom suites that are on the North (Bellagio) side. Even though half the suites are on the North side, JC also has a policy of reserving "view" rooms for owners staying 7 nights or more first, followed by those owners staying less than 7 nights and then any none owner visitors.

    Depending on the cost of the 2 bedroom suite, you may want to look into getting two 1 bedroom units. Since there are more of them, you would theoretically have a better chance of getting a view room.

    I don't think calling or using the $20 trick will help much in this case. They follow a protocol.

    As far a the black mesh over the pool, I think they kept it up because of the Cosmo balconies. But, it isn't the mesh that keeps the sun off the pool area, it's the Cosmo building itself that overshadows the area. There are plans to possibly enclose the entire pool area and make it an indoor pool. Since JC owners have access to 2 of Cosmos pools, having an indoor pool would be more beneficial for cold weather months.
     
  7. jr7110

    jr7110 VIP Whale

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    I think you should definitely call and ask if there is any way you can put in a request for a fountain view room but I am sure they will say that it is just that - a request - and is based on availability. The problem is that if the owners of the week you are going already have their units with a Bellagio view reserved, there might not be much available. I am not sure how many of the Bellagio facing rooms are timeshare and how many are available for rent, but the front desk should be able to give you some idea of your chances.

    Either way, it is a centrally located property (you can't get better than dead center on the Strip) and it is a comfortable, clean and like having your own cozy little apartment on the Strip. (And there are also laundry facilities on the premises).


    * I must have been typing at the same time as Snotick, hence my repeating pretty much the same thing lol
     
  8. Snotick

    Snotick Low-Roller

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    Good catch Jr7110, I forgot about the laundry facilities. There are coin opp washer/dryers on certain floors. Usually every other floor. This comes in handy for me, as my fall trips are 7 days or longer. With my 12 day trip coming up, I only have to pack 6 days worth of clothes. (But, I suspect your 4 day trip won't require washing)


    It doesn't hurt to call now or ask at check in for a North room. I'm sure it's a logistic nightmare to try and keep everyone happy. I stay twice a year at JC, once in the fall for 7-10 days and once in January for 3-4 days. I have stayed in a North facing rooms every time, except one. And that was one of the short trips in January. I complained that I was an owner of two weeks, but there was nothing they could do.

    Bottom line, if it can be done, they will put you in a North room. Otherwise, don't let it ruin your trip.
     
  9. Aero

    Aero Low-Roller

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    never stayed there, but have a friend who joked that he took posters of Las Vegas so he could hang them on the windows for a view. LOL Really, who's in the room that much in Vegas anyway.
     
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