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Abbreviated Palazzo trip - Oct 14th->16th

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by JillyFromPhilly, Oct 17, 2012.

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  1. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    My Trip Report

    Prologue:

    My luck had held up surprisingly well ever since my big win on our last Vegas trip in May - over several trips to Atlantic City this summer & early fall, the winning streak had for the most part continued - so I had been hoping to ride that wave of good luck all the way to Vegas and back this week - our original trip date had already gotten pushed back twice - and in addition to my LOC at Palazzo, I still had open LOC's at Aria & Bellagio, opened another one at Caesars Palace, and even reactivated my old LOC at Wynn - we even had plans to meet up with another VMB'er that was also in town this week - we had a whole week of great dinners planned, it was going to be our first stay at Palazzo - so needless to say, we were chomping at the bit to get back into town this week...

    However, life sometimes has a way of interrupting the best laid plans of mice and men - and sadly, on Monday night, right before we were about to head out for dinner, we got the call that my Mrs. Jilly's god-father - who she was incredibly close to because her own father had died when she was very young - had passed away. So, while we soldiered on and did our best to enjoy dinner that night, we decided to cut our trip short so that we could make the funeral, and also because my wife felt she wouldn't really be able to enjoy the rest of the trip as much given the news.

    So, what was supposed to have been a five-night stay turned into a two night stay - but we still managed to get in some gambling & a few good meals [which I will publish full reviews of later in the restaurants section] - so I figured I'd still try to bang out a trip report for you folks anyway...

    [to be continued in: Part One - The Palazzo, fit for a King?]
     
  2. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Part One - The Palazzo, fit for a King?

    OK, so our arrival Sunday was smooth enough - no delays on our flight [always a concern when flying into or out of the black hole of delays & cancellations that is Philadelphia Int'l] - and upon arrival at McCarran, our limo was right there waiting, the bags came out incredibly quick, etc. - arriving at Palazzo, bell service was immediate and check-in via VIP services was efficient & painless - and it seemed like no time flat from when we stepped off the plane to being on our way up to our suite.

    Now, I don't want to come off as whiny or ungrateful - we were given a perfectly nice "Lago" suite on the 47th floor - but I have to admit it was kind of a letdown compared to the the absolutely stunning penthouses my host had shown us on our tour back in May - although it was still basically the same size and had both a pool table & a baby grand piano in the living room, as well as a small TV room off of the main room - [I believe Mrs. Jilly did have time to take some pics that I'll have to get off her camera & post later] - plus there was a very nice gift basket & a bottle of single-malt Scotch [Bruichladdich 21] already waiting for us - but after having been shown those other suites & told "I can put you up in one of these if you stay with us..." I still felt a little bait & switched - but I'm usually not one to complain about my suite assignment, so I didn't make a stink to my host about it or anything...

    Before I go any further, I should probably back up a moment here and say that while the wife & I have always enjoyed the shops & restaurants at the Palazzo, we'd always avoided staying there because we never heard much good word of mouth about the hotel - but after being lucky gambling there our last two trips, and with it being home to several of our favorite Vegas restaurants, and with a host doing his best to get me to stay there, we finally decided "how bad could it be?" and decided given all those factors to finally give the place a try as "home base" this trip.

    And let me just say that I now finally have experienced for myself & understand what people are always talking about when they say "Yeah, the Palazzo's a 'five-star' hotel, but it's really not on par with places like Bellagio or Wynn when it comes to quality & the little details..." - like I said, in the big scheme of things the suite was perfectly fine - spacious, high floor, etc. - but upon closer scrutiny, the devil was indeed in the details when it came to comparing it to the suites we've had at Aria and Wynn on previous trips.

    What do I mean? Well, first off, although the suite was pretty big - kind of huge, actually - even with a pool table & a baby grand piano in the living room, it still felt somehow oddly underfurnished & underdecorated - and frankly, I didn't care for most of the furniture that was there - definitely not the same quality in terms of the style & decor of those other suites we had seen. I also missed the more high-tech touches that the suites at Aria have, too, which were lacking here.

    For another example, let's take the TV room - while nice in theory - it had an oddly undersized TV in it - seriously, it had to only be a twenty-something incher - and the space it was recessed into in the wall was much larger - which left it looking like at some point there had actually been a much larger TV in the space that had since been removed and replaced with a smaller one. Now again, I realize this is another minor detail - and to be honest, even if our trip had gone it's original planned length, I doubt I would have used it much anyway - but given the way the room was set up with a row of theater-style seats in it and the big space for the TV, it was almost laughable when I walked into the room and saw how small the TV was - it really made the whole room seem like a waste of space. [One funny note to add about the TV room was that it had a karaoke machine in it, though we never got around to using it]

    The view also wasn't great, either - it looked north, most of which was obscured by Wynn & Encore, the rest of it was pretty much just a glimpse of Circus Circus and the mostly barren stretch of land leading up to it - so again, while not really important - how much time are you really going to spend looking out the window? - it was still a bit of a letdown compared to the sweeping strip views we knew some of the other suites at the Palazzo have - and definitely not as good as the views our suites at Aria had the last two trips.

    Also, I play piano - and the piano in the suite was a little out of tune - not a big deal - it wasn't like I was planning on playing piano at all - but it was just another one of those little things that you know would probably never go overlooked at Wynn or Aria.

    The bathroom was the real disappointment - not that it wasn't a perfectly luxurious bathroom by most standards, I guess - but the vanity was small & oddly placed, the tub wasn't nearly as big as the ones we've had at Aria or Wynn, and the shower was not a steam shower [figured I'd throw that in for Shifter LOL] - but even worse, the door to the shower seemed to have trouble sealing correctly, so if you didn't slam it just so water would get all over the floor - and if you did slam it just so to get the seal right, it felt like it would shatter in your hand. So all in all, the bathroom was probably the suite's biggest failure IMO.

    I will give credit where credit is due, though, and say that one area where the Palazzo did shine was in the bedroom - the bed was very comfortable [probably not as comfortable as the Aria beds, though] - and the linens/sheets were also clean and of good quality.

    Likewise, the room service was good - I was a little underwhelmed by the number of selections on the menu [although I should note I have made the same criticism of Aria - is Wynn the last place in town with a really killer room service menu anymore?] - but the lunch we ordered after getting in was delivered quickly [25 minutes] and accurately, with all the hot stuff hot & cold stuff cold, and everything was prepared well, tasty, and seemed to be of quality ingredients.

    So overall, I'd have to say I wasn't impressed with the accomodations at the Palazzo - Don't get me wrong, it's not like the place was a dump or anything - but compared to Aria or Wynn, it ultimately just wasn't as nice when you really scrutinized all the little details. It wasn't bad enough that I would say I'd never stay there again - the service was fine, and we enjoy the casino, shops & restaurants there - but, I have to think it probably wouldn't be my first choice going forward if, all else being equal, I was making the decision where to stay based upon the hotel accomodations alone.
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2012
  3. Vladimir

    Vladimir Low-Roller

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    Always look forward to your trip reports! Sorry to hear your news but hope you managed to enjoy the trip!
     
  4. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Sorry about the loss, but hopefully the short trip can help take you all's minds off things for a while.

    I feel the same way about Venetian/Palazzo. I was in a standard room there last month for a qwuick trip. it was nice, but everything (the room, the food, the casino) all felt a notch below my favorite MGM properties. And for me, my year+ long hot streak came to a crashing halt at Venetian/Palazzo. Fortunately, I hit a hot streak my last night and morning there to turn a disasterous gambling trip into merely a bad gambling trip. Here's hoping I took all the bad luck with me and the same doesn't happen to your streak. Can't wait to read more :thumbsup:
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
  5. fas87

    fas87 Tourist

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    Sorry to hear about Mrs. Jilly's godfather and that you had to curtail your trip.

    Thank you for taking the time to write about the two nights you did have. I always enjoy reading your trip reports, and I've been curious how you were going to enjoy your stay at V/P.
     
  6. LaRae

    LaRae Low-Roller

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    Very sorry for your loss. Thanks for taking the time to post. I always enjoy your TR's.
     
  7. maximus56k

    maximus56k Tourist

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    Man that is terrible for you and Mrs. Jilly. I know you were both looking forward to the V&P trip as were we to here about it. We will say a prayer for her and you give her our condolences.
     
  8. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Sorry for your loss also

    Never a good time to lose a loved one.
     
  9. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    that's totally bogus. i can understand if you're not in one of those every trip, but at least the first trip he's gotta come through or he loses all clout in my book. of course there's nothing you can say to him after the fact, but i would be pissed.

    my first trip at MGM i had always stayed at the B before and wasn't sure i wanted to switch it up, but had been told how great the Skylofts were. so when i called up the host at MGM i told him i was only interested in staying at MGM if i could try out a Skyloft. he said it couldn't be guaranteed, but he'd try. of course he came through and the Skyloft was great and now i stay there all the time. but if he hadn't come through that first trip i might never have come back, but even if i did, i guarantee you i wouldn't be such a loyal customer of MGM.
     
  10. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Oh believe me, that was exactly my thinking - he really shot himself in the foot after having done such a good job wooing me up to that point, and at best ensured that if & when we discuss my next visit, he'll be hearing in no uncertain terms that I want a guarantee of a Penthouse or I won't consider staying there again - and at worst, he just relegated his place from being a contender going forward to becoming an also ran where I'll probably maintain a LOC, but probably only play at maybe once a trip just as a backup to break up bad luck but which otherwise won't be the place we stay & do my primary playing at.

    Another big part of my motivation for not making an issue over it this trip was because I want to be able to use it as leverage in possibly negotiating even more incentives when he tries to get me back again - and if that doesn't work, the way I look at it is if I wind up not staying there again, ultimately it's skin off his back, not mine.

    Whenever a host whiffs on something - unless it's something so major that it would drastically affect the trip [like no suite at all, not getting promised tickets to a one time only event, etc], I generally feel anything else is better saved for future leverage, because quibbling over otherwise minor things [like "the 2,000-sf suite you gave me for free wasn't as nicely decorated as the 2,000-sf suite a couple floors up you showed me last time..."] in "real" time to me would just make me feel like I was being overly difficult - whereas I think bringing it up after the fact in some ways gives it more weight.

    I mean, I get what you're saying, and yes, he arguably misrepresented - but I'm also possibly being overly nit-picky here as well in light of the fact that I'm cranky anyway because our trip got cut short, too. And, in his defense I negotiated [and got] extra incentives that weren't on the table at the time of our tour, plus in re-reading my final agreement the terms did merely say "complimentary 'premium' suite*" - *Lago or better, based upon availability]. Plus, I actually do like the guy - he's otherwise very conscientious, and he was also very understanding regarding our decision to leave early - plus, there's also the fact that I didn't complain as well, so that's on me.

    Although, thinking about it in hindsight now, maybe I could have learned more based upon how he'd responded if I had complained at the time - but I guess we'll see how he reacts when I bring it up in a week or two regarding coming out again in December...
     
  11. Flyers

    Flyers Tourist

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    Jilly,

    Please give your wife my condolences. As far as the Palazzo, you were right as far as bait and switch. While the suite that you are currently staying in seems nice, these were not the ones he showed you in order to lure you away from another property. I agree with not making a big deal about it now, however, if you want to stay there again, I would insist on getting what you want or I would go back to Aria.
     
  12. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Just an FYI - I'm heading to AC with the guys tomorrow night to make up for this trip getting cut short - so I won't be able to finish the rest of this TR until Sunday or Monday night at the earliest :peace:
     
  13. allmine1958

    allmine1958 Low-Roller

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    Good luck in AC. Hope you will give a TR for that too.
     
  14. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Jilly,
    My condolences to you and your wife on your loss.

    I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report when you return from AC.
     
  15. VegasGarden

    VegasGarden Low-Roller

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    Jilly still waiting man. Thanks and I hope your domestic life is settled and moving on.
     
  16. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Thanks - been sidetracked since getting back - first with the funeral, then with work, most recently with Hurricane Sandy [though we emerged relatively unscathed, thanfully] - hopefully will be able to find some time to finish the TR & post more restaurant reviews soon.
     
  17. PopMegaphone

    PopMegaphone VIP Whale

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    Jilly, I'm so sorry for your wife's loss.


    When you mentioned you'd be staying at a Sands property I was curious how a high/mid roller like yourself would perceive it. When I stayed in the standard Venetian room I felt the whole property lacked refinement.
     
  18. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Yeah, at least as far as the hotel goes, if you rate Wynn, Aria, etc. at 5-star, I'd say Palazzo is only 4.5-star at best - although the shops & restaurants are still among our favorites.

    Been swamped [no pun intended] picking up the slack at work for some of my employees who got hit harder by Sandy & needed to take time to get their lives & homes back in order, but things are finally getting back to normal so hopefully I'll be able to finish this TR & the accompanying restaurant reviews soon.

    Teaser update - we're staying at Caesars Palace [Octavius tower suite] when we come back in December to make up for having cut this trip short

    For LOL's - 4,254 new posts since my last visit! [Getting on a plane now, think I'll just start from scratch after next log-in :confused2:]
     
  19. AliGee

    AliGee Low-Roller

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    Jilly, after also being otherwise engaged for a long time, I'm trying to catch up with (a daunting number of) TRs on the board, so don't feel bad for not posting due to circumstances!

    My impressions of the V/P are similar to yours and others: it tries to be a 5 star property, and succeeds on the surface, but the details say that it's not. We've always stayed in the standard rooms, but found things like showers that didn't work, a light shade that dangled loose, stains on the furniture - things that wouldn't stay unnoticed at a better resort. Then there's the wonderful room service, but the dishes never got collected. And the limo arrival at the P with no valet in sight, leaving us to wander in to find check in, hauling our own luggage - not a big deal to many, I know, but if you're older and have arthritic wrists it is a big deal (ouch!). I still like to gamble there, but with other options I'll stay somewhere else. Anyway, enough of my griping - looking forward to reading if you do find time to post the rest of your trip!
     
  20. PopMegaphone

    PopMegaphone VIP Whale

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    Maaaahn I miss Jilly. Come back, duder!
     
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