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Cancelled Plaza-back to MSS

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by Joe, Jul 13, 2012.

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  1. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    We’ve stayed almost exclusively at Main Street Station for the last dozen years, or more. 4-5 times per year, excluding the 2 years we lived in Vegas. We are full RFB at the 3 Boyd downtown properties.

    It was starting to feel a little old to us so I emailed a host at the Plaza and she comped us 4 nights up front for our Oct trip. They don’t have RFB, it’s “we’ll look at your play” at checkout for food & beverage. No biggie, we play where we stay and that wouldn’t be a problem.

    I’ve been reading all of the posts here about the bad paytables and decided to cancel the Plaza and book MSS. Otherwise, I would probably short-play Plaza this trip and ruin my chances for a future comp, if needed. The new resort fee didn’t thrill me either, but I am assuming that would be included in my comp. But who knows?

    Reasoning: I will be dropping off Emerald status later this year at Boyd and this is probably the last time we’ll get a suite there. I wouldn’t think it will affect our F&B, but we’ll see on future trips. We don’t spend much time in the room, but my wife enjoys the suite with the fridge, coffee maker and the extra room to spread out. Along with the 2 TVs, couch etc.

    Overall, our play at MSS will be lower this trip because we are renting a car and will go visit some of our old hangouts. And I double booked one night at Harrah's, so a trip to the Strip will be in order. If nothing else, just to remind us why we like downtown.:poke: That won't help our theo either.

    The new rooms at the Plaza are very nice; I double booked there earlier this year to check them out. I just get the feeling these people just don't know how to run a casino/hotel.
     
  2. surfside

    surfside Tourist

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    I had booked a room for two nights, at the Plaza, at the tail end of my upcoming trip, and cancelled as well. I will just end up staying at Bally's, for about 10 less, due to the resort fee, then what I would have paid for the Plaza.

    I think charging a resort fee, for a hotel that is clearly NOT a resort, is just plain wrong. I understand that they have a business to run, but just add the fee to the nightly fee and be done with it.

    Hotels are going the way of the airlines, and I wonder what is going to be next? Charging a fee for cleaning your room? Want a extra towel? 5 bucks please!

    Anyways, sorry to hijack your thread! Good luck at MSS!

    DH
     
  3. Jimbo338

    Jimbo338 VIP Whale

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    I am just starting to look for deals for my next trip and the $10 resort fee pretty much puts the Plaza out of line with the alternatives so I guess I'll take a walk through to see what's changed but I won't see the rooms. I walked through last year and noticed how run down it looked. I guess from reading the posts daily there are a few other people that have cancelled their reservation. I hope you all pass the reasons on in a note or an email so they know that they are losing business and why. Not caring may not affect their policy but it may replace management.

    Jimbo338
     
  4. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    I wouldn't call the Gold Spike a resort either.

    Sure hope other downtown properties don't adapt this unpopular "feature".
     
  5. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    True, but they only charge $20 something a room.
     
  6. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    I've seen the Plaza for only $31.00 a room.
     
  7. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    I hope it does not spread too. It confuses the booking for frugal folks.
    The Gold Spike uses the resort fee to compete on discount sites with El Cortez. I'm not saying I like it, but I do find that the bottom line for room prices beats other rates in Downtown. Two trips ago my rates were $12 a night so the fee just brought it above $20.
    It includes free wifi. The pool is open early in the morning and nicer than the D or Binions. And the television has Turner Classic Movies. I had to crash a day last trip, exhausted and beyond my bankroll, and it was fine to just sleep and see old movies.
    Finally, the Gold Spike includes the resort fee in the booking if we book on their site. It is noted clearly, labeled "resort fee" and then added in to the booking amount so there is no question of what we will pay. That has been a sticking point for this new "feature."
    HOtels.com and Expedia have been charging the fee, but calling it a service fee. That is paid upfront. I don't like that. It is confusing, but they won't list it as a resort fee. So I won't book with them for the Goldspike. Booking.com lets the Spike collect the fee and only takes one night's money to hold the rooms. Flexibility in booking then does not tie up money.
    Compared to the El Cortez I find the rooms at the Gold Spike better than Pavillion, but a bit less than Cabana or Tower.
    Too bad there is no VP at the GS that is playable and no live poker room either. I guess some of the BJ is decent.
     
  8. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    Dewey, does the Gold Spike still have more ********* hanging around outside? Or has that gotten better than when it was a dump?
     
  9. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    It has gotten better in my opinion.
     
  10. earth-3

    earth-3 VIP Whale

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    I'm another cancellation for the Plaza as I mentioned in another post. I sent my reason back to the host I contacted originally. I haven't heard from him, but I'm hoping he shares this with the right people. If we get enough comments on this post, I think I will forward a link to it, for him to have as well.
     
  11. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    It's doubtful they will care, they' re without a doubt, the weakest hotel downtown(their own LVC excluded), by that I mean able to withstand lost business, yet they did this incredibly stupid act anyway.

    If they were trying to go out of business they couldn't do a better job, their entire hotel and casino mgmt should be fired, whomever hired them should be fired.
    People go on vacation to have fun, gamble, party and drink, no one want's to go to vegas and hang out in an empty casino, no one want's to stay in an empty hotel. They literally can't afford to lose any more players, or have any more empty rooms... they are past the tipping point, yet they stubbornly stay on the same path. Simply stunning!
     
  12. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    jimbo, I read somewhere that if you ask they (the plaza) might allow you to go see a room to check them out. While they are nice and renovated (small bathrooms though) IMHO, I don't see the place worth another $10 a night if there are other comparable places downtown, but that's just me. by the way, it might be possible to get a free fridge if you ask, hopefully they will be like MSS and the cal and already have a fridge in all rooms. (how can they say that they are a "resort" when they can't even keep up with the other "non-resort" hotels by offerring the same amenities?).

    As for mentioning your displeasure with the resort fee, yes, as merlin said it might be doubtful that they care :Þ but if there is any chance that it could give them cause to reconsider then it might be worth mentioning it. As we saw with the airlines, when one tried to raise airfares but the other airlines didn't follow suit then that airline dropped their rates also. With a number of people cancelling or changing bookings and giving the resort fee as a factor maybe they might get rid of it before it even starts.

    Joe, since you will be losing emerald status it might be best if you use it up as much as possible before you lose it. As mentioned in other posts, it doesn't seem like people like to play at the plaza so even if they stay there they play elsewhere so your RFB might not work if you decide to not play there much.

    As for me, like the spike I now add in the extra resort fee when I look for hotels so if the plaza offers similar rates with the fee included then I would consider staying there.

    Dewey, you really think the spike's pool is better than binions? Just curious.
     
  13. Jimbo338

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    I enjoyed staying at the Spike. Workers have always been very accomodating, I found the hotel to be very quiet, not a lot of noise from other rooms or doors slamming. They were clean and comfortable too. I like the restaurant downstairs. If I feel like a good breakfast i can run down, get coffeed up and go back to my room. I haven't noticed anyone hanging around and there are plenty of security. It is nothing fancy for sure but a good location, good restaurant, clean and safe.....that's all I ask for.

    jimbo338
     
  14. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    re: the pool

    Well, like all things these choices are subjective. And much depends on what you want to do. I like to swim, not sunbathe. I like to think through my day and let my mind wander.
    Binions is closed twice a week regularly and was closed on Memorial Day weekend Sunday when I was there last and I walked over for nothing. I also don't think it opens as many hours. Gold Spike is open dawn to dusk and starts at 8 PM.
    Also, Binions had that damn piped in radio, so while I was swimming I had to listen to some moronic shouting about heading into Walmarts to get some free app for my phone or a free hot dog or some such crap. And the music itself was that whining, nasal, modern sound that drives me crazy even if I did not have idiots shouting nonsense inbetween the songs.
    I actually had to leave the Binions pool because the radio was getting to me. The attendant says that is the music daily. Why in this day and age they can't have a bit of real music at a pool is beyond me. I could perhaps tune out the cacaphony of indecipherable lyrics if yackety yack advertising did not come in between at twice the decibel level of the songs.
    I don't remember the Gold Spike having music. If it did, at some point in the day, it was such that did not bother me. They do have a couple fountains that provide a fine, easy sound of falling water. I find that very soothing and it lets me think.
    The walk to the Binions pool from the hotel requires a walk either through a good bit of the casino or a walk around the casino on Fremont, and that can get a bit chilly on a cold day if I want to go back to the room wet. Even the elevator is confusing getting there. Most of the time I had to switch at the steak house floor and catch the elevator on the other side for the pool.
    The walk to the Gold Spike pool is through very little of the casino and just outside the hotel in a little courtyard and then into the pool. I walked it in 40 degree weather and managed the slight discomfort because the time outside in cold air was short.
    Gold Spike pool was heated last November.
    Binions is not heated.

    And there are rooms right there at the pool, but I don't think they are as nice as those in the hotel itself. Still if the pool mattered, one could stay just a few steps from the water.
    The Gold Spike has one section with a few inches of water, so that you could be cooling yourself while sunbathing and lying in a few inches of water. This also acts as a section that is easily heated by the sun, so it helps to warm the pool when it is not heated.
    Towel service was better at Binions, but I can just bring a towel from my room.
    There was a life guard at Binions, but who needs him.

    The Binions pool was divided by a rope between the deep and the shallow. The Gold Spike actually would allow fairly long lap swims. I just breast stroke my way in a circle but I like it when the whole pool is open.

    Binions does have a view, but you don't see it while in the swimming pool.
     
  15. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    Jihad

    Boy, it appears Jihad has been declared against the Plaza!

    We all agree that resort fees are bogus, particularly when they are concealed. I've been after several of the "bargain" travel sites forever for trumpeting a great sale at some Vegas casino, quoting only the room rate and ignoring the resort fee entirely. It's not fair to the properties that still offer an honest proposition, like most downtown and the Harrah's properties on and near the strip.

    While no one likes the resort fee, it's just a $10 up that we are all aware of, and may mean an attractive room rate even when it is included. Sucks, but it's not nearly as bad to me as the MGM properties, where even the lowly Excalibur charges a $15 resort fee. I know - this is different because it's downtown.

    Having stayed three times at the Plaza since the renovation, most recently in June, I've found it a little better each time. The staff, although sometimes seeming like deer in the headlights, have always tried to accommodate me. The cocktail service in the casino has been good (maybe because it's so empty!). The Swinger's Club had good drink specials and friendly staff. The restaurant choices have increased and offer variety. The pool area has been spruced up a little bit by blocking the view of the ugly areas.

    I really don't think they have malicious intent toward their customers. They are just desperate to start turning a profit. Maybe their path is ill chosen, but I will still stay there if they offer a competitive room rate "all in."
     
  16. surfside

    surfside Tourist

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    I dont think its the point about being 10 dollars that is pissing people off; i think it is more of hotels adding and adding things to the bottom line. Another peeve for me, is when hotels do not offer a simple thing such as a coffee maker in the room. I was calling around asking some hotels about that and they had the gall to say it was a "fire hazard" and the fire marshall banned it in hotel rooms!

    Umm..do you think we are that stupid? I know there is a 5 or 6 buck per coffee starbuck joint downstairs..just come out and say it! WE want you to buy our over expensive coffee!

    Nickel and diming people for small things like that isn't smart IMHO.

    The plaza is charging a resort fee for the following items: free parking! coupon book, bottle of water, internet, and low and behold free 800!! telephone calls! Umm Aren't 800 numbers supposed to be free? What is going to be next? Charging a $5 fee for checking in?

    sheesh

    just my 2 cents..

    DH
     
  17. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    I used to be a big supporter of theirs, and a long-time fan. Not so much anymore, especially after the blatant indifference to their negative feedback on the PLAZA Facebook page.

    They blatantly said that they don't care who is unhappy - "go somewhere else if you don't like it", to paraphrase. That kind of warm-and-fuzzy attitude towards their long-time guests, as well as newcomers, is unwarranted and unearned, especially in this economy. I'm wondering how much attitude they'll toss around once they realize the number of former customers who took them up on that invitation to leave.

    This is their one-shot chance to turn the Plaza around, and it's crumbling.

     
  18. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

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    Dont give them any ideas.
    MGM has a $10 rate change policy now. From Excaliber website:
    Rate Change Fee If you book on Excalibur.com and find a lower rate for the same dates later, call 1-877-750-5464 and we’ll be glad to lower your rate ($10 change fee applies).
     
  19. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    Your last line said it all perfectly. However, by the time they finally admit their mistakes it will be way too late. I had high hopes when they remodeled, and reopened. I hoped that they would have learned from their mistakes and neglect, not just physical property neglect, but customer neglect.

    Why did you fix up the rooms and casino, but leave all the bad rules in place?
    Why do you have continuous shufflers at empty tables? Dont they realize that they are not getting more hands per hour, because they are getting almost no hands per hour?

    Why do you have inferior VP paytables than everyone else downtown? Cant they see that they are not increasing profit by say 2% , but instead losing 80% of the players who wont even bother to play?

    Why cant they see that their casino is almost empty when others downtown are bustling by comparison?

    Why cant they see that their "resort fee" will not fool people for long, and that they cant afford to have a half full hotel where their guests play down the street?
    How can they run a casino company, and not understand what gamblers want?
     
  20. surfside

    surfside Tourist

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    Just imagine if Spirit Airlines bought a casino/hotel/resort?


    AT FRONT DESK UPON CHECK IN:

    Welcome to Spirit Casino and Resort..My Name is XXX..Do you have a reservation? Good, we charge a $5 administrative fee for check in! Do you want any towels? We charge $3/towel. Would you like a coffee maker in your room? That will be an extra $5 dollars. Did you know that we have 42" flat screens in your room? We charge a $1 fee for use of the remote control..

    Pretty soon all the big guys are be charging us for everything..
     
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