Encore Troubles?

Over on vegastripping.com they have the "Trippies 2016" awards where they award the best and worst of Las Vegas hotels and for Encore it was a pretty rough outing. Encore was the winner of the "Worst Service," "Worst Casino," and "Worst Hotel on the Strip" category.

http://vegastripping.com/trippies2016/hotel/service
http://vegastripping.com/trippies2016/casino/overall
http://vegastripping.com/trippies2016/best/on-the-strip

I was last at Encore in May 2016 for just a few hours and I didn't notice anything different about the atmosphere of the place even with all of the recent changes. Botero is gone and has been replaced by Jardin. A new poker room has opened where Society Cafe used to be and a small part of the casino is now "The Players Club." I've also heard that the red chandeliers made with Italian glass have all been removed.

I last stayed at Encore in 2014 (I know that was a long time ago) but the service was your typical 5 star that you'd expect from Wynn Resorts and during my last stay at Wynn (Aug 2015) I ventured to Encore many a time and the place was just fine. I wonder why Vegastripping is literally "tripping" over itself to slam Encore? Has anyone been lately and if so, have you had a poor experience?

Thankfully, VegasTripping still holds Wynn in high regard giving it the top awards for various categories.

 

Oh my goodness. That's a bit distressing. I love Encore and will be there two months from today. Red is not my favorite color but I absolutely LOVED those chandeliers. I'm bummed to know they are gone. What would they do with so many chandeliers, which are like pieces of art!? I hope as you say that VegasTripping is indeed tripping!

 

I don't know what the deal is, VegasTripping is a pretty reliable source of information and Encore has earned a strong reputation since opening. I know that the night and day club focus at Wynn Resorts is mainly at Encore (XS and Encore Beach Club) and therefore attracts mostly outsiders who populate the space before and after their club experience and to be brutally honest, that crowd doesn't bring with it a stellar reputation (not hating on club goers, but mix a lot of people and a lot of alcohol and you get what you get no matter the venue). I'm kind of surprised at the whole "Players Club" concept, it looks like they just threw that together at the last minute and ran with it as nobody else had any better ideas; even the font used for "The Players Club" looks cheap and more appropriate for the Luxor or Tropicana! From what I've read and heard, the new Poker room is fantastic and Jardin has gotten mixed reviews. I am also surprised at the decision to remove the Murano chandeliers...those really made the room. One last thing: BlackJack at both Wynn and Encore is now 6:5 for the $15 tables, if you want a 3:2 game those table minimums are at least $25...at least I won't get myself into any trouble as I literally cannot afford to play at Wynncore anymore!

I'm sure that everything is fine and that VegasTripping is just being super critical but I would hate to hear it confirmed that they are correct in their assessment.

 

Considering how VegasTripping sucks up to the D in these awards, I would take their best/worst awards with a grain of salt.

It really depends on what YOU are looking for. If you are looking for a classy resort, you won't really be going wrong with Wynn or Encore. If you want great gaming rules at lower limits, then you probably have to go somewhere else.

 

Here is a detailed rant thread about this year's awards by the way.

https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/2016-trippies-winners-announced-looks-like-the-ballot-box-stuffing-is-back.127640/

 

I don't care for the 2x craps odds and I could take or leave the new Encore Players Club. But other than that I still think Wynncore is the best Vegas has to offer. My stay there this spring was great.

Vegastripping is good for seeing some good room pictures and getting scuttlebutt on upcoming projects, but little else. I trust the opinions of the odd Yelp user more than those of VT.

 

That site looks like it was done by a third grader.

 

Note that the encore got the editor's nomination in all 3 categories, so it is really 1-2 editors who had a bad experience and have an axe to grind. If you read most of their complaints, you can also tell that when they say worst, they are talking relative to expectations, since they can mention multiple other places as bad.

 

Yeah I really don't pay much attention to those awards because it isn't like that much changes year in and year out. I think I heard on Five Hundy that they disqualify certain hotels after being voted too many times so obvious choices like Circus Circus, Hooters, Excalibur - etc probably dont qualify so a new hotel has to be found to shit on

As for the D sucking up - yeah its a little silly. The D and Derek Stevens sponsor the VIMFP event - so obviously there is some bias. Its almost like judging your favorite casino based on the one you win at the most. Nothing wrong with that - but just because I win at the Paris casino doesn't mean I think it is better than Cosmo's glorious casino floor and bar setup!
.

 

DW and I stayed there in February. The service was great, except for the CW, they flat ignored us, my wife literally had to get a CW attention as she was going around the machines taking everyone elses order. The rooms were spot on, the casino floor was good (and tight), so I don't know where they are running it down so badly.
In Encore's defense, my wife filled out an online 'how was your visit' survey, and received a message back from a VP cocktail services, Encore, wanting our phone number and time to call. This person did call and talk to my wife about the situation, and has told us to contact her when we come back down in September.

 

The VT awards are essentially meaningless. Its just a narrow range opinion on Encore (as well as many other properties). So I would cast a broader net if you are trying to get a range of opinions on Encore.

I stayed at Wynn a couple weeks ago. Granted, I did not stay on the Encore side, but I went to the Encore spa, had a meal over there, and gambled some. Everything was top notch from my experience. I wouldn't have any hesitation about staying there

 

Only widespread complaint I've really ever heard about Encore (aside from the gaming conditions) from some was the noise pounding into the rooms from the clubs, so if you want to avoid this potential issue, probably best to stay on as high a floor in the Encore tower as possible.

I enjoy the VT site, and those guys seem to really appreciate the beauty of the resorts that Wynn has brought to the city, but in particular don't like the clientele that the nightclubs have brought to the Wynncore complex. I think more of their recent wrath has come down about the MGM brass, particularly over the recently-instituted parking fees.

This might be a good question to pose on VT's board, although I think Chuckmonster is in Macau for the next 10 days or so.

 

I was there a few days ago and the red chandeliers are still there. They moved a few from the new Players Club area, but 95% of them are still there.

As for Wynncore plummeting in ratings: It's a niche-website who proclaimed this. I wouldn't worry. Steve Wynn has a ton of massive change on the way to his resorts, continuing to push the envelope and keep folks talking about his product.

 

BenjaminNicholas, Thanks for the update! I love those chandeliers!

 

I figured that VegasTripping was in fact tripping, but the fact that they slammed Encore in several "awards" brings forward some question(s) surrounding the property and if anything warrants a discussion.

I'm glad to hear that the red chandeliers are still there, I cannot see them being removed and/or replaced with something even better! The biggest complaint that Encore will simply never be able to fix is the club noise on the bottom floors. As most of you know by now the "Panoramic Rooms" now begin on Floor 28 instead of Floor 50. Even with the panoramic room upgrade you are still subject to hearing the noise from the clubs below if you are on a floor 39 or below.

 

I put very little stock in anything VT says, frankly. I used to follow the site but got tired of the endless negativity and snark and self promotion. That's not what I look for in a Vegas site/blog, I greatly prefer Vital Vegas.

 

If you stayed at Encore in 2009 before they axed that spectacular atrium, before they chopped down a 114 year old tree living in the casino, before they dropped Switch for Andreas, before they dumbed down Botero to have a place for XS rejects to sob over a drink, before they eventually got rid of all the original Botero works of art and called it Jardin, before they removed all the curtains and non-loading bearing pillars throughout the casino, before Wynn removed the masterpieces from his own private collection nestled around the resort because the crowd got too rowdy, before they got rid of the lamps on the table games, before they sectioned off nearly a quarter of the casino because they honestly believe millennials love shuffleboard that much, before when they had tons of $10 BJ with 3/2 odds, before Society turned into a poker room, before when the atmosphere alone encouraged you to put on a sport coat and discouraged you from walking through the casino barefoot in dripping swimwear, and perhaps most importantly, before when Elaine Wynn was actively involved in the operations of the resort; if you remember that property, you probably wouldn't consider Encore anymore.

Otherwise, it's a fantastic place that lost its soul.

And to the argument that this is Las Vegas and everything changes, yes, Wynn went through plenty and is still Wynn, Bellagio is still Bellagio, Cosmo is still Cosmo, but Encore wants to be Cosmo and is failing at it.

 

My first trip to Vegas, I stayed at the Encore and was very impressed. They also gave me an upgrade. My last trip was last year and I decided to try the MGM. stayed at the Stay well suites. The rooms were well appointed but looked really tired. I moved back to the Encore after a couple of days. During my upcoming trip, I plan to stay at the Bellagio for a couple of days before I move to the Encore.

Encore has spoiled me !

 

The first time I stayed at Encore was shortly after it opened. There was all sorts of reports that the AC was not up to snuff and travel was down. I didn't get an upgrade but I got an amazing view of the Strip, high floor and probably the best strip view I ever had. I was in heaven!

 

does anyone really believe that Encore is the worst place in vegas in all of those categories?

Nonsense is what it is.