El Cortez vintage King suite?

I used the LVA coupon to get 2 nights in a vintage king suite at ElCo for only 50 bucks total. I see a lot of negative opinions on the standard vintage rooms, but the vintage King suites look okay.

I'm cool with the stairs, and I'm traveling solo so I don't mind if things are a little beat up. I'm gonna be super busy on this trip, so I only need a soft bed and a good shower and quick access to Fremont St. Did I make a bad choice?

 

I think it depends on what you are expecting. If you are expecting strip type of rooms then you may be disappointed but if you are used to downtown rooms you will probably not mind these rooms.

One suggestion: If you are bringing a car then park in the parking structure nearest to the hotel. Park on the southernmost side of the structure, the side closer to the container park. There is a direct stairwell to get to the vintage suites and only about 10 steps to get down to the floor with the vintage suites. This entrance (emergency exit) is right around the corner from the parking structure elevators so easy to find. There is a door to get inside the vintage floor, usually this door is propped open but sometimes some butthead closes the door but it is usually unlocked. Inside stairway: Inside the casino there are stairs near the crap tables but it is kind of steep so if you have luggage I would recommend using the stairwell in the parking structure.

Also: you should first check in and go up to check out your room. If you don't like the room then you can go back down and ask for another, hopefully there will be one available. I had some problems because they gave me a vintage room facing west (facing the art house and the FSE). While these rooms are large the air conditioner may not be working that well and if you are there on a weekend you may encounter loud music/noise from the streetgoers until the wee hours of the morning (usually until 4 am).

The best vintage suite rooms are in the middle of the building. There are 2 rooms on the main vintage floor that are next to the stairs to go down the casino. These rooms are pretty large with a L shaped couch, 2 closets and an entry room when you first enter. The only problem is that there is no view from the room (except the roof the casino). There are also 2 or 3 rooms on the next level above the vintage suites. These rooms are also big and comfortable but you have to walk another set of stairs to get up there.

 

That's all really helpful, thank you.

I'm not driving, but I'm in decent shape and don't mind the steep stairs.

I don't care about the view and I want quick access to the casino and Fremont St., so to clarify, I should ask for a room nearest to the stairs on the second floor?

 

Every vintage or tower room has quick access to the casino and Fremont St. El Cortez is just not a real big place. Safe travels and good luck!

 

I agree with mescalita, the vintage rooms aren't very far from the casino, if anything it will take you an extra minute to get downstairs. Just make sure that you are getting a King suite room and not the regular vintage rooms. While they are okay they aren't very large and you will know it when you get inside the rom.

 

Yeah I could tell the difference just from the pictures. I was sure to repeat "Vintage King Suite" seven times when making the reservation and had her repeat it back to me, so hopefully I don't get stiffed.

 

On my very first trip to LV (70s) my dad and his then-gf had one of these. It was actually quite nice at the time. We jokingly called it the "Presidential Suite" and it had a TV in the sitting area.

A couple of years ago I had to take a quick trip to LV and I did as I often do and extended it over the prior weekend at my expense. One of the cheaper options was the ElCo so I did it, just for old times sake and I asked for one of the vintage rooms. LOL, the room was smaller than I remember and the stairs were higher and steeper than I remember! Other than that the room was clean and comfortable and everything worked. Excellent view of the flat roof and the air handling equipment.

 

Ha ha, yes, those stairs are steep, especially if you have to lug a heavy suitcase up. When I'm at the crap table I see it all the time, people trying to carry their suitcase up those stairs. Once a girl slipped and the suitcase came back all the way down. Guess that's why I usually just take the parking lot exit most of the time.

And yes, the standard vintage room is "smallish". Not much room to walk around and not very roomy. That's why I usually ask if one of the larger rooms in the middle are available, sometimes the accommodate me, many times not. Can't hurt by asking though.

 

I'm very fortunate that at my age I can still carry such a thing up those stairs and not end up either at the bottom of the stairs or in the emergency room. It's not something I want to do on each trip, and I did not know of the "secret" garage entrance until someone here told me, like right after the trip! Yeah, I do need more exercise and I got it that trip. (I guess I could have asked the desk to have the bell staff help me, but I didn't even think of it.)

 

Post some pics of the vintage king suite if you can. My brother used to get upgraded to the vintage suite simply by asking back in the day. It was very old school furnishings and the same tiny bathroom as the vintage rooms. I love the stair access, up and down in a few minutes with no elevator wait. That entrance from the garage is a true insider secret!