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Return to Vegas! Cosmopolitan June 22nd-26th

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by ATLchris, Jul 1, 2020.

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  1. ATLchris

    ATLchris Tourist

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    My Trip Report

    We hadn't been to Vegas since November '19, and were planning a May trip, which of course got pushed to June. We were a bit uneasy about going so quickly after reopening, but based on online research as well as information I received from friends who are Vegas locals, we decided to give it a shot; and we’re glad that we did!

    Our flight from Atlanta landed around 10:45 am. I've been told that only about 10% of cabs are currently in service in Las Vegas, due to low demand, and we assumed the same might be true with Uber/Lyft. To avoid any delays in getting to the hotel, we booked a car service through Omni. The driver met us at the bottom of the escalator, we quickly retrieved our bags and headed to the strip. He shared with us that as expected, their business is still quite slow. During an 8 hr shift he might only make two trips...ouch! The ride was quick, as traffic is still very light. I'll have to say it was a little weird to see all of the billboards by McCarran still advertising events scheduled in March/April; events which were inevitably cancelled.

    **Also, we did confirm later in the week when we used ride share service, that the wait times are definitely longer as of now. It wasn't out of the ordinary to wait 15-20 min for a driver to arrive.

    We arrived at The Cosmopolitan around 11:30 am. The line to check-in was relatively busy, but they were managing it well, and had people directing you to the next available agent. As a side note, Cosmo does not offer check-in kiosks, although I never use the kiosks anyway, regardless of length of the check-in line. Between each customer, the reception agents were wiping down the counter as well as the touchscreen used to 'sign in.' We were booked into a 'Terrace Fountain View Suite.' I tipped the agent $20, and was able to secure an upgrade to the 'Wraparound Terrace Fountain View Suite' on the 56th floor in the Chelsea Tower. The suite was ready, and I thought all was well as we headed upstairs; that's when the issues began. When we entered the suite, the smell of marijuana was overwhelming! Marijuana is legal in Nevada, and to each his own, but as nonsmokers this was not something we wanted to smell inside of our suite, especially when Cosmopolitan does not allow smoking inside of the hotel. We hoped the smell would dissipate, but as we began to settle in we found many other issues including a broken safety latch on the door (broken as in completely ripped out of the wooden door frame), trash and debris on the carpet, non-working tablet to control suite functions, and someone's leftover food from Subway still in the refrigerator. The icing on the cake though was the pair of dirty underwear in the bathroom closet and the crushed marijuana on the living room carpet (thus the strong odor in the suite)! We're not the type to complain, but there were simply too many issues with this suite to overlook, especially since we would be staying there for four nights. We called guest services and they moved us to the same suite type on the 51st floor, same tower. The guest service team was very nice, but didn't offer any help in moving our belongings to the new suite, or any type of compensation for our inconvenience, which was a bit disappointing. We moved to the new suite and it was in much better condition; clean, and well-stocked with the proper amenities, including a kit with face masks/hand sanitizer/etc, which was not present in the first suite.

    The wraparound suites are located at the end of the hallways, and feature a large living room, kitchenette (with minibar, refrigerator, Sub Zero wine chiller, and a wet bar with plenty of storage), master bedroom with king bed, master bath (with dual vanities separated by a large glass shower, soaking tub, private water closet, and large storage closet), and a full bath with shower just off the foyer. There's also a small closet in the foyer suitable for storing luggage etc. This suite type also features a large terrace that runs along the perimeter of two sides of the suite. The terrace can be accessed via three separate sliding glass doors; two in the main living area, and one in the bedroom. It is a lovely layout, and I enjoyed the furnishings and the decor of gold, purple, teal and neutral tones. The only disappointments we had with the suite was the lack of a bubbler tub in the master bath, and the fact that the air conditioning simply wasn't ample for a suite of that size, thus it was never truly cool. I probably would not pay full rack rate for this suite, but for an upgrade it isn't a bad option.

    While staying at The Cosmopolitan, we dined at The Henry and Holsteins, both of which were very good. If you haven't tried the 'adult milkshakes' at Holsteins, you definitely should! We also enjoyed some treats from Milkbar. The Wicked Spoon buffet reopened while we were there, but we skipped it this time as we already had reservations for the Buffet at Wynn.

    We had planned a pool day for Tuesday, and reserved a premium daybed on the lower (main) deck of the Boulevard Pool. As of now, the Boulevard Pool is the only pool open Monday-Thursdays. Bamboo pool is open on weekends, and I heard the Marquee Club pool will reopen soon. There's a $175 food and beverage minimum required to reserve a daybed, which is quite reasonable compared to some of the other resorts. We experienced exceptional service from the pool attendants and our dedicated server. They constantly checked in to see if we needed anything, and the pool attendant kept our bottled waters iced down throughout the day. We enjoyed a great lunch and *several* cocktails, so obviously at Vegas prices it didn't take long to reach the $175 minimum (we actually exceeded it by about $70). The atmosphere at Boulevard pool is lively and fun, but definitely not what I would consider to be a "party" atmosphere. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day!

    We didn't do any gambling at Cosmo, but the casino was quite busy, especially in the evenings. They had installed plexiglass barriers on some of the table games, and the dealers wore masks, but most customers weren't wearing masks until Friday when it became a statewide mandate to wear them in public areas.

    Throughout the week we visited various resorts and I'll touch on a few of the changes we noticed:

    Bellagio (our usual Vegas home) was routing people on a one-way path through the conservatory, and although we didn't have to wait to enter, they weren't allowing it to become overcrowded. Personally, we found this to be a welcome change, as you could actually enjoy the display without hoards of people crowding around in every direction. It was much more peaceful and organized, and I wouldn't mind seeing this process remain in place long term. All of the restaurants were using a virtual queue which was initiated by scanning a QR code with your smartphone. At The Petrossian, our favorite spot for a nightcap, they had the 'smart discs.' It basically looks like a coaster that they place on your table, and when you touch your phone to the disc, it opens the menu on your phone's web browser. Very cool! Bellagio was the only casino we visited that has built dedicated hand washing stations throughout. They look nice and match the decor of the resort, and these stations are also stocked with hand sanitizer, gloves, and face masks. We did not witness any temperature checks being done on guests here. All of the table games at Bellagio had plexiglass barriers between players, and observers were not allowed.

    At Caesars Palace, there was ample gloves, face masks, and hand sanitizer. We also noticed that they were the first resort to implement the mandatory face masks (they started on Thursday, the day before it was mandatory statewide). No temperature checks here except for hotel guests (a bit odd), and we didn't really notice any other visible changes. The Forum Shops were open, and I would say about 80% of the stores and restaurants were accepting customers.

    Venetian/Palazzo had guest temperature checks in place at every entrance using thermal cameras, including via the Grand Canal Shoppes. As with the Forum Shops, I would say that most shops and restaurants at Venetian/Palazzo were open, although a few remained closed or were open limited hours such as weekends only. Again, lots of PPE available here throughout the resort, and hand sanitizer stations were frequently placed.

    Wynn/Encore also had thermal camera guest temperature checks in place, and were proactively distributing masks as you entered. We opted to try the reinvented Buffet at Wynn on Friday evening, and it was a very nice experience. It is by reservation only, and the reservation time is when you get in line, not the actual time you are seated. They keep the line moving as quickly as possible, considering they are only seating at around 50% capacity. You are given a very extensive menu including everything from soups and starters to dessert. It's served tapas style by a team of servers, and you can order as much as you'd like. The suggested limit on dining time is two hours, but I'm not sure whether they actually enforce that or not. At any rate, I feel that two hours would be plenty, as they keep the food coming quickly. We really enjoyed our meal, and actually found it nice to be able to sample so many dishes without having to surround a crowded buffet with other guests. Great job as always by Wynn to provide a more upscale experience, even at a buffet.

    All in all, this was definitely a very different Vegas experience than what we're used to. It was odd, especially early in the week, to walk the strip or stand in front of the fountains of Bellagio and not be shoulder to shoulder with other people. That being said, it was also nice to feel the Vegas energy again and see everyone coming together to be safe and still enjoy the city that we all love!
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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  2. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Nice report! And thanks for including details on how the various hotels are responding.
     
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  3. Richard Alpert

    Richard Alpert LOST

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    Thank you for your report, @ATLchris! :D
    We just drove through your city a couple of times on our recent vacation. Good times!

    RICHARD
     
  4. ATLchris

    ATLchris Tourist

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    My pleasure. Happy to share what we experienced!
     
  5. ATLchris

    ATLchris Tourist

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    I hope you had the opportunity to stop and enjoy some southern hospitality in Atlanta. Come back and visit anytime!
     
  6. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    Great report! Thanks for all of the details.
     
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  7. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

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    Southern hospitality in Atlanta? The scenes on CNN did not look very hospitable. And stay away from the nearest Wendy's!!!:nono: Just kidding. Who am I to make comments? I live in Brooklyn, NY.
     
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  8. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

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    Great report and thanks for your observations. The Wynn Buffet concept looks great!!
     
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  9. Rodent Pack

    Rodent Pack S.S. Minnow

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    100% agree. We had a suite at the Cosmopolitan and the marijuana smell from an adjoining balcony was so strong we thought Willie Nelson was next door. Made it so we couldn't even enjoy the balcony or open the window. Really took a big part of the enjoyment away for this trip :(
     
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  10. ATLchris

    ATLchris Tourist

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    You make a very valid point! I’m hoping for a more peaceful future for all of us.
     
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  11. ATLchris

    ATLchris Tourist

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    In all honesty, we were quite disappointed with Cosmopolitan. It’s a lovely property and we really wanted to like it, but the vibe just didn’t suit us. We’ll likely be back at our Vegas home (Bellagio) for future visits, and just pop in to enjoy some of the restaurants at Cosmo.
     
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