Goodbye 4 Queen's, Hello The D

4 nights in July – 3 nights at the 4 Queens and 3 nights at The D (overlapping)

4 Queens: We’ve stayed at the 4 Queens too many times to count but I’m done with them. A couple trips ago, we got a room on the 2nd floor that was not the greatest. Next time we went, we got a suite on the 2nd floor which was okay. This time, again we got a room on the 2nd floor. I get the feeling that since we didn’t complain the first time, they have now slotted us in to always give us this floor. We must score 10+ on their tolerance level. I’ve come to realize complaining doesn’t do any good so goodbye 4 Queens. I’ve had enough.

When we checked in around noon, the desk clerk said that the room was ready but had not been fully released by housekeeping so they must have something still left to do. The clerk gave us our keys and suggested we put our bags in the closet. Sounded good, so off we went. Walked into the room to hear water running. Check out the tub and discover it is half full of water and the tap is still running slowly. No big deal, pull the plug, turn off water and drop bags in the closet. Safe is still locked tight from previous guest so we assume they are coming to unlock it and that is why the room hadn’t been fully released.

We take a moment to check out our view but we know from previous visits, it will be a view of the roof. We don’t mind since we’re rarely in our room but this time, the view was overlooking the smoking pit. Looks like a cooks apron out there so maybe the kitchen staff goes there to have a smoke. Ever heard of ashtrays? This is when I start thinking we really need to upgrade our standards. We could go ask to change rooms but it hardly seems worth it. We are there for a good time, not a long time. We later find out that was a BIG MISTAKE. We head out for gambling.



Come back to room late in the evening and realize we have the same silly lid on the toilet that we had last time, although we are in a different room. Can’t they come up with a proper lid? This time, you really have to push the flusher knob hard as the metal bar has to lift the darn lid to flush the toilet. The safe hasn’t been unlocked so we call to have it opened. The 2 guys come quickly and when I ask how often they find money in the safe, he replies maybe 1% of the time. It’s more likely he says, that they find old hamburgers or trash left in the safe. He says when people lose in Vegas, they have a funny way of showing their displeasure.

Getting ready for bed we realize we have no alarm clock and the toilet hardly works. It takes 2 or 3 flushes every time. Too tired to care, we head to bed. We knew we had 3 nights at The D starting tomorrow, so decided we’d stay there instead.



In the morning, I leave a note for the maid telling her the toilet doesn’t work. I assumed that meant she would have it looked at but I guess that was assuming too much. I should have been more specific – PLEASE FIX TOILET. She must have cleaned it, flushed 3 times and decided it would do.

We checked in to The D around 3 but did not have our bags with us, so planned to get them later. After a full day of gambling and checking out our regular haunts downtown, we ended the night playing at The D and then feeling no pain, decide to head up to bed. At this point, we realize we forgot to get our bags from the 4Q, so we head back there and just decide to stay at 4Q one more night. Go to use the toilet and see that the maid had not called for repairs. Spend a lot of time that night flushing, once, twice, three times.

In the morning the chain breaks on the toilet so it's completely out of use so we grab our bags and head to The D. I don’t leave a note for the maid because she obviously doesn’t care. I think long and hard about throwing an old hamburger in the safe. Finally decide I’m more mature than that. We grab our bags and get settled at The D.

4Q’s does have some things going for it besides location. The water pressure while showering is superb. The air conditioning is powerful, yet quiet. They have coffee pots in the room. They always have easy check-in with a reasonable amount of clerks to handle the line, never takes more than a couple minutes. The elevators are fast. They are generous with comps. This time we had 3 nights, $80 FP and comped meals at Magnolia’s and Chicago Brew Club. The bartenders are friendly. Chicago Brew Club has good staff and good food, Magnolia’s serves good cheesecake. The VP pays 9/6 on DDB at the bar (hubs did really good on his $80 FP, getting a couple 4OAK). The best part of all if you usually play at the back bar – they removed the JAWS slot machine!! No more listening to that shark attack, over and over and over and over….

The drawbacks – The rooms are old. Every visit seems to require a call to housekeeping to fix something, from locked safe, broken coffee pot, missing alarm clock, missing toiletries, dead remote, burnt out lightbulbs…. It’s always something. The fluffy pillows look great for photos but require you to sleep with your head at a 90 degree angle. The paint is peeling off the tiles (didn't know you could paint floor tiles) and the carpets are worn. It just seems like it’s more work to stay there than what it’s worth, especially considering we can pretty much stay anywhere else downtown. I know I say we’re done with them but we shall see. Maybe we just need a break and then go back to them with a renewed sense of entitlement. I do know if there’s ever a next time, I won’t allow them to put us on the 2nd floor. We've had good rooms many times before, so I know they have some.



Next up...The D

 

The D : There was no one in line when we checked in so it went fast. She asked if we wanted to have a high or low floor so we chose low. We’ve stayed here only once before and don’t recall a problem with slow elevators but I know others that have. With a low floor, we can always take the stairs. We got a room on the 3rd floor and head to the elevators. No wait at all so we step in to get to the 3rd floor. After squatting, leaning left and right and adjusting our squinting eyes to the light, we are finally able to see the numbers on the elevator. Who ever dreamed up this design for elevator numbers, clearly didn’t try looking at it with a few drinks in them. It’s almost impossible to see the numbers unless you’re an inch from it and the lighting is hitting it just right. On the plus side, for those who say the elevator is slow, it’s nice they’ve installed a plug so you can charge your phone while riding.



The next day while riding the elevator, we noticed that there were attendants in all the elevators. When I asked why, she told me they only do it during certain hours of the day (usually around check-in time) because of safety issues. Each elevator has a maximum load of 8 people (not positive it’s 8, but around there) and apparently when it gets busy, too many people try to cram on. I did see this on one occasion while waiting to enter from the casino. About a 15 people poured out of the elevator, it reminded me of stuffing a Volkswagen. I also asked about the design of the number plaque in the elevator and she told me it was only temporary. That’s too bad because it was kind of comical watching everyone get on and do the twist and squat excercise. I do have to give credit to The D here – if something’s not right, they spend the money to fix it.

First impression when getting off the elevator was great. They’ve done a nice job of freshening the place up and I loved the colours of the hallway. Very clean, vibrant and exciting. The room was fresh and the bathroom redone. The view was similar to 4Q but they have a much nicer rooftop.



About the only thing I would comment on the room (and I said this last time we stayed there too), the air conditioner is noisy. Where the 4Q’s has air conditioning vents throughout the building, The D has individual air conditioners in each room, venting to the outside wall. It was about 120 degrees outside when we visited and the air conditioner did make it nice and cold but it’s so noisy, it’s hard to get a good nights sleep. There is no coffee pot but they do have a iron in the room should you feel a bit wrinkly. The water pressure in the shower is light but does the job. All in all, pretty nice rooms and far superior to 4Q.

We had food credits so we ate breakfast one morning at The D Grill. We’ve always had good food here and this day was no different. Husband had ham and eggs that came with a large portion of hash browns but they no longer serve fresh preserves with breakfast. I ordered the Chop-Chop salad with romaine, swiss cheese, tomato, bacon, chicken, egg, avocado and sunflower seeds. It will go on my list for a repeat as it was so good. They give you a large portion and I wasn’t able to eat it all. Now this is where it gets weird…I had about a third of it left and just couldn’t finish it. When the bus boy/waiter came to pick up our plates he asked if I wanted to take it. Since I had no fridge in the room, that wasn’t really an option so I said no thanks. He then asked if I was going out on Fremont Street. I replied no, that we were going to play blackjack downstairs. So he tells me that there are lots of hungry people on Fremont and he could wrap it up so that I could go give it to someone. I guess he meant well but it was very awkward. Personally, I’m not certain the panhandlers on Fremont St. are suffering as bad as they want us to think (and I don’t want to encourage them with a free ride) but I really didn’t appreciate him looking at me like I had a lack of social conscience just because I wasn’t giving away my leftovers. Just plain awkward!



We also finally got to try out Andiamo’s. We didn’t have reservations but they had no problem seating us around 7 pm on a week night. We split a ceasar salad and hubs ordered Veal Aldo for $36 and I had an 8 oz filet for $39. The waiter makes the ceasar salad at the table so watching him make the dressing was interesting. Kind of like getting a cooking lesson to go with your meal. After tasting it I asked if he put garlic in it (yes) but I sure couldn’t taste it. I will say that my husband commented that when I cook with garlic even the neighbours know, so I guess I’m just immune to small amounts.
The meal came with bread and antipasto which I also found lacking in flavor. Next, we were served a small dish of spagetti (they used some fancy name that I can’t remember). My husband and I both thought it was really good. Both our meals were cooked just right and delicious. My steak came with a dish of Zip sauce which was a Soya Sauce dip.I couldn’t finish my steak but at least I wasn’t chastised for not giving it to the needy. (In the picture, there is only half a carrot. It didn’t come that way, I took a bite before the photo). They have a wonderful selection of deserts that we passed on because the meal was filling enough. The bill came to $85 (no drinks) but after using the rest of our food credits, it cost us $10 plus tip.

I’d recommend the restaurant as it certainly was good but for myself, I still prefer Hugo’s at 4Q. The food at Andiamo was just bland to me. That could just be my taste buds though, my husband didn’t find it bland at all.





One other fun event at The D happened one night. I was playing VP at the bar and a lady came up and asked if I was "Gambler". She introduced herself and said that because I was playing with my card, my name was chosen at random for the Hot Seat drawing. I got to spin the wheel for a prize (anywhere from $10 to $100) and I ended up with $25 free play.




We did make a trip out to Sam’s Town this trip for a couple hours and hope to get a discounted room offer so for our next stay, we plan to replace our 4Q’s stay with 2 nights at Sam’s Town and then 2 nights at The D. The one nice thing about 4Q’s is that you don’t have to stay to use the FP offer. Their DDB VP is 9/6 whereas Sam’s is 9/5 at their bar but they may have better machines that we haven’t found yet. With the free shuttle between Sam’s and the Fremont, it makes it easy to use both casinos in one trip.

 

Great report! Thanks for sharing.

 

Very nice and thorough report!

 

" I also asked about the design of the number plaque in the elevator and she told me it was only temporary."

I wouldn't get my hopes up about that. We've stayed there since 2008, when it was Fitzgerald's, and the same button design has been there since they redid the elevators. I just try to memorize the location of the button I need to press, and hope for the best lol.

 

Thanks sura, I won't hold my breath waiting for it then. I didn't notice it on the first stay. Maybe I wasn't drinking as much so it wasn't as difficult!

 

One other fun event at The D happened one night. I was playing VP at the bar and a lady came up and asked if I was "Gambler". She introduced herself and said that because I was playing with my card, my name was chosen at random for the Hot Seat drawing. I got to spin the wheel for a prize (anywhere from $10 to $100) and I ended up with $25 free play.



I had the privilege of getting my name chosen for this Hot Seat draw at the Golden Gate last week, as well. My spin only amounted to $10. I think I was the only one playing slots (with my card in of course), in the whole casino. This was at about 2.00 p.m.

I noticed that all the people before me (previous hours) had spun and gotten at least $25.

 

That's a brilliant idea dooner! Your odds of being chosen at the GG would be quite high between 8 am and 12 noon, especially if they're drawing every half hour. I should have gone there for my morning coffee!

I won around 7 pm at The D and the place was hopping. I felt pretty lucky.

 

Very enjoyable report. I wish the Four Queens would renovate their rooms too.

 

Did The D remove the keurigs from the rooms? Last couple times we stayed they had keurigs. The pods cost $2.50 or thereabouts but you could bring your own. This summary says no coffee pot so I went to their site and keurigs are not listed as an amenity. If they are gone, bummer!

 

I'm staying at Sam's Town in a few weeks. They are VERY generous with the free room offers. My BConnected Online account is literally flooded with offers (8-10k a day over two trips there). Tons of options for full pay VP. Nice promotions there as well.

 

I hope the same thing Blonde. They have so much going for them. Most rooms aren't anywhere near as bad as ours. I think we are pegged into the beginner level of training employees and rooms...

*****I was wrong about our free play, my husband had $200 FP (not $80) 3 nights, and meals at Magnolias and Chicago Brew Club.*****

His comps weren't insignificant, so it was time to give our head a shake. :confused2:

TMSMT: The Keurigs are gone. But you can get a quick coffee at McDonald's down below.

 

That sounds about where we're at. We went out on a Monday with 7x points for VP. Glad to hear they're generous.

 

Very nice report - thanks! I have never stayed at the D/Fitz - sounds like I should give it a try. I too am fed up with the state of Four Queen's rooms - love everything else about the place though. I am always shocked at how grimy the elevators are at FQ. Ever look around in one of them?

 

Nice report Gambler! lol about the garlic comment. We live on the stuff. When I was still working 2nd shift, there was one guy I worked with and he would comment, "had garlic today for lunch, didn't you?"

Sorry to read about your experiences at 4Q. That is my brother's favorite place and he doesn't seem to have any problems, so far at least.

 

Great report, thanks for sharing.
Loved the pics.

 

How was the noise level from the music in the casino/FSE in the room on the 3rd floor?

 

I think the problem is if they renovate their rooms they will probably also raise up their rates. I would rather they (4Q) keep their rates low with "outdated" rooms. You always have the D and other places to stay if you want renovated rooms. I know that people blast the LVC because of the condition of the rooms, floor and elevator but I stayed there because the rates were low. Wish they would open up the rooms again with the low rates. With resort fees many of the cheap places to stay (like the EC) aren't so cheap anymore but I know if the LVC opens up again they will raise their rates and implement the resort fee so even the LVC won't be a good deal anymore.

As for Gambler's problems, I usually ask for a specific type of room when I'm in vegas, I will ask for a high floor or facing a certain direction, etc. If you don't specify they will probably give you any room so best to specify so you aren't stuck with a "substandard" room, especially when it comes to facing the FSE. If I have problems with my room I usually call or head down to the front desk to have them fix it, that way I can have them get on it ASAP. I had "problems" at places like EC, MSS, Cal (some were toilet problems) and I called the front desk who called the proper people to fix my problem. I had a major problem at the EC in June, the a/c wasn't working that good (temps in the 80's). They didn't have rooms available (busy weekend) but the next morning they moved me to a large suite. I didn't even know they had them in the vintage rooms but it was great, large L sectional sofa, comp fridge (yeah, I know, but better than paying for the fridge in the vintage rooms), 2 closets, a "fore" room (or whatever you call it, sorry, never had one before) when you walk in (like a den). Always doesn't hurt to ask...or complain.

 

We didn't hear any music at all in either hotel. The air conditioner was on all the time though, so it may have covered the noise. But even when we had the A/C on low, we couldn't hear any noise.

 

It's still my favorite place to stay too. After a rest we'll probably be back.

YUM garlic!!