Changes in the last 5 to 10 years that you're OK with?

I realize the fact that I'm on a break makes me sound like a Debbie Downer. But, I got thinking...there's been changes since we started going that I'm perfectly OK with. So, I'll show mine if you show yours;

-TITO, so much cleaner, I don't miss the coins or the buckets or the mess or any of it. Sure I've come home with TITO tickets but I've always been able to deal with it. So, no big.

-VIP pools. Sure I cheat by doing that at cheaper properties like the Golden Nugget. Did I like it better when it was only $20? Absolutely. But, it's something I've kept up once a trip even as the price crept up.

-plastic cups. Sure the only time I actually stepped in broken glass and cut my foot up was when that guy drove his pickup truck into the lobby of the Stratosphere ...but...I got no problem with them.

You guys share some and it'll jog my brains a bit and I'll add to it.

 

Getting the keys when hotel room isn't ready...then getting a text to let you know when it is.

 

That's the spirit. Thanks Ardee. I thought of another one:

-signature fragrances pumped into the air. OK, I don't like the Venetian's smell. And Flamingo isn't my favourite. And they still need to use more in the LINQ. Please, use more. But, the rest....oh I love them. Just love them. Especially the Mirage and Mandalay Bay. You have no idea how many "smellies" (that's what we call any kind of home/car fragrance whanot) were bought just because they remind us of a hotel in Vegas. If they have their fragrance for sale at the gift shop...Imma buyin' it!

 

I love Aria's smell, but I feel like they've toned it down quite a bit.

 

Video slots. I didn't like them at first because i felt like I was cheated out of the "experience" of gambling and watching those mechanical wheels spin. The first ones were a bit boring but with each new Vegas trip they keep coming out with cooler and cooler slots. You cant have these fun bonus rounds the same way on an old 3 wheel slot.

 

I get moist for resort fees.

 

Hotels like Aria and Cosmopolitan that were built with enough nice suites that anyone who wants to pay for a nice suite can get one. No needing a host or getting bumped when a big player comes to town.

 

I like that there are more food choices, not even just high end, but in general.

 

I'm on the contrary. I like the way Vegas used to be.

 

Food, booze, rooms, cool shit to see...

I don't care for the higher prices that have come with those improvements, but what are ya gonna do?

 

I kinda like this as well.

 

You beat me to it I was gonna say cosmopolitan.

 

*Terminal 3 at McCarran is a huge improvement from the old International Terminal.
*Planet Hollywood is a lot more fun to play in than the Aladdin. Same with The D over Fitzgerald's.
*Fremont East District feels a lot safer than the first time I walked to El Cortez.

 

Massive upgrade? TV or mobile Checkout. (And checking the folio for charges without having to talk to someone.)

Leaving Vegas is brutal (not due to misbehaving, I just rarely am ready to leave). Plus, I'm NOT a morning person---much less after a week of staying off schedule. (I Still can't figure out why checkout is an hour earlier in the city that never sleeps...)

Being able to checkout from your room and not wait in line? Priceless.

(***FYI blue italic added later as an update****)

 

I admit this is one of my favorite upgrades.

I don't think I've EVER gotten the keys early and a text/call when the room was ready. The best I can remember is getting a text/call to come to the key line to pick them up. What hotel gives out the actual keys early?

Most of these I can do without! I haven't found one yet that I have found particularly pleasant.

One thing I DO like WRT the air quality is less smoke! I'm not a b*tch about smoking, but with fewer people smoking and better ventilation, the casinos are just plain nicer to be in.

One of my pet peeves back in the days were inconsiderate clods who would use the coin tray as an ashtray! Cash out and your hands were BLACK from ashes! That's one "Old Vegas" thing I will never miss, ever!

I'm hooked on them. One of my favorite "upgrades" there is.

I like downtown much better with FSE and Fremont East. I never considered downtown to be unsafe along Fremont Street but I agree that it's really improved, to the point of being almost overcrowded at times.

Now why is that huge Neonopolis place such a perpetual ghost town? I would think that would be booming with all of the additional foot traffic in the area!

I'm very surprised that people think that various forms of express checkout are new. I HATE waiting on line for almost anything and I know that back it the 1980s at least, as long as you had a card imprint on check-in, you could check out by phoning the desk and in many cases by signing an express check-out card and dropping it and keys into a box. Even before then it was somewhat common to informally check out by just leaving the key(s) on the bed, assuming you did not owe anything.

 

Legal Weed

Next, 420 friendly rooms.

 

Yep, a lot of this "new" isn't new at all. That's why we like to stand back every once in a while and assess how it is we experience evergreen locales. For instance, the Vegas food scene has been UN-like as long as we've been showing up, and that's 20 years. Sure, there are more paparazzi chefs, but the deep and varied template is nothing new.

As to the question, it is nice to see an attempt to accentuate something positive in light of all the End of Days chatter about Vegas and travel.

 

Hey DMR, great point on phoning down. I guess I should have added checking the room folio to on screen checkout. I don't want to just not go down, I really, really don't want to talk to anyone, but I want to check my bill items. So, for me it's not just phone/mobile checkout, it's being able to check my bill before checking out, without talking to anyone!

 

I like the "entertainment streets" like the Linq's Promenade and the Park. They have restaurants, entertainment, and easy access to casinos. Fun places to people watch too!

 

TITO happened more than 10 yrs. ago but that is one change I think nobody hates. I love it.

Also a trend of more people trying to quit smoking. I think the casinos air quality (especially Downtown) has improved because less people are smoking. There was a time when the smoke was so thick my nose would just plain hurt. I doubt any DT casinos did any improvements to their ventilation system.