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Considering staying at El Cortez

Discussion in 'Downtown Hotels' started by ernestoc33, Jan 22, 2013.

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  1. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    Since they always have a guard at the door, my guess is that he would escort new arrivals to the reception desk in the Cabanas lobby. Isn't too hard to spot a new guest with their luggage in tow. Should be a simple enough process....
     
  2. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    El Cortez - Just Stayed in Tower for a Week

    Just returned last night from seven nights in an El Cortez tower room. It was my first stay at ElCo, though I've been in the casino numerous times. My buddy and I got a non-smoking room, two queen beds. To cut to the point, I'd summarize the accommodations and experience as very good for the price. Still, I wouldn't stay their with my wife for a special occasion, nor do I think my wife would be happy there at all.

    The Cabana Suites are entirely different -we got a tour of them, and the "Super Suites" are pretty cool, but they only have one bed, so weren't an option of my friend and I. Also, it's only a two story building, so doesn't offer a view of anything.

    Getting back to the tower - the first room we were given had a door frame that was so out of square that you could literally see into the hallway from about the latch down to the floor. Didn't seem safe, and also let in a lot of hallway light. Went back to the front desk, explained the concern, was given a different room - eighth floor, facing south (decent strip view). It was fine. The entire floor was non-smoking, and neither the floor nor room smelled of smoke. Didn't hear any significant adjacent room noise the entire week, though the rooms were generally occupied. Got some noise from nearby clubs over the weekend, but it wasn't too loud.

    Downtown, I've stayed at the Plaza, Golden Nugget (Carson Tower), Four Queens, and now ElCo. In terms of room quality and overall experience I'd rank them Golden Nugget, Plaza, ElCo, Four Queens. The room compared most directly to the Four Queens, but was larger, with a separate seating area and vanity outside the bathroom. Fixtures, decor and furniture are old, but worked well. I was amazed that they had instant hot water, great shower pressure and shower head, and good sink and tub drainage. The bed mattresses were comfortable, and they use the popular "double sheet" method of making the beds.

    Negatives - bath towels dried fine but were almost institutional in quality. Housekeeping was erratic. They missed our room entirely one day, even though we never used the "Do Not Disturb" sign and were gone most of the day. Had to call the front desk for new towels that night, which were delivered in about 15 minutes. A large cotton swab sat in plain sight just underneath the dresser (a high-leg type, so there's a lot of visibility underneath from anywhere in the room). I saw it when we checked in and left it to see if it would ever be noticed by housekeeping. It was still there a week later, so they must not vacuum very often. Our safe malfunctioned on Sunday. It wouldn't unlock, and we needed cash to make some game bets. Called the front desk three times, and after two hours finally got them to connect us to security. They came within ten minutes and apologized, saying the request had gotten misplaced. Caused us to miss the bets. Perhaps that was divine intervention, since we would have lost. And also on the plus side of the bet issue, ElCo had a four point spread on the 49ers game while everywhere else was 4.5. Thanks to that, we pushed on the 49ers bets instead of losing.

    Back to the topic - I wouldn't ask my wife to stay at ElCo unless it was in the Cabana Suites. She's pickier than I am, and I would never hear the end of things like the housekeeping and tired decor. To me, it was an incredible bargain and very satisfactory as a "home base" for the week. Also, as far as safety, there is no issue whatsoever with being where it is. The area is entirely gentrified and is the hangout of the young Las Vegas "hipsters." Two new clubs have opened within the past two months, both across the street from ElCo. One, Commonwealth, is quite upscale and was doing huge business over the weekend.

    It was funny walking back and forth to other places for a week. The bums stake our their turf, and after awhile they recognized me. They also learned that I am not a soft touch, so stopped asking me for change and just ignored me when I passed. They were never aggressive and I never felt threatened in the least. I think the latest I was out was about 2:30 am, and there were still plenty of people milling around East Fremont.
     
  3. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    I'v stayed at Pavillion, Vintage, Tower and Cabana numerous times and would rate Tower and Cabana substantially ahead of other two room types.
    Like marksind said, if I had my wife in tow, I would not stay at the ElCo. That's mainly because of its location in a sketchy area and the fact that much better properties exist off-Strip or Strip.
    That being said, I am personally a big fan of the Tower rooms. Like the old-school feel to them. Cabanas are fine, but a little tight, space-wise.
    Another thing I like about Tower rooms is being able to come directly down to casino floor and hang out.
     
  4. MoneyToBurn

    MoneyToBurn Low-Roller

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    For what it is worth, I stay at ElCo when I'm downtown. I don't have experience with other downtown properties, just because I've always found the place comfortable, and clean. Everything downtown is in walking distance anyways, so I stay where I've had good luck (well, room wise).

    Sure, the rooms aren't 2200 square feet with floor to ceiling windows and an infinity tub, but sometimes good and reliable is its own reward.
     
  5. ernestoc33

    ernestoc33 Low-Roller

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    Thanks for all your replies everyone! I appreciate you all taking the time to reply and make recommendations. I've decided that if by the end of next month Boyd doesn't send me a better offer for June. I'm going to book a junior suite at Elco. Thanks again guys :)
     
  6. thenuke1

    thenuke1 High-Roller

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    you know its not as big of a deal as i thought it would be ... its one time thing and the place is easy to get around.

    Cabana clerks were always helpful even the security guys did a great job
     
  7. allinpflop

    allinpflop Tourist

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    I am staying at El Co for the first time in Feb. We have a junior suite booked. 3 nights wed thru sat. What would the $20 trick get us? Worth it? Thanks for any advice and sorry for derailing.
     
  8. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    My biggest issue is the smoke smell. I know it's Vegas and to be expected, but their main building has an intense smell that I'd avoid if possible. And since the Cabanas is strictly a non-smoking facility, then checking in via a smoke-filled lobby becomes a bit of a contradiction.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2013
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