Imperial Palace....

If I could afford Harrah's, I'd take Harrah's too. In a heartbeat.

 

IP Not for Me

I've stayed at about 15 different properties in Vegas, and there are only two I wouldn't return to: The Excalibur and the Imperial Palace. Excalibur casino is old-school dark, mega-smokey, and south tower rooms are gross. And for the pleasure of staying there, MGM charges a $14 per day resort fee on top of the room rate!

The Imperial Palace to me is just plain strange. I shouldn't bad mouth it since I was comped a "luv tub" room for a couple of weekend nights. But while the room was clean, everything about it was really old and dark. The hallway was dark, dirty and smelled odd.

A friend of mine stayed there a couple of months ago, won $1200 at the craps table one night, went to bed and woke up to find the room had been entered during the night and $1700 (all his money) taken. Whoever did it was obviously an experienced thief, since they didn't take anything but the cash. Go to TripAdvisor and look at the Imperial Palace reviews. You won't have to look far to find people reporting the same experience, and doing so over the past couple of years. He and I are convinced it's an inside deal (e.g., maid has provided the target and access key to the thief) because it's been going on for so long. As TripAdvisor reviewers report, my friend found the hotel staff completely dismissive of the event.

 

Not being critical of your friend, but he obviously didn't lock the deadbolt/bar - and yes they have those. I have neglected to do it myself on occasion when traveling. Especially if my hands are full when I walk into the room.

IP doors also have a tendency to be ones that you have to push to make sure they close fully - if he did not do this it is possible the lock didn't engage at all. And I am not going to criticize the IP for that - a lot of it is door weight, etc - the $150?? a night Marriott I stayed at had the same problem. Co-worker & I walked out the door & headed down the hallway & both stopped at same time & looked at each other. Never heard door 'slam' - sure enough it was still wide open.

If a customer deadbolt/bars the door behind them they won't receive unwanted company. Since I travel as a female alone I am slightly more paranoid & also have a door 'wedge/jam' packed into my suitcase. Even just setting that out on the bathroom counter makes me go back & double check the deadbolt & the door to make sure they are securely locked.

And it took me about 5 years of conferences to get my co-worker in that deadbolt habit lol!!! Now she does it without thinking twice!

 

Well said. There will always be a place for the IP on the strip, I just hope they don't upgrade it beyond it's place and make it silly expensive.

 

IP Theft

Jgate8 -yeah, I agree - he no doubt didn't use the chain or whatever auxiliary lock was available. His experience prompted me to get a portable door jam lock that I now travel with. And I noticed as well when I stayed there that their doors don't always shut all the way without assistance. Still, it's the only property I've stayed at where I see TripAdvisor reviews reporting nighttime room theft with some degree of frequency.

One of the reasons I enjoy reading reviews is the "heaven vs. hell" nature of them. One person says it's God's gift, the next that it should be imploded.

 

Every place is like that, its hilarious. Read reviews on the Days Inn at Wild Wild West Gambling Hall, 90% of them are horrible. I spent a night there last year and it was absolutely one of the best nights sleep I have ever gotten in Vegas. I stayed at the IP and personally didn't care for the place, but price and location wise, I might go back and give it another chance.

 

I am not trying to defend the IP. However, I have to laugh when I read about people complaining about things at the IP that they were warned about.
When you read the reviews of the IP, most tell you about the dark hallways, the dirty carpet, the old furniture, the slow elevators, etc.

But, people book a room anyway. Then they find out about the things they were warned about and still complain.

Hey, its a cheap hotel. You booked a room at a cheap hotel because it was cheap. Don't do it again and you will be happy. Go where your money takes you.

 

Look, I think its silly to be shocked or outraged by the state of the IP. You have a point there.

But that doesn't mean you can't give it a negative review or mention the things that weren't great. I mean, that's the information that the next guy uses to know what to expect.

 

^^^^^^^ Agree^^^^^^^^^

They have websites like tripadvisor.com for a reason.

 

Like one poster said, you get EXACTLY what you are paying for. If you expect more, you should book elsewhere.

However, if you use your room in Vegas for sleeping, showering, and man/woman scaping, then the IP will be completely as good as a typical Super 8, Motel 6, etc. Only bonus is it has a FUN casino just a short trek away.

When doing a BARGAIN trip to Vegas, this place fits the bill time and time again.

 

Thanks for all the informative feedback everyone!!