The Travel Ringer

My wife and I stayed at the South Point Casino a few weekends ago at the recommendation of a friend who lives there, and primarily due to it’s location (close to his house where we were attending a party). We checked in and sadly there was no King Sized bed as we requested. I know that it’s just a request, but the counter agent didn’t really give me much condolence, nor did she care when I told her I would be writing a review of the hotel.

The second mishap was when the power went out. I subsequently wrote a letter to let them know I wasn’t happy about that, and also let them know that I would be writing a review of the hotel - I guess they don’t understand what hotel reviews are all about, because all I got was a phone call telling my why the power went out. If you are wondering, yes I was expecting a free stay. I guess I will stay at Red Rock Casino next time.

so here is the recap.

Highlights:

1. The rooms which are new and spacious; our view was decent, but not great.

2. The fact that the hotel is fairly new (one of the newest in Vegas), which made is seem less smoky in the Casino.

3. I have to say the Casino Rocks because we made money on Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, and Video Roulette (although the traditional Roulette machine don’t show the number history well).

4. Lots of restaurants, including a great buffet and an oyster bar.

The “Why I Won’t Go Back or Recommend South Point” Factor:
Average to Less Than Average Customer Service. There were a few folks that did great jobs like some of the dealers, the bell captain, and the valet folks, but the management and desk staff just were not good at making customers feel important, and I guess they forgot that there are over 300 hotels to choose from. When a customer takes time to write and say “hey, I’d love to recommend you but here is where I was let down as your customer” and the response is “sorry”, that just doesn’t cut it.

I know it might make me seem high maintenance or arrogant to say that, but that’s not the case. It comes from knowing that in a business market, it is arrogant for a company to think that they can just treat people the way they want to and still have their business. On my last trip to Las Vegas, I had exceptional service from a far less “pretty” hotel, and prior to that I stayed at The New Frontier most of the times because they always gave me free rooms. Were they the best rooms? Not by a long shot. Did they know how to treat customers? ABSOLUTELY.

By the way, if you own or manage a hotel anywhere in the world and want a free review, just invite me to stay I can’t guarantee that I can accept all invitations (especially if it involves a flight of more than 6 hours), but I am open to offering you free publicity by giving the stay away and allowing whoever stays there to write the review. Just leave a comment below and I will contact you.

For years The New Frontier in Las Vegas was the place I stayed.  It wasn’t as glamorous as the MGM or the Luxor, but I was there to just have fun, so I really just wanted a place to lay my head.  Lucky for them, I would get caught up playing craps and blackjack nearly every night, which earned me free stays.  It was a great relationship, I’d get a free room and “swear” that I would play somewhere that I could get a nicer room, but it just made too much sense to play at The Frontier because every time I came or left I had to pass “the buzz”. and it would just suck me in.  Anyhow, it was put to rest in November of 2007, and now I need to find a new home.  The Riviera has been “courting” me and I hope that new relationship works out.

For those that have never seen a building implode, here is the video of The New Frontier imploding.  I wish I could have been there, it looks pretty spectacular.  Also, does anyone else wonder how a hotel so old could keep a name like The New Frontier? Good marketing I guess.

A few months back, my wife and I went to Las Vegas for a wedding.  We had formerly been regulars at The Frontier (I know it was old, but I really did get free rooms there) which was closed down (actually imploded) late last year.  Anyhow, The Riviera acquired the names of the folks that like to gamble, and that includes me so we ended up getting a sweet deal, even though NASCAR was in town (which was a huge blessing).

I have to say, it was one of the best customer service experiences I ever had at a hotel.  First, was Sandy, our host who got us booked and got us a great deal (sorry we didn’t spend more money that weekend Sandy). Next was Dean, the valet who greeted us and helped us get a bellhop.  Dean is a super friendly guy and I would really go back, just to see him and say hey - he is that friendly, and of course, made you feel super comfortable about leaving your car there.  Dean set us up with a bellhop named Randall who was a real champion.  My wife had been sick and was recovering from a long term illness, and he could see that she was not feeling well and traveling and wanted to get to the room.  He pulled us out of the line (a huge line of NASCAR fans) and got us registered personally, then told me to take my wife to the room and he would get our luggage to us, which he did - what a guy.

The rest of the weekend went well, and even the chef was a joy to talk to at the breakfast buffet (yes, I had too many of those buffets).

The only downsides were the people that harassed us day and night to check out Tahiti Village, and the fact that the room was a little dusty due to the renovations going on.  Anyhow, I just sent an email to Sandy to ask about our next stay at The Riviera so hopefully it will be as good the second time around.

If you are looking for a decent hotel on he Las Vegas Strip, check out The Riviera for your next Las Vegas Vacation.  You can visit The Riviera, or call Sandy at 800-437-7951 ext, 9537.  Tell her Anthony sent you

NOTE: This was an unsolicited and unpaid hotel review.