| rev:text
| - My husband received an offer out of the blue for two free nights at the Downtown Grand. We'd never heard of it, but after looking into it, decided to take advantage of the offer and check the place out. We booked in December after they'd been open only about three weeks.
First, as we drove up to the address we were a little confused as we could see an unloading zone and we could see the front desk through the doors, but there was no one there to greet us and no bell desk. the husband went inside to check in and find out about parking while i waited outside. After he'd checked in, they told him that complimentary valet was on the other side of the building, so we drove around to the 4th street entrance to unload. Couple of weird things about this. First, I like to park myself, but at least the valet was free, so that was okay. Second, I understand why they made this the main entrance since it had the large lot and the other side is just the street, but in order to get from the valet to the front desk or the elevators, it's a long way through the casino... kind of strange, whereas the other entrance is right next to the front desk.
When the husband checked us in, they told him we were in the grand tower, but no one said how to get there (at least that's his story and he's stickin' to it). So we first went up the elevators near the front desk... except they don't go all the way to the floor we needed! So, we went back down and figured out that we have to go up an escalator, then take a bridge across 3rd street then go up an old rickety growly scary elevator to our floor. It was a long way to get there!
The decor of The Grand is very nice. I know they were going for upscale boutique and they did a pretty good job of giving the Old Lady Luck a facelift. It was definitely much more than putting lipstick on a pig, but architecturally, there were elements that reminded you that you were still in an old building, like the windows in the bedrooms which were high up and long and short. Sort of strange. That was fine, though, because everything was clean and new.
In the rooms, the beds and bedding were comfortable and there were nice pillows. The decor was stylish and there was a new flatty on the wall although the furniture set up was a little odd, the TV was very off centered from the bed, so a bit awkward. The bathroom was large and clean, but the shower was a disaster. I don't know who thought the small glass half wall would be appropriate instead of a full shower door or a even a shower curtain, but the water sprays all over and it's COLD to take a shower without something covering the opening! I HATED the shower with a passion. The amenities provided were products by Gilchrest and Soames in the BeeKind line. Unfortunately this line smells like lemon pledge and feels a little like it, too, so I didn't care for them.
The wi-fi worked pretty good and I guess there is normally a fee of around $11 per night for the resort fee which covers your wi-fi, coffee in the hotel (not sure where) and bottled water in the room. My understanding is that they are also affiliated with Choice Hotels and you can earn and use points here, but I could be mistaken on the points part - but if you're a member, you should check that out.
The casino was small and we signed up for players card and got our WHOPPING $3 sign up prize and we played a little on the slots, but not much. I also played some craps and the husband played some blackjack. For the small amount we played, we had a good time because we actually WON. Surprise surprise.
Inside the hotel, they have a couple of restaurants, we ate at Stewart and Ogden for breakfast both days - you can check out that review if you're interested and they have an affiliation of some kind with Pizza Rock across the street which we had dinner at one night - also a review you can see. Other than that, they have a Chinese restaurant on site and a couple of bars and then neighborhood restaurants surrounding them. You're literally across the street from the Mob Museum (one of my all time favorite museums), Hogs & Heifers bar, Fremont Street Experience, and the Gold Spike. What's nice is they are really sprucing up this downtown area and it's getting to be really fun and upscale and kind of funky. Just a nice place to be. After this experience, I can definitely see us spending a little more time downtown (you can see some of my other reviews like the Container Park, etc) and even staying here at the Grand again.
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