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| - Ballys is fine if you're paying $50 a night, but if you're spending multiples of that, book elsewhere. The quality, amenities and customer service aren't there.
I arrived at 1:30pm, and was met with the offer of an early check-in for a $22 fee, which I declined in favor of leaving the bags at the bell station for the 90 minutes until 3:00pm. (Annoying since I woke up at 2am LV time to fly across the country from New York). The $22 early check-in was about the only offer I received. I expressed dissatisfaction with my room, and the staff presented no options whatsoever, not even for an additional fee, as though this were the only room available in the entire hotel.
The room itself was at about the level of a Days Inn with nothing remotely chic, modern or luxurious to be found. Mustard and brown patterned industrial carpet adorns the floor, and the wallpaper and drapes are also mustard colored. The comforters are a thin polyester fill. The headboard is glued to the wall, and all lighting comes from cheap table lamps. The TV and hutch are antiquated. There is no fridge or coffeemaker in the room, just a plastic icebucket. Other than granite tiling on the floor and walls of the bathroom, its interchangeable with that of any budget motel with a plastic tissue holder and no drawers for storage. And the whole place smelled like old cigarette smoke.
Bally's also nickels and dimes on Wi-Fi. For your $32/ day resort fee you're limited to 2 devices per room. If you have both a tablet and cell phone, and more than one person in your room, it's a hardship. And my cellular signal barely worked in the hotel. Even budget motels don't ration internet these days.
The food court and dining options leave a lot to be desired: Johnny Rockets, Nathan's, Sbarro... about the level of a middle America budget mall. There's some sort of outdoor market on the Strip side of the hotel, but its a disjointed mix of kiosks, and a third of the spaces were without tenants. Luckily there is an indoor mall at Planet Hollywood about a block away that has a mix food and clothing stores, as well as LINQ two blocks in the other direction that gets the outdoor market concept right. I spent 4 days in Vegas and ate every single meal somewhere other than Bally's hotel.
I'm one and done with Bally's.
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