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| - Las Vegas is populated with a few different types of hotels and casinos. Everyone knows about the Strip, filled with large-scale theme resorts to cater to every Joe Schmo just in from Tulsa. Not a lot of people are accquainted with the nitty-gritty style of Downtown Vegas, trussed up in new clothes (The Freemont Street Experience, anyone?). And even less people who are not from Vegas know about off-Strip, non-Downtown "locals' casino/hotels." For a long time, these were not classy affairs. The Station Family of casinos has taken over and tried to change that.
Their first big attempt is Red Rock, tucked up high in residential Summerlin. Of course this place is nice, that's what they were going for, but it's also genuinely classy and cool.
I've only been twice when I've been in Vegas, but both times I digged the vibe. The casino has a much more open feel than normal, and the decor is first rate. The lobby, in particular, is amazing. It's filled with lots of light and cool chandeliers and good-looking "hip" furniture. They've got apples stacked up at Reception for your consumption (anyone channeling the Four Seasons, here??). They also use a lot of rock (imagine that!), but it's big, beautiful, cultured rock, such as the white and yellow solid bar in the Onyx Bar. This is echoed in the Lobby Bar. And kudos to them for having an actual Lobby Bar (they are hard to come by), nestled in between two winding staircases that lead up to the casino floor (another lovely note -- the lobby is a floor below the casino, cutting down on noise drastically).
Never been in the rooms, but a good friend stayed in one of the suites for a bachelorette party and said it was ace.
And every single staff member we have encountered has been outstanding.
So much better than the days of a locals' casino being the old Santa Fe, resplentant with a bowling alley.
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