I wasn't quite sure what to expect after reading all the bad reviews of this hotel but I was more than satisfied with my stay here. So many reviews I read complained about many things, including:
- The carpet: I am happy to report I saw no hay or animal fur on the carpet :p
- Parking garage: The elevators were fully functioning (though stuffy) and in and out access to/from Las Vegas Blvd. was a breeze. I also did not have to walk through the casino to the registration area from the parking garage.
- Service: Lines were slow-moving at the registration desk, but then again, it was 11am on a Sunday, so many people were checking out. Once we got to the front, the front desk agent who checked us in was friendly - though it would have been nice if he had told us about some hotel features such as room service. It wasn't until after our stay that I saw on their Twitter that you could order food from some of their restaurants through room service. Btw there is no room service menu in the room; rather, you access the menu through the TV in your room. (At least that is what I gathered from the Tweet.)
Lots of security guys around, and they all seemed nice enough, some with smiles and greetings. One approached us as we were taking a selfie but failing to squeeze us all in the picture lol. I had remembered a reviewer saying that they were told pictures were not allowed inside the casino. Well, this security person who approached us offered to take the picture for us!
Service was good in the shops and restaurants inside the hotel as well.
- Hotel worker uniforms: Some people are really nit picky! The plaid jackets and monkey vests did not bother me.
- The casino: The industrial style ceilings with the exposed piping did not bother me either. And yes, the casino is small, but it did not feel cramped to me.
- The rooms: Upon walking into the room (World Tower with one King bed) my first thought was that it felt like a motel room :p Rooms at SLS are definitely smaller than most other hotel rooms I've stayed at in Vegas. But the room eventually grew on me. The bed was comfortable and the room was just fine size-wise for two people. Btw in pictures it looks like there are no windows in the World Tower rooms but there are. The window is behind the bed - it just looks like there isn't one when the shades are drawn As for the noise from the a/c, it did not seem too loud for me. But it could get really cold when on and really warm when off. Somewhere in the middle would have been nice.
* One thing about the rooms is that they could work on the cleanliness factor. There were some stains on the walls and small hairs on our towels and bathroom counter when we walked in.
* Don't know if this can be fixed but it takes five seconds to change channels when channel surfing, and one time our TV just froze. Turned it off for 10 minutes and when turned back on it was working fine again.
- Restaurants: I don't think I read too many bad reviews about their restaurants - I really liked every restaurant I tried there during my stay. It rained every day of my stay but it worked out perfectly because there was no need to go anywhere with all the great food options at the hotel! Btw I smelled the most amazing chocolate chip cookie smell while passing by their coffee shop but did not see any on display. I should have inquired about that because after the fact I read a tip or review on how their chocolate chip cookie was really good, and by the time I went back down they had chocolate chip cookies but that freshly baked smell was gone :( Also, they don't have hot chocolate on the menu at the coffee shop but if you ask they can make you some.
I think my favorite Vegas hotels are still Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental but SLS is not bad at all. They've got some great deals, cozy rooms, and amazing restaurants so a stay here is definitely a-ok and then some :)