Let me preface this review by saying we stayed here 4 nights (May 3 - 7) comped. Check in was pretty quick. It was 4 PM on Thursday and I was surprised that it took all of 10 minutes to check in, especially on a fight weekend. When we checked in, the front desk staff was really nice. In fact all of the staff at the hotel and casino were really nice.
ROOM: We had a luv tub room. While the furniture is outdated, the room was still clean and the bed was SO comfy. I have a hard time sleeping in beds other than my own and honestly, this bed was so great I wanted to bring it home (minus the ugly frame). The room was huge. The luv tub near the bed was gigantic but unfortunately had no jets. There was another bath tub and shower combo in the bathroom.The bathroom was also big and it was nice that the shower and toilet were in a closed area with a mirror and a sink and then there was another sink and mirror just outside the toilet and shower. Great for me to get ready and not have to suffer after hubs exits the bathroom. The shower water pressure was fab! The closet was also big but you cannot take the hangers off of the pole thingy, which made it tough to hang up clothes. I guess there are a lot of hanger thieves. Oh and mirrors on the ceiling. CLASSIC! Be sure to enjoy that. LOL
The main issue we had in terms of the rooms was on Saturday morning when someone pulled the fire alarm at 7 AM. We had to listen to the alarm and person come over the intercom for a LONG time. We finally decided we weren't going to risk anything and walked down 14 flights of stairs. We about killed ourselves going out of the emergency exit door because there is a step that is hard to see. Anyhow, we go back into the hotel only to be told it was a false alarm. We go back upstairs and I get in the shower and about midway through shaving my legs, the alarm goes off again. Annoying to say the lease but that was the only instance. I guess when your rates are that low, you get a lot of people who don't know how to act right. Also, they have a lot of security on the casino floor but none where the elevators are. Anyone can get to the rooms which is kinda scary.
The elevators can be slow around check-out/check-in times. I waited for 10 minutes for the elevator and when it finally came, it was packed. Luckily everyone in the elevator was cool and told me to squeeze in. I was on the 14th floor and the elevator stopped at every single floor.
Another annoyance was the construction. They only worked during the week but listening to bulldozers and jackhammers when you are trying to sleep after partying all night SUCKS.
We played a few times at the casino and I actually liked it. The casino is definitely outdated but the crowd was fun and the dealers were nice. We met a lot of really cool people.
Location is great! Mid-strip and right by the tram. It was so nice to be able to take the tram instead of a cab and a lot cheaper. We saved a ton in cab fare.
We went to the pool one day and it was cool. People were friendly. Surprisingly the girl serving us was super hot. The cheeseburgers were so good. Bucket of beer (5) was $25 - not too bad for Vegas. Funny story - we were going to get a cabana at a day party and it looked like things might fall through. We considered getting one at IP just to have some shade. They told me the cabana, on a Friday during construction, was $500!!!! we paid $400 at Bare and we could have gotten a lilypad at EBC for $500. They are out of their minds!
TIPS: If construction is still happening and you are there during the week, do not get a room facing the pool where the construction is if you want to get some sleep - they start early.
If you need to take the elevator during peak check-in/out times, go up and then down. Guarantees you a spot on the elevator!
The front is closed and taxis have to drop you off in the back of the hotel. There were a ton of cabs trying to figure out where to go to drop off passengers. It was kind of a pain.
Because the cabs go to the back of the hotel, there was not a steady flow of cabs. Walk over to Harrah's and catch a cab.
Overall, things went well and we had a good time minus the few annoyances but we are also easy going. It's no Aria, but I would rather spend my money on parties and gambling and doing other things then a room I am hardly in. I would definitely stay again as long as it was cheap or free.