I'm on the fence about this somewhat new hotel Downtown LV. The hotel itself is nice, well-decorated and in a great location but there was just something that was missing. I saw that the average rating for this hotel was 3 stars on Yelp and the 4 and 5 star reviews had some really great things to say and my friend told me she loved this hotel so I booked a 5-night stay.
LOCATION | I like the location of the hotel being off Fremont St. away from the madness but a quick walk to Fremont when I felt like being where the action was at. The hotel has a prime location right across the street from the Mob Museum and Gold Spike.
CHECK -IN | The process was pretty seamless. They have a small lobby and I checked in at close to midnight so there was no line. The customer service was OK and I would have liked if the employee was more informative instead of me having to ask questions about Wi-Fi, express checkout, etc.
ROOM | The room was nice and bright and I loved the modern look and feel to it. The room had just about everything (safe, iron, hair dryer, etc.) except a fridge or mini bar. I loved the long counter in the bathroom but was so confused about the shower. There weren't any curtains and the shower door only covered half of the shower. ¯\_(?)_/¯
ROOM SERVICE | So the "In Room Dining" as they call it consisted of take-out from Stewart and Ogden, the restaurant on the first floor near the lobby. Stewart and Ogden's food is pretty good (separate review to come) but our food got delivered to our room in takeout boxes and plastic bags which was fine but I guess with a name like "Downtown Grand" I just expected a little more like the usual plated meals on a tray.
CASINO | Downtown Grand's casino floor is pretty small compared to some of the other hotels downtown but being a newer hotel, the casino didn't have a prominent cigarette smell like most other downtown hotels, which was nice. They have a rewards program called "My Points Downtown Grand" and you can sign up for a card right outside of Stewart and Ogden. I mostly played roulette and lost some money but had fun in the process because the dealers were pretty friendly.
FOOD & DRINK | S + O (Stewart and Ogden) is their main restaurant right at the edge of the casino floor across the sports book. Food isn't bad there and they're known for their $9.99 prime rib plate. The Art Bar is a small bar located next to the lobby and is good for drinks and appetizers. The Commissary was my favorite. It's a restaurant, coffee shop and café rolled into one with a nice, clean, fresh and spacious ambiance. The Furnace is the bar in the middle of the casino and the Ninth Island is at the corner of the casino near the street entrance. Although I love the name "Ninth Island" (reference to Hawaii locals), the drinks weren't for me. They serve sweet alcoholic drinks like daiquiris and shaved ice which is nothing like the shave ice back home. Picnic, a restaurant and bar is located on the pool deck.
PARKING & VALET | The parking garage for Downtown Grand is located across the street and valet is free for hotel guests. The valet employees were nice but they all lacked sense of urgency. At almost every other hotel I've been to, their valet hustles and literally runs to get cars and brings them back quickly for guests. At the Downtown Grand...nope. Each time, we had to wait a long time for our car to pull up and one of the last times we waited for our car, we waited for almost 20 minutes. This isn't acceptable for me, especially when the Downtown Grand isn't one of the busy hotels on the main strip or even downtown. There wasn't an instance during my stay where the valet lanes were busy or full so not sure what the holdup was.
ETC | The pool is located in the casino tower, on the 3rd floor. There's a fitness room available to guests 24 hours a day. There are heaters on the sidewalk near valet for those cooler desert nights. Housekeeping leaves a couple of bottled waters in your room every day.
POST CHECK-OUT | My credit card was charged twice for my stay. I called the hotel and got transferred several times but was able to talk to Brent, a manager who was apologetic and took care of my refund. Not a big deal and I'm glad that Brent took care of everything but really?! Double-charging for my stay? No Bueno.
Overall, the Downtown Grand is a nice hotel and room rates are reasonable but they just missed the mark somehow. I think that Michael U's review hit the nail on the head with them struggling on their branding. I still don't know what to make of this place. When you walk into a hotel, or any business for that matter, you can pretty much tell what they're about and what their theme is. I feel like the Downtown Grand is all over the place. I'd stay at the Downtown Grand again but it definitely wouldn't be my first choice.