Clearly they call this place the 'Hard Rock' for a reason, I was not expecting Bellagio and I know that they cater to a younger demographic. We stayed there because it was headquarters for an international rugby tournament we attended (which was great!!). With that said I expected better service and amenities from a 4 star hotel..
I knew it was a bad omen when we arrived Thursday afternoon at 4pm and the 2 doormen (dressed in rock star black of course) carried on a personal conversation and completely ignored us.. A hotel guest saw me hauling my suitcase and opened the door for me, I should have tipped him!
We asked for a quiet room, they put us on the 18th floor of Paradise Tower (supposedly an upgrade). At 1am we woke up to music coming up from the nightclub adjacent to the pool area (which was some distance from our room). We were told the music would end at 4:30am, so we changed rooms at 1:30am. Poolside rooms are great if you plan to stay up until 5am partying, otherwise ask for mountain side (a euphemism for parking lot side). Call us old farts but we like our sleep.
The aura of the place is rock star sleazy; pole dancers, a tattoo parlor (with customers on display while being tattooed!) , rock music blaring 24/7, shops with names like 'Love Jones' and 'Affliction'. Everything is black and grey including the bedroom furniture, the bathroom vanity, the carpets and the employees' attire.
HRH requires a damage deposit upon check in, that says something about the clientele. This is not a hotel for grownups. Case in point, on two different occasions, we saw 'guests' pushing SHOPPING CARTS full of liquor (presumably from the CVS across the street) through the front lobby....VERY CLASSY. party on!! The doormen really have things under control. You won't see that at the Four Seasons, hell I did not even see that at the Quality Inn in Albany NY!
Also there is a $7+ daily 'resort'' fee, not sure what that covers as there is a fee to use the health club and workout room (which was free at the Quality Inn in Albany NY!), The HRH is surrounded by asphalt and vacant lots waiting for the recession to end. So it is a mystery what the 'resort' fee covered just another example of how the HRH squeezes every penny out of their guests.
The room was OK, no coffee maker, dim lighting (but who goes to the HRH to read?) , nighstand on only one side of the bed. The linens were nice, bed was comfy, housekeeping very good (God bless, them those women must work very hard with that crowd).. Upon check out I wanted a copy of my bill, the front desk was staffed by 2 people with 12 guests waiting, it was worse later on Sunday afternoon. On Thursday, with no guests waiting, there were four staff members at the front desk.
PROS:
- The rock star memorabilia on display in the public areas is very cool.
- Surprisingly there were no parties or loud guests near our room.
- Gary the bellman who moved us at 1:30am was great, also another bellman who went out of his way to assist us was very good.
- There is a new casino area with no rock music if you like to hear yourself think while losing your money.
BOTTOM LINE
- I would rather be in a hotel on the strip that caters to grownups, or if I had to stay in that area I would stay at the Hyatt Place across the street from HRH for half the price (AAA weekend rate is $90 with breakfast)..
- However if you are 20 something, love late nights, loud music. hotties, and don't mind paying $20+ round trip taxi to the strip then the HRH is for you.