Viva a Vegas Classic: The Hilton Las Vegas Hotel
Written: Jan 01 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Variety of onsite dining options, has its own monorail station, nicely renovated rooms
Cons: Not walking distance to anywhere, Star Trek exhibition closed with no replacement entertainment theme (yet)
The Bottom Line: A solid choice for conventioneers or those willing to save a few bucks and brave traveling the monorail to access The Strip.
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| annalin's Full Review: LAS VEGAS HILTON |
Ah…the Las Vegas Hilton (“LVH”)…from housing Elvis Presley’s long running concerts in the 1970’s…to offering a glimpse into the “future” via the now closed Star Trek exhibit… is now a nice hotel off the beaten path.
Location & Access:
LVH is located on the north end of Las Vegas, towards the old downtown. It is to the right of The Strip, on Paradise Road, and close – but not comfortable walking distance to – the Las Vegas Convention Center. It comparatively far from the airport, so in lieu of a taxi, a $12 - $13 shuttle is a good option if you are traveling alone or with one other person. Once you are staying at the hotel, you can walk to the city monorail station connected to the hotel to access many points on The Strip. That monorail access makes up for the semi-remote location for non-convention going tourists.
Check-in:
I stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights for free on Hilton Honors points, but standard rooms were going for $160-180 per night during my stay. That is a pretty good deal for Vegas hotels, especially ones in such good condition as the LVH. When my party arrived via monorail (we were already in town and not coming from the airport), we made our way to the lobby and our jaws dropped open at the long check-in queue. Thankfully, I spotted the Hilton Honor Members private check-in desk, which was staffed and had no queue. My reservation was in order and I was quickly given my keys.
Rooms:
My quarters were a two double bed room on a high floor, facing north. It had a large picture window with a view of a forest (golf course, perhaps? as there are no forests in the desert), a large, thin, flat screen plasma TV, large work desk, 2 chairs, a bedside table, a large dresser, and a separate bar table in the foyer. The foyer had marble tile, the bathroom ceramic tile, and new looking carpet blanketed the bedroom floor. The mirrored door closet, also in the foyer, was adjacent to a standard sized bathroom. The bathroom was finished in attractive neutral wallpaper, tiled floor, wooden vanity with marbled top, and a single sink. Nice toiletries and plenty of towels were provided. I was disappointed there were no robes and slippers to borrow, as in my favorite brand of hotel – Westin. Another drawback was there was NO COFFEE MAKER in the room, and no minibar. As you can tell from my capital letters for emphasis, I must have my morning coffee, and wasn’t happy about having to get fully dressed, go downstairs, brave the lines, and pay $5 for a cup of non-branded coffee from the pastry shop.
Amenities:
Casinos
The casino still had a space theme, as the Star Trek exhibit has closed over Labor Day, about a month before my visit. It seemed everyone one turned, there was a casino or at least slot machines setting in the hallway. The main casino was located near the reception desk. I didn’t gamble, but some friends of ours met us in the hotel and they played the slots a bit. There was a bit of smoke, but it wasn’t too intolerable (and I have allergies and am very sensitive to smoke), so I compliment the LVH for keeping the air and premises clean.
Food
There are many dining options at this huge hotel. Choices range from very economical to expensive, and Japanese (Benihana’s and sushi), Chinese, Mexican, Italian, American Steakhouse, American buffets, and a pastry/coffee shop are on offer. I had special dinners planned at upscale Strip restaurants, so the only dining option I partook of at the LVH was the pastry shop for huge but awfully tasting and expensive pastries and coffee.
Other
There’s a Regis hair salon (whom I saw busy with a wedding party one day), a FedEx Kinko’s, and several gift shops-the most special of which is the Barry Manilow gift shop, as Manilow has replaced Elvis as the resident onsite crooner. I saw the pool, but was too exhausted from walking The Strip to use it, the fitness facility or tennis courts.
Service:
Front desk service was capable and delivered what was expected. The pastry shop employees were pleasant but inefficient. We had a problem with the adjacent room’s TV literally blasting in the wee hours waking us up. Our rooms were at the far end of the hallway, and I walked to the elevators and could still hear the TV; it was that loud! We called the Front Desk and they sent Security up. Two big, buff Security employees knocked on the neighbor’s door for about 15 minutes, then forcefully entered the room, found no one, and turned the TV off. We thought it was solved, until the next night, when it started again. Security came again and knocked and knocked on the door and no one would open it. I heard voices in the room (not Security’s), then the TV went off. These episodes caused several hours of lost sleep a night, and were very annoying. I appreciate Security being sent to deal with the matters, but we never got a follow up call or contact from the Manager about the problem.
Closing:
The LVH is a huge, multi-wing, Vegas institution hotel. The facilities were in great repair, it was very clean, and my renovated room was like a totally brand new space. It is definitely worth a stay if you have dealings in the area or want to save a little coin as compared to staying in branded Strip hotels.
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Thanks for reading and Happy 2009!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
annalin
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 in Hotels & Travel |
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Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Reviews written: 202
Trusted by: 65 members
About Me:
A generally happy and optimistic, yet opinionated gal...
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