M I S Q S

Very nice decor' but that is as far as it goes.

Ok So my wife and I checked in Thursday night at the Encore.  Her meetings are at the Wynn and when I called to make reservations I was able to get a decent casino rate (lesss than $100 a night) + upgrade to Encore.  When we checked in, they offered yet another "Upgrade" for $20 a night.  Figured what the heck, this will probably be the only time I stay here unless it is free the next time.  As I am finishing the check-in process the receptionist informs me that not only are they putting a hold on my credit card for the price of the room and taxes, but also an additional $150 per night for incidentals or damage to the room.  This is outrageous, I don't care how nice of a hotel you are, this is poor customer relations.  Sure, I know it is not an actual charge, they just want to be sure that they can charge the fees if they have too. But in the meantime they are taking away $150 per a night of your stay in purchasing power.  For our short 4 day stay these "extra fees" were more than what the actual room charges were going to be.  (Strike 1)

Day 1, we go down to the spa in the afternoon after my wife's meetings finish for the day.  Cost is $30 a day (reasonable) or $75 for 3 day pass (normal for most hotels).  We opt for the 3 day pass since we will go down each afternoon before we head out for the evening.  The spa is very nice.  Lighting could be a little more diffuse and tempered down for a more relaxing atmosphere.  Wet and Dry saunas are good.  Hot pools and plunge pools are decent.  There are 4 "waterfall" showers to the left of the hot pools.  Three of them don't function properly and people spend 5-10 minutes ea fiddling with the electronic controls trying to make them work.  I find one that is functional and it is nice.  However, it is evident that the spa area does need better maintenance and could actually use a heavy duty cleaning.  (Not so much a Strike but more like a hit for a foul ball...so I guess Strike 2)

Day 3, we plan on eating a quick lunch after my wife finishes with her meetings.  We meet up and head to a small cafe in Wynn.  We want something small and not too heavy and this seems to be the place.  They serve sandwiches, salads and soups. Unfortunately all the food is pre-packaged.  I am not paying $8-$10 for pre-packaged food.  So we wonder around to the Patio Terrace Cafe.  Nicer setting.  Prompt service to get to the table.  Ten minutes for us to have someone take our drink order, another 5 minutes for the waiter to come by and give us specials and tell us he will give us a few minutes.  We interrupt and tell him we are ready to order...I mean come on, 15 minutes waiting already and you don't think we are ready to order.  My wife orders a simple Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwich.  I order Three Sliders (mini-burgers) and fries and a Triple Thick Chocolate Shake.  45 minutes go by and the waiter brings me my chocolate shake.  No other food...just the shake.  It is NOT Triple Thick.  It is soupy semi-cold Chocolate Milk.  It has a great taste, but it is a very big disappointment for being TRIPLE THICK, NOT.  15 minutes later our food finally comes out.  People, come on, an hour to fix such simple plates?  When we first entered the cafe they were busy-ish, but not packed.  They were not over-whelmed with clientele.  But, it took them an hour to fix a grilled cheese sandwich, soup and three mini-burgers?  I don't understand it.  (Strike 3)

Needless to say, even if offered free rooms, I probably will not be back.  I will continue staying at El Cortez, Mandalay Bay, Treasure Island, or try the new M Resort.  All of these other hotels actually provide decent customer service, have a nice atmosphere, are well maintained and don't overcharge.