Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

November Trip To Las Vegas and Palm Springs
Part I: Wynn Las Vegas

November 17th was the beginning of a two week trip from Florida to Las Vegas, Palm Springs and then back to Las Vegas. Two weeks in and around casinos is too long to return home in a positive financial condition, but as they say, �Hey, I had a good time.�

The trip was planned to participate in the Wynn slot tournament November 17 to 20; take advantage of my Winter Offer at The Mirage and then, after a drive to Palm Springs with friends for a few days, return to use Bellagio�s Winter Offer on dates which coincided with the opening of MGM Mirage�s annual Holiday Gift Shoppe selection.

Continued after the jump:

Wynn Las Vegas, Thursday, November 17 to Sunday, November 20.

After a seven hour, connecting flight from Fort Lauderdale, I arrived at Wynn by early afternoon and proceeded to the Suite Tower registration area. The invitational slot tournament included a �one-bedroom suite� which I knew from past visits would be the Executive Suite, one large room with two baths, but not a separate bedroom. When I checked in, I asked what kind of room it was and was told it was a Resort Room in the Resort Tower. I expressed surprise. The registration representative said the wrong thing, �Well, it�s in the computer.� I thanked her and told her to hold off, I would talk with my Host. About that time, a friend, who is a Wynn employee walked by and welcomed me. When he asked how things were going so far, I told him I was having a little trouble registering. He got on his cell phone and then walked me into the new Invited Guests registration area (where the watch store was) and I was treated professionally and efficiently. It was not until after I had been assigned my room that I realized I was moving into a 1,950 sq ft Salon Suite for three nights. This would probably be my only opportunity to stay in a large suite, so I was pleased. Wynn turned a potentially negative guest experience into a positive one which ensured that I will return for future visits.

The suite�s photo and floor plan is on Wynn�s website. It was on the 38th floor in the center, directly above the Water Screen on the inside of the �mountain.� Housekeeping and turn-down service were prompt and thorough. Since I was alone for this part of the trip, I felt a little lost in the large space.

The slot tournament was the second in which I participated. They made some adjustments which improved the process greatly. Tournament registration, machine selection and reception were held on Friday in the ballroom closest to the casino. This eliminated some of the long walks from the first tournament. The three tournament sessions were all on Saturday, two in the morning and one in the afternoon. I liked the free time it gave us over the weekend. Of course, I realize the purpose of a slot tournament is to get players into the casino for a few days. An unexpected bonus of the weekend was Wynn�s version of MGM Mirage�s Holiday Gift Shoppe. All slot club points earned on regular play in the casino could be converted to gifts which were on display in the ballroom and could be ordered online. The program was very generous, and I earned more gifts in three days at Wynn than I did in twelve months at Bellagio and other MGM properties. I was very impressed with the program (even though I realize I paid for the gifts with my casino play.) I believe the website is still up. To view the gifts,
Wynn Red Card Gift Promotion

First prize in the tournament was $30,000 cash. Other prizes were offered in Free Credit. I walked with $250.

On tournament day, Saturday, the ballroom had open bars and food stations set up for breakfast and then lunch. All in all, Wynn did a very good job, and it reinforced my desire to return to the property.

Now, a few observations from my fourth trip to Wynn:

Corsa Cucina, the race-themed restaurant near the poker room and Ferrari dealership is closed and is being renovated. It is at an ideal, high traffic corner, and I�ve been told it will have a more open, inviting bar as well as an expanded restaurant.

B Bar no longer has live music. I keep hearing it will be renovated, but right now, without music, it is not inviting and was not very busy any day I was there. Wynn needs more walk-up bars, especially in the back area of the casino. Parasol Up and Down are fine, but once you get to the rear of the casino, there�s not much there. I�ll comment further on Bellagio in a later part of this report, but Steve did the right thing when he placed Petrossian Bar near Bellagio�s lobby and the Baccarat Bar near the high-end table area. Both are always busy and both have music. Wynn Las Vegas needs similar venues. The nightclub, Le Bete, is closed and will re-open in December.

Wynn restaurants continue to be amazingly good. SW is an excellent steakhouse and must be the highest grossing of all restaurants. Okada continues to be one of my favorites. This time, I sat at the Sushi Bar and had an excellent sampling of dishes I normally wouldn�t have thought to order. Very good service and food, and there�s always good conversation at a sushi bar.

A former colleague and her three sisters in law were in town, staying at Harrah�s. I invited them to lunch, and we dined at Country Club Grill, overlooking the waterfall behind the 18th green. It was a beautiful setting, the lunches were good, and they later said that Wynn was the highlight of their trip.

As reported earlier, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike E and Hunter the day I checked out. Mike and I had breakfast Sunday morning at Tableau. It really is a great dining room, and it was fun comparing notes on Las Vegas with Mike over our pancakes. We met again Sunday evening, joined by Hunter, at Parasol Up. After some great conversation, we took a tour of Hunter�s Parlor Suite and then on to Mike E�s Fairway Villa. I thought I was spoiled in my Salon Suite; you practically need a map to find your way around the huge villa. A highlight for me was the large outside balcony/patio overlooking the golf course. It was accessible from both the living room and bedroom.

I like the layout of Wynn�s casino floor and its totally coin-free slots. The high limit table area was busy while I was there, and on two consecutive days, the heavy draperies in front of one of the rooms were closed to give privacy to a table of players.

I believe Wynn Las Vegas opened too early, and that it will take the first full twelve months to fine tune the property. One thing about Steve Wynn, he has never been hesitant about making changes to his properties to improve them. As much as I like Wynn now, I�m sure it will get even better over time.

I took a few photos which can be seen at:
Detroit1051's Wynn Photos

Part II in the next few days.