Right to the Point: Aging rooms detract from an otherwise solid stay at this Las Vegas staple right on the Strip.
After my lovely stay at Wynn, I moved to The Venetian for my last night in Vegas. I’ve never stayed there, but I loved the public spaces when I visited on previous occasions.
I was really excited to finally have this opportunity to stay there and to write up my thoughts. Unlike Point Me’s casino expert and contributor Bill, I am not a gambler, so when I go to Las Vegas, it’s for the good food, the shows, or a specific event.
Booking The Venetian Las Vegas
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any hotel points to use for my stay at The Venetian. The prices across all Las Vegas hotels that weekend were very high, so I had no choice but to pay $300+ for a night. At the time, Orbitz was offering 25% off all standard suites at The Venetian, and I found a 10% off coupon code (code: BOOKNOW, still active as of November 9, 2019).
I used some of my accumulated Orbucks (Orbitz’s rewards currency) and earned $8 in Orbucks for a future booking. This was much cheaper than booking direct with IHG or The Venetian. Sometimes it pays to look at online travel agencies.
Check In
When I arrived to the Venetian Las Vegas around 10:00 A.M., there were only a few people in line for check in, and I was done in a couple of minutes. I didn’t expect my room to be ready so early, but I wanted to drop off my bag and get on with my day.
I always ask at check in about getting a better view or a higher floor room. The front desk person offered me a paid upgrade, but I declined — I never pay just for the view. I had to give them my credit card for incidentals and pay the $51.02 resort fee.
The front desk person gave me my room keys in advance and said they’d text me my room number when they assigned me a room. I could then just go up to my suite without stopping at the front desk.
I found this very interesting, I’ve never been given keys without an assigned room. This is super convenient, as it definitely saved me time, and I wouldn’t have to stand in line again. I’ve never encountered this before, but I haven’t been in Vegas in years. Is this something new the hotels everywhere are doing?
The keys were already programmed to operate throughout the property and I could go check out the pool, the spa, and other facilities.
Breakfast
I hadn’t had breakfast yet, so I headed straight to the Grand Lux Cafe for breakfast. On a Saturday morning, there was already a line, but it moved very quickly, and I was seated within 10 minutes. Grand Lux offers good value for breakfast, with a lot of choices in the $13-$15 range. There’s also a buffet option that includes a hot drink and juice.
I had dinner the previous night at Grand Lux at the Palazzo location, and they had excellent happy hour specials. Food can get really expensive in Las Vegas, so I was happy to save some cash on these two meals.
My Suite
The Suite at The Venetian
I received a text that my room was ready at 11:30 AM, so I headed upstairs. To get to the main tower, I had to walk down the long, ornate corridor, then through the casino floor. There’s a security guard stationed by the elevators, and I had to scan my room key to get in.
When I got to my room, I called the bell desk about my bag. Then I waited, and waited, and waited….
After I called the second time, my bag finally showed up. It took them over 30 minutes to deliver it to my suite.
All rooms at the Venetian are suites. I booked the cheapest one, they call it the Luxury Suite. My suite was on the 31st floor but the view wasn’t very impressive. The suite was huge — there’s a nice entryway with a bathroom to one side, the bedroom area, and a sunken living room area. I had huge TV in the living room and another TV in the bedroom area. There was also another TV in the bathroom.
Two TVs in the Suite at The Venetian
The room at the Venetian Las Vegas was definitely showing its age, however. The furniture looks a little dated and I’ve noticed lots of dings and chips on the dresser and the bedside table. Another sign of the aging room — not enough easily accessible outlets. I had to move the bedside table to get to an outlet so I can charge my phone overnight.
The sheer sun filtering shades and the blackout shades are electronically controlled. The blackout shade does, indeed, block out all the light.
The Suite at The Venetian
The thermostat was a little strange, the temperature wouldn’t go higher than 69 degrees Fahrenheit, even though I had it set to 71.
I thought the suite felt a little dark at night, even with all the lights on. I am not a fan of dark and moody hotel rooms, I much prefer the bright overhead lights like I had at the Wynn. The dim lighting gave the room even more of a dated appearance.
The Bathroom
Bathroom at The Venetian
The bathroom, like the rest of the suite, was big, but even with all the lights on, quite dark. I did like the separate room for the toilet and a separate vanity area with a lighted mirror. I loved the fact that I could sit down and do my makeup and actually get close to a mirror.
Bathroom at The Venetian | Vanity Area
There were plenty of towels and towel bars and hooks to hang them on. The water pressure in the shower wasn’t the best though.
I appreciate the fact that this is a huge hotel, but this is something that can definitely detract from a guest experience. If they are throttling the pressure on purpose to save on water, there are better ways to do it with modern low flow shower heads. I had no water pressure issues the night before at the Wynn.
The Pool
Pool Entrance
The pool entrance at the Venetian Las Vegas was very impressive. When I checked it out, there was a staff member stationed there who was greeting everyone. Unfortunately, when I had the time to check out the pool, it was too cold to swim and there was too much shade from the surrounding buildings.
I am sure the shade is very welcome during the hottest months, just not at the end of October.
Pool at the Venetian
The Upshot
I loved the location of the Venetian Las Vegas, the size of the room, and all the food options available right at the casino. However, the spotty hotel service and darkness and age of the room itself did slightly detract from the overall experience.
I did get a kick out of walking around the shops and the canal area and watching the gondoliers serenade their clients. Over the top and gaudy? Maybe, but that’s Vegas!
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1 comment
I stayed there two weeks ago. The phone at the bedside has a USB plug that you can use to charge your device, there is actually a sign on the phone indicating this.