Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

So, here's my 4,200 word set of notes on my stay last week at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

I hope you enjoy it - please leave your comments below.

If you want to see photos from my stay, a complete gallery is located here.

Keep reading after the jump.


Payola Disclaimer: I paid out of pocket for my stay and all of my food, except for the preview meal we had at China Poblano, which was covered by the hotel.

Hotel

For this trip, we'd already been next door at Bellagio for pre-opening media activities. That meant that we packed our stuff and made the one minute drive to The Cosmopolitan. We left our car with the valet and the bell desk folks took our bags. They were very accommodating and seemed genuinely excited to be welcoming guests. This would become a trend during our trip - pretty much every employee I ran into seemed jazzed about the opening. This is a stark contrast to a year ago at Aria where many of the employees acted like extras on The Walking Dead.

From the valet we entered the lobby and check-in area. Now, I'd already toured the building twice at this point but my wife had never seen it. She was impressed by the video pillars which I think make a strong first impression. The lines were pretty much non-existent as it was only 1pm.

I think at this point it's important to give a little back-story. About two weeks prior, I got a call to receive opening day instructions for guests about when to arrive, which valet to use, etc....

Our original check-in time was 3pm. It wasn't until the previous day, during the media festivities, that we were told we could arrive at 1pm - the reason they gave was that they wanted to avoid people piling up all at once. 1pm was great for us - it was our Bellagio check-out time, reducing the amount of 'Vegas homelessness' we had to endure.

After sauntering up to an available desk agent, he started typing away. We were informed that while he could check us in, there was a problem and we wouldn't be able to get into our room right away - they were going to call us when the room was ready. At that point they couldn't give an ETA but given the amount of activity and hushed conversation between attendants and managers, it seemed like there might be something more material going on that we didn't know about. The agent typed and telephoned for about twenty minutes before telling us that we could downgrade to a standard room right away or wait for the suite we had reserved. We wanted the suite so we headed to the bar. The agent did not give us keys or any other materials.

The opening had drawn not just us but pretty much the entire VT crew so I figured we were in good company. We met Chuckmonster at the bar and over the course of the next thirty minutes, pretty much every other member of our party had been given the same story.

Well, sort of.

See, when Mike_E and Blackjacker1979 had gone through the process, they had been given keys (without a room number) and a black 'welcome packet' that included passes for the concert, etc... I got nada. It was immediately clear that the agents were figuring things out as they went along - there was no plan for a room availability meltdown. I didn't really want to wait in a now growing line all over again if I didn't have to so I found the agent that had helped Chuck and explained to her that I'd rather get my keys and packet now, so that I could just get the room number when it was ready. After another fifteen minutes or so at the desk and I had my keys to nowhere and the welcome packet.

It was now about 2:30pm or so - ninety minutes after we were told to arrive for check-in. Collectively, the group decided to head to Bond to indulge in a few more cocktails. We had a nice enough time hanging out and about thirty to forty minutes later, calls from the 702 area code started to come in on our various phones. I believe JohnH was first and then eventually my phone rang. It appeared that despite the fact I already had keys, they needed to walk someone over with a new set. A few minutes later, a friendly employee arrived and I had a room. Woo-hoo!

Up on the fiftieth floor, I discovered an incredible view - we were on the north-east corner of the building. What I consider to be the best vantage point, it included Bellagio and points north as well as Planet Hollywood, MGM Grand and McCarran Airport. It was literally a view to die for - the best of any room I've ever had in Las Vegas.

Our bags were all in the room and all the hanging stuff was... well, hanging. Nice.

At this point I figured the check-in delay was just an anomaly and that it would be the end of service issues on the hotel side.

The Cosmopolitan has two hotel towers, east and west. I don't know of a single person in the west tower during the first few days but it's obvious from it's shape that it is much longer. One of the nice things about the east tower is that the hallways are very short - it's basically a very tall square and we were never more than a few steps from my room.

Design wise, our Wrap Around Terrace Suite (WATS) was mostly great. The things I had quibbles with were a combination of design flaws and service problems.

On the service side, in addition to the long check-in time, we also had the following problems: no bathmats in either bathroom (there are two full baths in these suites), neither TV worked properly (one of them could not be turned off without being disconnected from the wall), turn-down service was never performed or offered, the room was not cleaned until I called in to housekeeping, at which point someone arrived within the hour to clean the room and she did a very good job except for missing the ashtray full of cigarette butts.

When it comes to design, there were a few things with which I had functional issues. Some of the decisions made in my room and in others made me wonder if designers actually slept in model rooms before they implemented them.

First, let me praise the designers for including a metric shit-load of electrical outlets. These days we often travel with phones, iPads, laptops, cameras and who knows what else. The more outlets the better. Also, I use my phone as an alarm and like to charge it overnight so it always bugs me when there's no open outlet next to the bed (ahem - Wynn Las Vegas and Bellagio). Cosmo has multiple outlets on each side, plus more on the walls and in the bathroom. They're all over the place - score one for David Rockwell.

One thing I didn't really care for was the way the lighting system worked. There were 'all on' and 'all off' buttons both inside the front door and in the living room. Why not by the bed? I want to kill all the lights when I'm getting in bed without having to wander around the room in the dark bumping into things.

The WATS curtains are all manual. What is this, 1998? Standard rooms at Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore all have automatic drapes but premium suites at Cosmo do not? Odd and quite honestly, annoying, mostly for the same sleep-centric control reasons outlined above.

There's a desk in the living room area, below the television. It's setup like you could work there with a computer but as Chuck also pointed out, there's an incredibly bizarre lighting choice that makes doing anything substantial next to impossible. The light is right in your face, making the glare unworkable. Poor design decision.

Other than that, things pretty much worked as they should. The rooms apparently all lacked room service booklets - the info was included on the TV (though I couldn't make my TV work so that was an exercise in frustration).

The WATS includes a ton of closet space, though some is out in the front entry area. There's also a washer/dryer and a complete kitchen with wine fridge. This suite, along with a bunch of the other, smaller rooms, include a fairly open shower/bathroom plan. Perhaps something to keep in mind if you're sharing the room with family or friends.

The main feature of the room, a terrace lining the room on both sides, was worth the price of admission. I took a couple hundred photos out there and could see not just the Fountains of Bellagio but also most of the Mirage Volcano. Out of this world.

Hotel check-out was set for 11am, an hour earlier than competitors Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and Aria. The difference between 11 and 12 when you're trying to get going is actually pretty substantial. Hopefully they re-consider this. I wonder if the terraces increase cleaning time substantially? I was able to extend to 1pm by calling the front desk and negotiating with the agent.

At the end of the trip, I was told that I would have my folio emailed to me. After that email never arrived, I followed up with a phone call. Another promise and so far, twelve hours later, still no email.

Technology

I love technology and Cosmopolitan makes more use of it than any other Vegas hotel that I know of (yes, even Aria). This pops up in the room where the television is intended to provide voicemail messages, a trip itinerary and access to room service.

You see it on the casino floor where touch-screen directory devices can locate the precise slot brand you're looking for on an interactive map. These are neat improvements over their analog ancestors... at least when they work properly. For example, despite signing up for the Identity club before-hand (and also supposedly being enrolled as a hotel guest), when I tried to get rated for play, I discovered their system had no idea who I was, forcing me to re-register.

it is important to remember that technology is not a substitute for service, it is merely able to enhance an already well-design customer service experience. Mike_Ch pointed this out in a insightful response to my previous post about opening night jitters.

While I welcome our future robotic servants, I still want their human overlords to be ready to jump in when they fail or just to go above and beyond for tasks that machines are simply not well suited for.

The property features the digital way-finding devices I mentioned earlier, something we see more and more in public spaces everywhere. The problem is that these devices didn't seem to work properly much of the time. I found myself having to repeat touches again and again to get them to register. Some functions didn't work at all - the 'game finder', a sub-program designed to help you find a specific game type, is supposed to allow to sort by 'hottest' game. In four or five attempts at different machines, this never gave me any results.

Beyond those problems, the machine did not keep your place - after drilling down on a restaurant, I was forced to tap back through a previous list to find where I had left off. Anyone wanting to look at each restaurant would be in for a few dozen taps at least. There didn't appear to be any of these machines on the third floor, where most of the restaurants are, though after noticing that the opening and closing times didn't match what the restaurant hostesses told me, perhaps they wouldn't have helped much anyway.

I hear rumblings of more tech appearing at the hotel, perhaps starting with an iPhone/iPad app that will hopefully be several steps beyond what any of the other hotels are offering. I look forward to seeing them push the envelope in this area, though I hope everything is well trialed and tested first.

Casino and Common Areas

I probably spent an aggregate of four hours playing in the casino (craps, roulette and pai gow) over the three days I was at the hotel.

Interacting with the casino employees was a real treat. These folks all seemed to be extremely friendly and very professional. I can honestly say I didn't meet an employee in the entire complex that wasn't friendly and seemingly happy.

I love the idea of a third floor common area. Both mornings, my plan was to go up there with my iPad and read the news / catch up. The problem with this idea was that the Wi-Fi on the third floor was extremely sketchy - basically unusable. It foiled my plans almost completely and the lack of a solid 3G signal sealed my fate. Wi-Fi worked great on the second floor and the casino level.

3G service in the hotel was solid as well, though sometimes four or five bars didn't translate into a usable signal - that may have been a capacity issue. In contrast to the awful 3G service experienced at CityCenter earlier this year, it was nice to see they had this problem dealt with from day one.

The first morning, the music in that third floor area was way too loud but I found that had already been adjusted by day two.

After writing a pre-opening bit wondering how the common areas would be used, I was interested to see that every time I walked through, there were people playing pool, foosball, listening to 45s, etc... The space was never crowded but always active.

Access between floors is simple - with multiple sets of elevators and escalators, you can traverse the property, up, down or side to side very easily.

It's not uncommon in Las Vegas for customers to leave empty glassware on top of trashcans for attendants to pick up for cleaning. That's tough at Cosmo since the trashcans all have slanted tops and in many spots, there aren't good places to stick your empty glass. The idea of tossing it into the trashcan always seems so wasteful and destructive to me but there aren't a lot of other options right now.

Access to the casino and second level retail area is dead simple from The Strip/Bellagio or via CityCenter. The Cosmopolitan integrates so well into the CityCenter footprint that even some locals can't tell the difference. I was reminded of this in a discussion with someone in the hotel elevator who *insisted* that he was at CityCenter and proceeded to berate me when I corrected him (why the hell I said anything, I have no idea), saying that 'all locals refer to this as CityCenter'.

In general, the finishes in the hotel and casino are top notch - lots of marble, high-quality carpet and leather. There is quite a bit of Terrazzo tile floor, which I know some people don't like or think looks cheap. Generally, I don't think that's a problem here - lots of interesting colors and patterns.

I'm a sucker for light fixtures and Cosmo doesn't disappoint. Many chandelier styles appear all over the property, even if some seem to be direct descendants of the main design used at Encore. The wire design above the check-in area especially caught my eye.

Bars and Booze

I'm no stranger to the casino bars of my favorite properties.

If you're in search of a place to have a cocktail, you won't have to look far at Cosmo. Between three bars inside the chandelier, you've also got a lobby bar, three other walk-up casino bars and places like The Bond. My favorite drink, a greyhound, is made with grapefruit juice. I'm always on the lookout for bars that use the fresh squeezed stuff. For others in the same predicament, The Vesper (lobby bar) did but the other bars, including the High Limit Bar did not. Explain to me why a lobby bar has the good stuff and the high rollers get something out of a can?

Beyond the basics, mixologists at The Cosmopolitan have come up with a bunch of custom goodness with different menus at each outlet. The samples we got on media day were pretty damn good so if you're into that sort of thing, I'd encourage you to try a few of them.

If you're looking for a place to sit down, many of the bars have seats but I'd suggest you try 'Inside the Chandelier'. The mid-level bar doesn't have direct access to the casino floor (you have to go up the stairs) so it seemed to be a bit quieter, even when the main floor bar was quite busy.

One interesting note - many venues on property offer water that is sourced from their on-site aquifer. Regulars may remember this same aquifer as a source of flooding problems during construction. At least they're getting something out of it now.

Restaurants and Room Service

One of the things that really interests me about The Cosmopolitan is the food. Standing in stark contrast to the boring choices that made up Aria's offerings, Cosmo has installed a bunch of new chefs and tasty concepts.

I got to try a few restaurants for full-on meals and in addition to that, before the doors opened on the 15th, they had a walk-around tasting for all the restaurants. These were just little bites but I can say that the sushi I had at Blue Ribbon was top notch (I don't like sushi that much so it must have been good), the spaghetti from Scarpetta was killer, the pizza from DOCG burned an impression in my mind and whatever the little bundle of awesomeness was I had at Milos, I wanted more. Really, I think they've got some serious hits on their hands when it comes to the restaurants.

One of the joints that's gotten a lot of press is the "secret" pizzeria. Located on the third floor, it lacks a sign but is still very easy to find. The pizza is by the slice or you can order a full pie to go. Prepared New York style, we had a few upstairs on Wednesday night and it went quickly - it's tasty. There's also a pinball and Galaga game in there to pass the time.

I didn't try the room service but my wife did. She said her late-night club sandwich and fries were very good and arrived in a reasonable amount of time via a friendly attendant. Her room service bill for the sandwich and a beer was something like $35 with a tip.

My two lunches were at Holstein's (high end burgers) and Comme Ca (French bistro). Both were quite tasty. Holstein's duck confit injected hamburger was prepared perfectly and had this insane combination of flavors. My steak frites at Comme Ca took quite awhile to arrive despite an empty restaurant but was cooked perfectly when it did. I'd return to Holstein's, no doubt. As for Comme Ca, I'm not quite as eager, despite a quality meal. The food didn't blow me away as overly unique. It does have an incredible view and outdoor space which I'm sure will be great in Spring and Summer.

Neither of Jose Andres' restaurants opened with the hotel. Both had signs out front indicating they were still tweaking things (they were set to open 12/18). Despite that, we got a chance to try China Poblano, his Mexican/Chinese restaurant on Thursday night. It was a preview and not really designed to be reviewed so all I'll really say is that the carnitas tacos we had were incredible - my mouth is watering just thinking about them. I'm looking forward to trying China Poblano in a normal service setting. Since several people have asked - the menu includes both Mexican and Chinese dishes, not some strange mix of the two. Imagine being able to order a taco and fried rice from the same menu and you've got the idea.

Of the restaurants I didn't get a chance to really dig into, I'd say Milos (Greek) and Jaleo (tapas) are at the top of my list for my next trip. The menus look great and now having had some of Andres' food, I'm convinced he's the real deal (he's also a super nice and funny guy - he came by our table at Poblano and cracked everyone up).

Conclusions, aka Will I Return?

The Cosmo folks did a great job of hyping the shit out of their resort in the weeks before the opening. They did such a good job, I actually kinda let myself believe that they were going to pull off a trouble-free opening. Of course, opening a mega-resort is very complicated and despite what I'm sure were the staff's best intentions, they screwed up a few things. Looking back, the issues all seem to be on the hotel side. The restaurants and casino didn't seem plagued by the same sort of chronic service failures.

Fortunately, the problems are all fixable.

What was disappointing to me was that even after knowing they had issues the first day, they didn't seem to be fixed the second day (based on what I heard from those that stayed a third night, they weren't fixed then either). This is the trap that Aria felt into - pretty soon the second day was the ninetieth day and the place became known for bad service and surly employees. Cosmo can't afford to have that happen - they need to fix these problems now.

On the design side, I don't know if they'll address my little annoyances like the slanted trash cans but I sure do hope they extend that Wi-Fi and get the way-finders working properly.

Will I come back and stay again? I've thought about this a lot.

Las Vegas offers an amazing array of choices for a traveler - you won't find any other place on earth that dukes it out the way they hoteliers on The Strip. As room prices continue to edge back up, customers will be more selective and return to hotels where they feel comfortable and are treated well. For me, my natural inclination when spending a few hundred bucks a night on a hotel room is Encore. I've had many great stays there and I've always gotten great service.

That said though, I'll give Cosmo another try.

In a month or so, if they're still having service issues, then I think they're in real trouble because that shows they just don't get it... or that they don't care. The 'curious class' they say they are after won't put up with Holiday Inn level service.

If the next stay feels like the place has been running for years, then they get extra points for double-timing to fix their early stumbles.

There's a ton of very positive energy coming from the employees there - I can't overstate that and if they can channel it via good management, they should be in fighting shape.


Comments

Read archived comments (27 so far)
December 20, 2010 5:50 PM Posted by detroit1051

Great report. Are the washer and dryer separate units or compact stacked units? Are they in a closet? Was detergent provided in the room? Do you think anyone will actually use them?

Is it possible that the Game Finder program for Hottest Game is real time based on actual Cosmo casino play, and there hadn't been enough play on the first day to determine what was a hot game?

December 20, 2010 6:09 PM Posted by chris c

Great review hunter. I really appreciate the coverage you and the rest of the VT crew did for the opening. glad to see that cosmo opening went well and that all of the issues are easily fixable. i think and hope that they will correct their minor issues sooner rather than later and this will put aria to shame even more. I have been reading lots of reviews and pics and i wonder if the west tower is even open at all? i have not seen any pics from it or anyone say they stayed in it. thanks again for all the hard work!

December 20, 2010 6:52 PM Posted by Hunter

The washer/dryer are stacked and in a closet near the front door. I believe Blackjacker did actually do laundry in his suite. I didn't see detergent.

As for the hottest game, who knows. I asked an attendant that exact question and he shrugged me off.

December 20, 2010 6:52 PM Posted by Hunter

As far as I know, the west tower hasn't had any guests yet.

December 20, 2010 8:16 PM Posted by Marc

Thanks for putting your thoughts down. Many tweets I've read seem to echo much of what you thought.

We walked through the packed casino on Saturday night and it felt really tight and almost uncomfortable but that's because most weren't playing, just looking. Looking forward to checking it again later this week.

Also, the sports book (and stage) is tiny. I walked by it once before realizing that it wasn't just a bar. I'm not sure I'd go there for sports, but I'm looking forward to checking out the shows there regardless.

I'm still giddy from our tasting at Holsteins. We shared a slew of the smaller dishes and appetizers and it was beyond great.

December 20, 2010 8:46 PM Posted by Ted Newkirk

Thanks for the info on the suites. Sounds like a Staycation might be in order for me when it gets warmer. Cigars and cocktails on the balcony. Although tonight with the rain and light fog, The Strip looks AMAZING and would love to be up there.

I second the ashtray problem (nowhere to put drinks). I couldn't believe it when I went to try to set one down. I'll point out a further problem: The gaps between machines at the top of the machines makes is more difficult to put empty drinks on top of the slot banks. Would be very easy to knock one into the gap when trying to do so. MAJOR PROBLEM. Why? I went to sit at a VP machine, but it was covered with four empty glasses. Normally, the glassware would have been put on top of the bank until the waitress staff picked it up.

I didn't play. That statistically cost them.

Oh, why am I the first to note that the carpet looks DIRTY! It's the design. It looks dirty. The carpet is brand new, and looks dirty. We just sat there and stared at it. The design and color combo looks dirty.

Speaking of staring...

The cocktail outfits get a C- grade from me. They aren't awful. Just nothing special. Not from a place that had those amazingly edgy ads. Something that almost looked like it was out of the commercials. The waitresses did not stand out among the opening night crowds (and probably had a hard time working their way around because of it). Usually, you can see a Las Vegas cocktail waitress coming from a mile away.

Was going to take another look/see this afternoon as we were on The Strip. But decided that an abnormal day (rain) would not be a good judge. Rain tends to drive everyone inside.

Great report!

December 20, 2010 8:58 PM Posted by kagehitokiri

"Will I come back and stay again?"
what about terraces and wraparound terrace suite?

also noticed press mentions 5,400 ft2 suites (wraparound is 1,200 ft2)
and that seems way larger than the triplex pool bungalow suites could be.

checkin delayed 1 hour from 1pm > 2pm
then >
hunter had to wait 2 hours for room (4pm)
chuck had to wait 4 hours for room (6pm)

sounds like that last minute change from 3pm to 1pm was a big part of the problem. although that still would have meant 1 hour for hunter and 3 hours for chuck...

December 20, 2010 9:02 PM Posted by Hunter

The PR does talk about several bigger suites, yes. I haven't seem 'em so I don't know if they're even done yet.

December 20, 2010 9:29 PM Posted by jinx

Very nice review, I do think you are correct in that Cosmo cannot afford the same delays in getting things right that Aria has.

I do think their restaurant listing is inspired and am looking forward to trying the out on future trips.

December 20, 2010 9:34 PM Posted by kagehitokiri

right. originally >
2,008 rooms on dec 15
968 rooms by july 2011
19 rooms after july 2011

and now there is this too >
http://www.lvrj.com/business/214-people-can-make-cosmo-home-111908864.html
as many as 214 residents!

December 21, 2010 3:36 AM Posted by Mike E

Great review, Hunter. Very much agree with everything you've said. They're definitely getting another stay from me, especially with the way Identity is rewarding guests like you and I.

Detroit, I couldn't find detergent in my room, but considering that the entire contents of my mini bar was missing, there was probably supposed to be some. I did, however, use the dryer to dry off my post Encore spa swim trunks quickly. Very useful.

December 21, 2010 6:23 AM Posted by Mike Foster(mesa)

We went to the Cosmo yesterday and man like so many are saying it is beautiful.The common areas are a nice idea to take a sit down and admire the hotel. We spent a lot of time in the Chandelier Bar (very cool) The lobby area below the bar was roped off though.The wife did inform me that she had the best Cosmo ever(I was doing Congac). Barkeeps were very nice in fact everyone seem to be in a great state of mind. We then went to China Poblano and had the pleasure of meeting Chef Andres and getting a pic. but the food is fantastic. We are headed to Jaleo on Wed. and plan on spending awhile at The Cosmo. On a side note we were going to get a taxi back Mirage and the valet just popped up and offered a House Caddy at no charge not sure why but we enjoyed it, making sure the driver got a nice little gratuity. I think Wynn might have a real competitor now.

mesa

December 21, 2010 7:53 AM Posted by Eric

Great, detailed review Hunter. Thanks for posting this. I look forward to my own stay at Cosmo in late January and hope that the hotel issues are improved by then. As you say, if they aren't, then Cosmo is in trouble.

December 21, 2010 9:23 AM Posted by Anthony B.

Detroit, here's a pic of the washer/dryer.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384200@N02/5275184191/ We had to take a trip to CVS for detergent.

Room service booklets will be available soon. In the "future" you will be able to order room service via the TV. I'm trying to remember, but I believe I was told that the phones that are currently in the rooms will be replaced.

The 5400 sq ft suites are the penthouses atop the east tower.. We didn't get to tour the bungalows or the penthouses.. was told that they are still under construction.

If I remember more info, I'll come back and post it.

December 21, 2010 10:53 AM Posted by parchedearth

Nice summary. Overall I'd say Cosmo is off to a good start. I had guessed the room design issues would revolve around the balconies and kitchenettes; but now it seems like those are working fine and the lighting, manual drapes, and open bathroom plans may turn out to be the real issues.

Sounds like the pool area and Marquee are going to be a big draw. I am interested to see whether the south side, east tower rooms have noise issues with Marquee and pool concerts. I think mid-high level north side rooms will be a must request.

December 21, 2010 1:04 PM Posted by BigHoss

Thanks, Hunter. You have a great eye for detail. I am really looking forward to checking the place out. I had not originally planned to stay there in April but those northeast views over the lake and up the center strip are awfully enticing. Maybe the service problems will shake out by then and make it an easier decision.

December 21, 2010 3:27 PM Posted by Samuel Brown

Check out this Cosmopolitan video of the Wrap-Around Terrace Suite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxzarFA8Z98

December 21, 2010 6:04 PM Posted by Anthony B.

@ Samuel Brown... ha! your fridge and min-bar were empty.. thought I was the only one who had that issue.

December 21, 2010 9:10 PM Posted by Doug

I haven't posted in a long time, but I wanted to ask a question about Cosmo gaming and some confusion I'm having (MikeE probably knows this).

Over on Vegastripping blackjacker reports 8-deck shoes in blackjack games, while the Wizard of Vegas web site reports 6-deck shoes on blackjack (also a euro roulette wheel and the sportsbook to be open by the Superbowl)

I saw a picture(on another web site) of one of the gaming pits after the opening and it looked REALLY nice.

December 21, 2010 10:05 PM Posted by Mike E

Doug, it wouldn't surprise me if they're experimenting with the rules a bit, but at opening night, most the tables I saw were using 8 deck shoes.

December 21, 2010 10:42 PM Posted by alexanbo

I was just looking at booking at the Cosmo and noticed in the T&C's it says that the full amount of the stay will be charged when you check in.

This seems a lot different then anywhere else I've stayed, and could make it hard to do back end comps.

Did any of you guys that stayed there so far notice if they're really doing that?

December 21, 2010 11:47 PM Posted by mungroo

Nice write up, Hunter. Most informative review of The Cosmopolitan that I have read.

Will Jeff be reviewing the parking amenities in the next Simpson on Vegas?

December 22, 2010 9:11 AM Posted by Hunter

My two night stay was charged in advance and I booked directly with the hotel, not via a third party.

December 22, 2010 9:11 AM Posted by Hunter

Actually, I believe he said he liked the parking in the last VGang show.

December 22, 2010 6:06 PM Posted by Jeff Simpson

Mungroo, I did briefly talk about my positive self-parking experience on Vegas Gang, but I'm happy to expand a bit. I like underground parking and the Cosmo's garage is excellent. The garage is well organized; like the property itself, it's long and relatively thin. It's not confusing (Flamingo), difficult to drive (IP), overcrowded (MGM Grand and Tropicana), too far away (MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Flamingo, Harrah's, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Riviera and Las Vegas Hilton ), plagued by interior posts (IP) or suffering from a lack of elevators (Mandalay Bay). It doesn't have ramps that are too steep (Paris) or crazy tight circular ramps (Bill's). It seems big enough, but time will tell. There are floor-by-floor available space signs and green and red LED lights above every parking space, allowing drivers to make good decisions about whether to try for a closer spot. I have yet to try valet, but, as I said on the show, there are only two lanes in each direction and I think there will be some serious congestion at the entry/exit points at really busy times (Sunday check-out, Friday evening check-in, if they have a big show letting out, etc.) My experience was great and I look forward to hearing from other folks who valet- or self-park to see how their parking experiences went.

December 22, 2010 9:02 PM Posted by BeeeJay

That desk lamp was like staring directly into the sun was it not. I had forgotten about it, but now recall the ocular chaffing.

December 22, 2010 9:36 PM Posted by BeeeJay

We played double deck $25 3/2 with all the doubling and splitting rules pretty much the same game as the highly rated version at Aria. No mid deck entry. My only complaint was my two $125 double down to $250 hands of 20 getting beat by dealer 16's hit with 5's. Well that and my buddies drunken $200 double down on 14 vs dealer Ace which he won. Crazy bastard was cashing out yellow while I was walking away with lint.