MilesBuzz! - What's the Buzz on the Palms Hotel in Vegas?

Does anyone have the skinny of the new hotel in Vegas called the Palms? I have been told that it is the new "hard rock hotel" of sorts. Is this hotel the new hangout for young and famous? I would like to know because I am due for a trip out there in May and would like to check out the pool scene. One thing that I can say is that the hard rock pool is the best!! Any feedback is appreciated.

FWIW - USA Today weekend edition this weekend, has a front page story on Vegas, and has a few paragrahps on the Palms. Sounds like a very adult oriented hotel, that is great for "sight-seeing". http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Young "hip" crowd with (from my experience!) a very well-paying Frequent Flyer slot machine http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

Please expand on the well paying ff slots.

(jumping up and down screaming at the top of my lungs)

I WANT TO USE MY AA CARD!

I WANT TO USE MY AA CARD!

I WANT TO USE MY AA CARD!

I WANT TO USE MY AA CARD!

Ummm, errr.... That is "American Airlines" card.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

EMAIJ -- There is a video slot machine called "Frequent Flier" at the Palms Hotel. Don't know how to link it, but there is a previous thread about this (with pictures!!)which you might want to find. Lots of travel-related opportunities to win ..... however, nickels, not miles http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

The Palms has some of the best quarter and dollar video poker in the world, with many machines advertising "100%+ payback" on big signs overhead. Now you only get that payback if you play optimally, which is a neat trick. But however you play, those ones are better than the others.

The Palms has two excellent gourmet restaurants: Nine (N9NE) steakhouse and Alize' French Restaurant. Alize' is high atop the glass-domed building. The Mexican restaurant, Gardun~o's, is very good and contains a nice fish bar as well.

The pool was not yet open when I was there.

There are two very sceney places: Ghost Bar, right below Alize', and Rain in the Desert, a nightclub with frequent concerts.

Rooms are nice. All have Strip views and high-speed Internet access. The beds are a weak spot.

Comps are earned at the rate of $1 for every $400 cycled through slots or VP. You can use them on just about anything in the hotel. There is no cashback.

In case you couldn't tell, I recommend it.

The Palms also has a multiplex movie theater right next to the food court. We thought it was an appropriate place to see Oceans Eleven. We also enjoyed the video poker mentioned above (translation: we made some $$$ on it.)

The Palms is a new hotel that is owned by the Maloof Sports 7 Entertainment; they are the current owners of the NBA team Sacramento Kings. Everything that this family does is very first class. The Plams has become the new place to hang in Vegas if you're looking for that "hip, have fun, hang out" group.

Here is the website - http://www.thepalmslasvegas.com - when you make your reservation, ask about their Sacramento Kings fan discount specials. Many times you can get a pretty big discount by mentioning the team name.

------------------
Ken in Sacramento

Imagine if there was a slot machine that paid out in airline miles!

We love The Palms... saw the Real World MTV gang running around (I guess they have the penthouse on the top floor of the hotel).

The buffet is among the best in Vegas and priced perfectly ($10 for dinner, $8 for lunch or breakfast).

The gaming is awesome and has the best sports book in Vegas, with individual plasma screen TVs (I think they're plasma). The gaming area is covered with lots of TVs, so you can always keep up on the latest news or sporting event (also a great way to distract you). The employees all wear mega comfy uniforms and it's an overall great place... we locals love it!

-nate

I stayed at the Palms the weekend following it's opening weekend in December, and thought it was great. I stayed there with some girlfriends and we all thought it was a nice addition to the Vegas scene. We had a great rate of $109 and that included passes (2 per room) to the nightclub in the hotel.
It's not on the strip, so if you must be on the strip, it's probably not for you, but I liked the location. I especially liked that it was a smaller hotel, I didn't feel dwarfed in the lobby or in the mazes of the hotel itself, as can so often be the case in most enormous Vegas hotels, and thought it had all we were looking for.
We didn't gamble at the hotel very much, so I can't say much about the payback or how loose the slots are, but the casino itself has a good layout and smooth vibe and the bar in the center is pretty hopping until the early hours of the morning (that I can attest to).
The staff was great, very attentive and friendly, we had drinks sent to our tables a number of times by management even when we weren't in the casino.
I liked the rooms, the beds had beautiful high thread count cream duvets and were very comfortable. I read another post indicating the beds to be less than satisfactory, but I loved the bed and thought the room was very cozy. I would definitely stay there again.

CAUTION: TOPIC DRIFT FOLLOWS

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SpuddBrother:
Imagine if there was a slot machine that paid out in airline miles!</font>

Instead of quarters, would you feed it Kellogg's AAdvantage coupons? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by QuietLion:
The beds are a weak spot.
</font>

Whah?

The normally reliable QL must have gotten his paws on some bad catnip. The beds at the Palms are first rate, as good as I've seen in penthouse suites. Real down comforters, excellent mattresses.

No other off-Strip joint combines Strip-quality restaurants and amenities with high-payout slots. If I were a Strip exec, the Palms would make my palms sweat!

As for the pool, haven't been to it. But if you're looking for something to top the HR, forget it! HR can't be beat for ogling and watching mating rituals.

You're right, BidKat, I was confused. The Palms beds are excellent as you describe them. The issue I had with the rooms was the lack of a separate shower even in the suites.

Thanks for the correction.

Thanks for the replies so far...does anyone know if the pool will be open in May?

The only place that you get miles for gambling is the MGM Grand. When you join the Director's Club (Free) you can give them your AA number. You get 500 miles for each stay, and you also get miles for gambling. Can't remember the exact amount you do, but I believe that is 1 mile for each point that you earn in the Director's Club.(Correction is one mile for every two points)

[This message has been edited by jfe (edited 02-20-2002).]

It's one mile for every two points you earn ($5 in slots or $10 in video poker per point).

d

So only $40 million gambled through video poker and you're Platinum for life! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by QuietLion:
So only $40 million gambled through video poker and you're Platinum for life! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

Sorry for continuing to drift off topic-

So if I play perfect strategy, how much of that $40 million will I theoretically win back? And how long would it take to pump $40 million through the machines? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Sorry, I know QL went over this in one of his trip reports but it's fun to do the math all over again http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I went to the Palms about three weeks ago and was underwhelmed. It's nice and new of course, but the bland-ish color scheme is uninteresting--couldn't really figure out their theme. Sorta retro, sorta something. One interesting thing--they had 10/6 Double Double Bonus poker machines in quarters (but not Triple Play versions). It appears to be great for video poker addicts.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by anthonyanthony:
Sorry for continuing to drift off topic-

So if I play perfect strategy, how much of that $40 million will I theoretically win back? And how long would it take to pump $40 million through the machines? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
</font>

Unfortunately, the MGM doesn't offer any 100%+ payback video poker machines that I've found. The best that I've found is 9/6 Jacks or Better. The Wizard of Odds (http://www.thewizardofodds.com/game/vidpok.html) puts 9/6 at a return of 99.54% with an optimal strategy. So, you're looking at losing $184,000 to get that status. That's a cost of 9.2 cents per mile - way too much unless you're just a really bigtime video poker junkie. I figure if you can risk the equivalent of $40M, you're either rich anyway or have a gambling problem.

Stimpy claims that he knows someone who has done this in this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum95/HTML/001491-2.html

d