NYBanker

Thanks for the posts.... Due to the last minute nature of my booking, my wife and son decided to stay home, instead.

I can report that the FS LV was a fine hotel - not over the top as a few FS properties are, but a fine hotel.

While you were in the FS property, you did not feel like you were in LV at all - which was just what I was looking for. (The one exception is that I had a strip-view room - which was a lovely view, but almost seemed incongruous with the rest of my hotel experience!)

Room service was prompt. No waits to get into the restaurant. No waits to get your car brought out. Private (available to FS guests, only) pool area was very nice (though I suspect if the Mandalay's wave pool was open, you'd hear a lot of folks from the other side of the wall). All the stuff you want from a FS hotel - that no other purported 5-star hotel in LV can deliver.

Plus, just press "C" in the elevator, go through a small foyer, and you're directly in the Mandalay's casino.

Only negatives I really saw were with the Amex FH&R program. They were tight with the FH&R upgrade - saying they would only give a one category upgrade, which wasn't available, and although a two category upgrade was available, they couldn't give it to me. Most hotels will give you the bump, as long as it's not to the Presidential suite, or the like.

Also, I got a note in my room saying the hotel could not offer late checkout due to the heavy volume of checkins the next day. I ended up leaving early anyway, so I didn't push the issue - but that's certainly outside the definition of "guaranteed late checkout" that Amex advertises. This might get a letter.

This will be my hotel of choice in LAS going forward.