Steffo

I'm just back from a week at the Westin and they never let us roll any dice for points, not last year either when we also stayed a week. They did not even offer us any platinum amenity and had the wrong bed type for us at first too, even though we booked months ahead.

Service at this hotel is very, very weak. More like 4 Points grade of attitude and service than Westin. In fact, I stayed in a 4 Points this week, in PHX, and the service was far superior to Westin Casuarina. Much better platinum recognition, platinum amenity, suite upgrade, free drink and full breakfast coupons already in key sleeve even though I booked an hour before arriving.

Westin Las Vegas pool is closed for the season. I called to ask them to arrange for my family to be able to use a pool at another hotel while I was at my conference. I had read on Flyertalk that they would arrange that. Woman at the desk said she would talk to a manager then call me back, she never did. 4 days went by, no call. I was busy or I should have pursued this more.

Room cleaning service was quite poor. Room was not cleaned til very late in the day, then we'd call to ask to have it cleaned and it would be done poorly. There was coffee but no coffee maker in the room when we checked in, so we called to have one brought. They were very erratic about which coffee supplies they restocked daily and I took to taking things off the maid carts to restock myself. Also erratic about replacing some but not all missing bottles of toiletries, for example mouthwash was only given some days.

Hotel is all "no smoking" but the entire first floor is a casino with smoking allowed. Smoke from the casino wafts up through the elevator shafts and pervades hallways, even on 15th floor where we were, though the actual hotel room did not smell of smoke.

Hotel is in a bad neighborhood. I was panhandled in the parking lot, there is a bus stop and a convenience store adjacent to the hotel property and an "employment center" across the street, all of which attract a rather rough looking crew, most of whom, I am sure are terrific human beings just struggling to make ends meet and I don't want to judge them. But for traveling with my family, I find the location to be less than desirable. I definitely would not let my wife and son walk anywhere outside the hotel at night. And during CES it's tough to get a cab, and the mono-rail station is a 5-6 minute walk across a very busy street with no crosswalk to the South, or through a dark alley to the North. The CES buses run there on a regular schedule, but it can be about a 30 minute wait if you just miss one and then the buses are slow.

I do totally appreciate Starwood's policies for the fact that I can stay for free on points at the Westin during CES week, and that's the only time we stay there and the only reason. I think that Starwood is probably the only chain that allows free stays during CES on points without charging extra points or requiring the highest status to use them. I'm sure that the fact I can stay there at this Westin on points CES week has everything to do with Starwood and nothing to do with this hotel, so as usual, my hat's off to Starwood.

I would avoid this hotel otherwise. The Westin Casuarina is a turkey of a property.

Next year, I may well plunk down 2-3 grand to just stay in a suite at the Venetian for CES. We would certainly be a lot more comfortable. But of course it gives me real pleasure to get great value for my points--40,000 points for 5 nights in a room that is going for about $400/night plus tax is at least 4 and probably 5 cents a point in value. Less I suppose if you factor in the tax deductibility of the paid stay.

And I should say too that while the suites at the Venetian are MUCH nicer than the Westin rooms, smoking in the hallways there was rampant and I found the air to be actually worse there than at the Westin.