The Consolidated "Palazzo" thread
 

Any new info on the new Palazzo, scheduled to open Dec 20? We have reservations at the Wynn (resort side) but the Palazzo (concierge level at the same price) is tempting!

Considering that only about six floors of rooms actually have carpeting right now, I'd stick with Wynn. December 20th is an extremely soft opening with the "grand" opening date set about a month later (and it still won't be ready by then). Adelson will do anything not to miss the CES and New Year revenues.

The Venetian was an absolute mess when it opened. Everyone at Venetian Macau was comped a weekend night because they were so poorly staffed. It's evident Adelson's track record doesn't exactly shine with new resort opening.

Give it six months, at least.

They're not even guaranteeing comped rooms at Palazzo yet.

The Venetian Macao is quite good; we stayed in one of the Rialto Suites recently, and it was an excellent room for Macau. Having said that, I heard the opening was a disaster, with 3 hour lines for check-in and just chaos everywhere. Sadly, the hotel's reputation has suffered tremendously and if you read the reviews on Tripadvisor.com, they are devastating.

Like MikeE said, I would probably wait a few months before staying at the Palazzo, but I'll be glad to check out the property when I am in Vegas next month, just not as a overnight guest.

Thanks for all your valubable advise. Think we'll stay put at the Wynn for this trip!

I'm actually going to Macau next year and was considering staying at Venetian. However, someone posted pics and the rooms do not look any different than the ones in Vegas so I'm not sure I want to stay there the whole time, likely try out other properties.

Yes, the Royale and Bella Suites are identical to the ones in Vegas, but I believe the layout of the Rialto Suites is unique to Macau. They are about 1,830 square feet, which is much larger than the Rialto Suites in Vegas (1,100 square feet). In fact, I believe the largest Venetian suite you can book in Vegas is the Prima Suite and that is 1,500 square feet.

Personally, I thought it was a great room (which by the way, looks nothing like the photo on the official website). Nice foyer when you walk in from the double doors, a substantial living room beyond it with a flat-screen TV and also a four seat dining table a few feet behind the sofa. There's also a nice pantry/bar on the side by the wall with a coffee maker and hot water heater, which was handy since we were traveling with our baby and nanny.

The bedroom itself is entirely separate from the living room, also with double doors, and is well-appointed. The marble bathroom is quite large, and there is a decent-sized closet in between, though not necessarily what I would call a "walk-in".

Overall, it was a very decent room, and one that was much larger than what I expected at a Venetian. The rate was about USD$600 during the weekend, but during weekdays you can get it for about USD$270, which I think is a steal.

If you want to check out some other Macau properties, there is of course the Wynn, which isn't on the Cotai Strip, but closer to the traditional casino area of Macau, right across the street from the Lisboa. The MGM is also opening next month, so that might be worth it to check out.

Some of our friends were staying at the Crown, and that turned out to be a decent property. The location is less than ideal, since there really isn't anything around that neighborhood other than the Crown itself, but the standard rooms were very well-appointed, a bit like junior suites with a small living area, and quite large bathrooms. The decor is very minimalist, with a glass wall between the bathroom and bedroom, and it has a very big modern bathtub. Very much like a boutique hotel with a small lobby and less foot traffic than the larger hotels. Our friends loved it, so the Crown may be worth checking out.

Thanks a bunch Amanjunkie, good info ^.

# rooms wise, Venezia is more comparable to Wynn Tower, and Palazzo is more comparable to Wynn Resort.

I'll be at Palazzo for NYE -- very good rates. My inside source at LVS claims that it will be the "place to be". I don't think he'd send me into a disaster zone...wouldn't be prudent...

Of course I'm not expecting it to be fully operational (I know the mall won't be open and I doubt all the restaurants will be), but as long as we're not dodging forklifts, I think we'll be fine.

Poor form at LV Palazzo with delayed opening
 

Didn't know whether to put this here or in LV forum, but since this is a gripe about what bills itself as a luxury hotel, I thought I'd drop it in here.

My wife and I booked Dec 20-22 at the new Palazzo Suites in Las Vegas about a week ago. Tonight, we got a call from a rep named David who said that due to "unforeseen construction delays" they would not be opening on time. But they would be happy to offer me a room at the same rate ($199) at the main Venetian hotel and that I should feel okay because all the rooms were redone there. Since David hadn't bothered to apologize (In fact, he made it seem like it would be my privilege to stay at the Venetian instead.), I really didn't feel okay.

I pressed him a little more on the delay and questioned why they didn't know about the delay until three weeks before the opening. He responded by saying that, to make up for the inconvenience, he would give me a guaranteed upgrade, which is a room with a view. I pointed out to him that the Venetian was offering rooms at $189, $10 less than he was going to charge me. Yes, he said, but those rooms don't come with a guaranteed view. Oh, to make up for the inconvenience, they would also throw in priority check-in and a welcome amenity.

By now, I'm getting annoyed since it appears that he has a list of things to give away to keep people happy but that he would only do so as far as I pushed. Maybe a sound bottom-line decision but not a particularly good customer service experience. So I told him that it was ridiculous that they called me three weeks before the opening, canceled my reservation than tried to charge me more at an older hotel. He put me on hold and came back and said he could now drop the unconfirmed view rate to $169. Sorry David.

So Palazzo, congratulations. I understand that construction delays happened, but in an effort to save a few bucks, you annoyed a customer. On the plus side, maybe you'll get a thank you note from my Virtuoso agent, who now has an email waiting for him.

Mike

Yes, I would agree to not classify the Venetian as a "luxury hotel". While I've enjoyed the properties in Vegas and Macau, and I know some may argue that it's now a AAA 5 Diamond property, to me it's still too big, too crowded and too impersonal to be really classified as "luxury".

It's a shame that the Palazzo opening has been delayed. I was looking forward to visiting it on my trip next month, not as a hotel guest, but simply for a look-around.

I walked by there yesterday and took some photos. They're linked below in the Travel USA gallery if you want to take a look.

The whole Venetian area is a mess with construction right now !

They have big construction sides like a horseshoe around. Let me dig for some photos that I took monday, but Tom posted some too I see.

Also the Wynn is building a second monster... The shops might be world class but I cant judge about the rooms.

I maybe stay there in DEC for a weekend !

Please continue to follow this thread in the FT Las Vegas Forum.
Thank you...
Obscure2k
Moderator
Luxury Hotels