bigguyinpasadena

I was at the Element again this last week for work.
I was very pleased with the welcome at the front desk. I was also happy that they were able to extend my stay one night. Finding a room for a Friday night in Las Vegas on a busy weekend is not much fun

No real changes to the hotel. Same great staff. I see that others are as enthusiastic about this property as I am-they won an award received best in brand winning the Highest Sustained RevPar Index.

So again Starwood... MORE ELEMENT Properties PLEASE!

factory81

One of the best hotel stays I have had this year. Stayed in room 410. Loved the heavenly bed, they have cannondale bikes for rent (for free), LEED certified, free homecooked dinners on Thursday night. The room had a full kitchen with a stove, microwave, etc.

The room had an L couch. It was like everything I could ask for. How Aloft is the W's cheaper brother for budget travelers. Element is the eco-conscious boutique/budget friendly hotel for business travelers who want to stay at a Westin

hedoman

The governor is a pretty regular guest here. I've seen him on two of three stays this year. Other than a few staff, he appears to go unnoticed.
Anyway, all stays here have been pleasant.

factory81

Status: Platinum 75+
Make a Green Choice: No
Free Water: No
Upgrade: Negative. I am in room 216 and 410, during both of my stays. Regular rooms. 5 night stays.
Amenities:24 hours gym, free food on Thursday evenings from a prepared chef. Mornings have breakfasts that vary slightly. There is an evening "light snack" thing going on. I think I missed most of it, or else it was just a bowl of ranch dip and a bunch of vegetables + some free pop (there were a number of free pops to choose from if you like to pick between coke or pepsi products)
Pictures: Yes, see link; http://imgur.com/a/JPSoA#0

Bravada04

Well I finally got to try out an Element. Here goes:
I was pleasantly surprised that I was approved for a suite upgrade. Once I was settled in my room I realized it was a wheelchair accessible room. To be simple, it sucked!! I showered and the entire floor was under water and I could barely soap myself without cracking my elbows, arms etc., on the bars!!! I think they were sold out and I got upgraded to this??
I found the room chopped up like crazy and simply did not feel comfortable in it. Of course I loved the bed as usual.
The people were extremely friendly; I was at the gym early and was not a sole around; weekend breakfast was actually quite good I would have to say.
All in all a nice clean hotel with a nice pool/courtyard area.....I'm just not so sure I am sold on the rooms although I probably might think different if I just had a normal room.

ibs_traveller

Hope this isn't breaking any rules to resurrect such an old thread, but wanted to say a few things about this property.

I started staying here back in 2009 while I was on a work project for a client in the LV area. Based on the age of this thread, I assume the hotel was still basically 'brand spanking new' even in 2009.. and my memories seem to reflect that. At that time, it was pretty much one of a handful of buildings in this area (near Town Center Drive and Discovery Drive). It was SO different than the rest of Vegas and I found everything about it refreshing. I was tired of being upcharged by the big resorts, complicated parking garages, strip traffic, etc.. I even got in contact with the reservations manager at that time and was able to get a reliable week-by-week room reservation (w/ corporate code) via email. I'd email her before the weekend, and she'd lock in a room for me.. simple as that!

Since '09, I have managed to stay here a few times a year, every year, so I've watched as the property has grown and the surrounding area has changed. I no longer work for that same employer, so me staying here for the past 5 ish years has been completely voluntary. I pretty much try to book this place 1st any time I visit Vegas because I simply love the hotel and the surrounding area. I consider it a real hidden gem.

Simply put -- The management here is doing a good job because even now, 9 years later, it's the same experience I had when I booked it as a young lad traveling on business.

A few things have changed over time:

1. The breakfast has gotten 'lighter'.. or maybe it's gotten better? They used to put out the premade sandwiches and smoothies.. and I LOVED the breakfast burritos which only appeared once a week. I could nab a sandwich and a burrito, and one would be kept in the fridge as a snack after I got off work. The little smoothies in the shot glasses were delicious as well. Now they have a chef who will prepare you some complex kale and egg white based whatever.. not really my thing, but they do have to employ someone to do that job so maybe it's an upgrade?

2. The 'happy hour' has also gotten lighter. I didn't make it in time back then, but I seem to remember there being a decent selection of alcohol and various chips/nuts/etc. Nowadays it seems like they just put out soda and some cheese slices?

3. Just a mild rant of mine, but I swear they no longer carry the TBS network on the TVs. Seems like this has happened recently. (How else can I watch Seinfeld?)

4. The surrounding area has grown.. a LOT. There's a bicycle store and a Thai restaurant next door.. where it used to be a bare field. My favorite pizza place across the street (Due Forni) has closed down as well.

But as a sentimental traveler, the hotel has managed to retain everything that locked me into this place early on. The cleanliness, the eco-friendly approach, the wonderful lobby scent, and the staff who have always been friendly and willing to assist.

On my most recent trip (I was out there this past week), it looked like they were undergoing a refresh of the property. Lots of walls being repainted, new paintings being hung, etc. I'm hoping they don't change TOO much, but it would be nice if the change out the desks in the rooms. They've always used glass top desks which basically mean you can't use a computer mouse while doing work. I've always had to use one of the visitor magazines as a faux mouse pad.

Points Scrounger

I believe that the master thread on a hotel lives forever, so don't worry about bringing it back up to update stuff.

​​​​​​The one Element I have stayed at confused me when I first checked in there. I asked about their social hour, with the clerk confusedly remarking something about asking at the adjoining Aloft about happy hour prices at their bar? Is there supposed to be a weeknight reception at properties as a brand standard?

3Cforme

It's mentioned in the property pages specifically.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Dagny T.

I must say, I was not happy at all with this property.We stayed at the Element exactly a year ago. I wrote a complaint, gave it a year, no response. This was a one lousy stay. First room, next to a room with barking dog, after an hour of nonstop barking, we asked front desk to move the dog. They offered to move us. Fine. Moved us to different floor, different dog across the hall, lower pitched, equally annoying. Once again, no luck moving the dog, so off we go, to the ground floor. Old, banged up room, but, finally, no barking in immediate vicinity. However, it appears, favorite place for the dogs to relieve themselves, right by our window, so, the owners standing by our window waiting for their pets to finish their business. Free shadow theater until we fell asleep. Wish I was a fan of that art form. This hotel should warn people that it is mainly a kennel, or, perhaps reserve a floor for humans exclusively. I love dogs, although, little less after this "hotel" experience. Of course the blame goes to the hotel staff, pet owners, and little to the airlines, for catering to flyers that can't keep it together without the emotional support of a Chihuahua in their lap.

GoSh4rks

Stayed here recently on a Saturday night. It was my worse experience at a Marriott property that I can remember.

• Checking in at ~11pm, there was a large group in the lobby that was making so much noise, it was nearly impossible to communicate with the front desk. Not really the fault of the property, but still.
• Unable to request late checkout. Was told to check back in the morning and that it shouldn't be a problem (Titanium for reference).
• Arrive to the room, DND sign was out. Odd, but whatever?
• Get into the room and immediately notice the blackout curtain is in the down position. There is no chain to raise it. Call to front desk and at least engineering was on standby and was able to put a new chain on within 15 mins or so.
• The pillows were very wrinkly and did not look fresh.
• Bathroom sink faucet fixtures were heavily water-marked. You would usually never see this in a well maintained property.
• Closet wasn't completely cleaned out - there was paper Apple Store bag left over from a previous occupant. Also, no laundry bag in sight.
• In retrospect, maybe this room hadn't been properly cleaned/staged for a new occupant and was cleaned for a continued stay? Probably should have asked for a new room.
• Breakfast was supposed to last through 10am, but when I get down there just after 9am, it was completely picked through (out of multiple items, juices were out, etc) and no made to order items were available. Apparently made to order stops at 830am/9am on a breakfast that is supposed to run until 10am.
• Overnight emailed bill seemed to indicate that my credit card had been charged ~$40 on a redemption stay. Front desk promised that it was not charged. I haven't seen anything come through so I guess it's fine.
• 2pm late checkout was denied (didn't even ask for 4pm..). Front desk offered 1pm, countered with 130pm and they were ok with that. Seemed like pulling teeth to get that.

bigshooter

Just completed a 3 day stay.

Pluses: Newly renovated room albeit with power issues in bathroom (kept tripping a breaker that didn’t seem to be in my panel).

Cons: denied late checkout for titanium. Said it was due to being fully booked, but turned out to
be lack of housekeeping. This was maybe why I did not receive housekeeping at all during my stay… apparently the entire hotel was turning over on Sunda (rooms were for sale though)Marriott CS said they couldn’t force the hotel to honor guarantee…. Not my problem if hotel has operation problems. Plenty of people sitting around in office that could probably have lended housekeeping a hand though.

Biggest con was hotel not publishing they are renovating the hotel on website or Marriott booking page. They also used the hallways in front of our rooms for storage. They should have gone floor by floor and closed off to guests while working. This is probably a fire hazard and at very least a poor showing.

Bravada04

That looks absolutely horrible - I sure would not want to stay in that either! What a welcome that is.
Typical response from MAR CS - Cannot tell the hotel to do anything! None of these are benefits anymore whatsoever. Nobody cares over at Marriott obvioiusly.

Marriott Bonvoy Lurker II

Dear bigshooter,

We are sorry to learn about this. If you can send us a Private Message with your name, email address and reservation details, we would be pleased to share your feedback to hotel management team.

Please feel free to contact us if we can be of any assistance.

Best regards,

Carrie L
Specialist Social Media
Marriott International
[email protected]

Always Flyin

I am here now and heard a new one (on me) re: housekeeping.

They change towels and empty the trash cans every other day.

Actual cleaning is only once every seven days.

When questioned, was told the hotel doesn't like it, but that they were told by Marriott to do that for brand consistency. Hmmmmmm.

[No signs of refurbishment underway; breakfast was on until 10:00; and everything seemed replenished each day.]