ere are a few comments for your consideration:

Check-In went smooth, 10 minutes wait and recieved my preferred strip view without any problem, arrival Saturday.

Staff is very friendly and helpful. Porter Service, Concierge, Bar/Restaurant & Casino Staff are very recommendable.

Rooms are greatly equipped and in great condition. Turndown service was done perfectly every day. Hallways are very clean. The Bathroom has seperate shower & bathtub as well a tv screen.

The casino has a classy but casual atmosphere. On the weekend it's a more high class audience than on weekdays where many business travellers stay there (which is actually the situation for the whole hotel as well). I had no luck in the casino but what does this mean anyways...

As mentioned above I tried various restaurants that belong to the Wynn. The Okada was no doubt the best. Even though it was very chilly in there the food was the best Japanese I had in a long time.

The Terrace Point Cafe (which provides free Wireless Internet) was good for breakfast, the luch-dinner I had one day with a burger was barely edible (I ordered medium but it nearly walked off my plate), also there was a steak which was salty as hell. Pretty dead place on a late Sunday afternoon. The Sports Bar was busy though.

In room dining prices are very reasonable for a 5 Star Resort. Hopefully the food does not come from Terrace Point ! The Minibar is way too sensitive and even charges you if you place the item back within the 60 second grace period. I took a Fiji Water 1L for 8$ and Potato Chips, Medium Bag for 8$. The amount was corrected on check-in.

The in house show "Le Reve" is often sold out and I recommend to reserve in advance of your stay if you plan to attend the show. Personally I ended up seeing the Blue Man Group next door at the Venetian/Palazzo which was great and funny.

Lot's of shopping opportunities on the "Esplanade" with big names of the fashion and jewelry industry. There are many sales right now though that obviously varies & depends on the time of the year.

The Business Center offers free printout of boarding passes for your flight. Internet has a minimum charge of 15$ for half an hour otherwise in there. Wireless Internet is available in your room for 14$ per 24h or as mentioned at the Terrace Point Cafe for free (or respectively you can sit on the bench in front of the cafe for a quick email check).

As I heard from others the Wynn is pretty diliquent about correct check-out time and charges so I decided to complete the check-out process in person. Which seemed to be a mistake as it took me 40 minutes waiting in a line of just 10 people. That is not a good performance for a 5* hotel and a real turn-off at the end of a fabulous stay ! Everything with the people in front seemed to be an issue and the FD lady had to go in the back office every 5 minutes. Seems she was new... nothing wrong with that but then have the FD manager assist her and make life easier for all of us. People got pretty annoyed and started raising their voice. Can't blame them as a 40 minute check-out is not very convenient when you have a flight to catch. I just mentioned the issue with the minibar and it was corrected. So far except for the wait I have no complaints.

After that it was time to go back to the airport. It is my understanding that you are far better off taking Paradise Rd / Sands Av to/from the Wynn instead of the Freeway that some taxi drivers like to take to conveniently "extend" your trip. Saves you about half the price plus I personally dont like the Freeway and neither the drive over the strip with all the traffic.

The flights were on AA inbound (EXP upgrade to F cleared) and outbound on UA which operates as of now only a 1 class plane (TED) to LAX. Both AA/UA do not operate a lounge at LAS but there is the CO Presidents Club available for a fee or club members if desired. The AA & UA service was surprisingly good and they confirmed me right away on an earlier flight as 1K benefit.

It was a great weekend with a perfect programm. I as always did my homework before staying in an unknown hotel to be proactive against possible issues. So far I can not understand the negative comments that the Wynn recieves on Tripadvisor. For a 5* Las Vegas resort it completely does the trick. It was mentioned on there that food and extras are very expensive which I absolutely can not second after comparing to hotels in this category. You can simply not expect to stay at the Wynn but pay the Bally's price !

Hope it helps some of you !

Cheers,
S

But you can expect to stay at Encore and pay the Bally's price (just booked for Feb at under USD 100 per night on Expedia). Astonishing pricing for a hotel that cost close to $1 million per room to build (and the quality shows). It does look like Encore was designed as a step up from Wynn even though it is really the Wynn extension and has maybe solved some of the few negatives that the Wynn had.

the one negative about encore tower is no private pool.

I very much hope they solve the issue with the long lines as this is really not acceptable for a hotel in this segment.

Another reason to stay in the Tower Suites area...

My recent stay in the Tower Suites of the Wynn was delightful. Attentive personalized service at check-in with no wait. Tower Suites elevators were generally empty with no wait. Spacious suite with strip view and commodious bathroom. Very generous and extensive toiletries in bath, vanity, and shower, with walk-in closet in the bath area spacious enough for two people's luggage and clothing. Glitzy decor ( after all it is Las Vegas ). I am not a huge fan of Las Vegas in general but the Wynn was positioned on the Strip so that it was not totally over-run with the masses in the public areas. I enjoyed the private Tower Suites pool and cabanas, and was impressed with the spacious well-equipped gym. The daily charge was well worth it, as it included admittance to the men's lounge and spa. I wouldn't have stayed there if not for the Tower Suites. The general check-in looked mobbed and it is a long hike thru. the casino to the elevators. And I hear the Encore next door is still working out the opening kinks.

Skywalker,
I was at the Wynn last Friday and Saturday myself. Great report.

Staying at the Wynn for 3 nights mid-Feb (got rates of 129/129/199). First time in Vegas for the wife and me. We were wondering if anyone could comment on the spa and golf there. Have heard that in general, both are a lousy value, but would appreciate any other comments. Will have my clubs in Vegas anyway as will be in San Diego staying at Torrey Pines for the previous 3 nights. Also regarding spa, are any in neighboring hotels worth venturing to if the Wynn is not great? Thanks in advance.

As I've posted time and time again, Wynn is perhaps the best overall hotel in Vegas for <$1000 a night. But that doesn't say much.

When you stop and objectively compare features and service levels to 5 star hotels in other metro cities, it is simply not a true 5 star property. And after my recent mediocre stay at Four Seasons Las Vegas I'm beginning to think the only 5 star properties left in Vegas are Skylofts and the Mansion.

@ skylofts, thanks chimoe125 ^ >

Yes, yes, yes. Dined at Okada for the first time this past Sunday. Rainbow Roll was phenomenal. And it was chilly by the doors to the lagoon.

You know, in my previous four visits to Wynn, the TPC was a highlight. This time, not so much. We had breakfast there our first day and it was just not good. Went to Society Cafe (Encore) the next day instead and it was much better.

Ref the offers at Encore ... I am not one to laugh in the face of a global economic crisis, but couldn't resist a trip when they offered me a FULL COMP for three nights, one I definitely did not deserve.

Thanks for a good report. I am writing this from the Wynn right now as we speak. I am generally pleased with the property, although the room is a bit of a disappointment. It is sleek, but small and pretty basic.

I had lunch at the buffet today; normally, I am not a fan of buffets, but they were advertising a special menu for the Chinese New Year. It was OK, but I don't see what was so special. (Disclaimer: They actually had a list of the dishes on the sign outside, but I didn't pay much attention.) The overall buffet quality was fine, and they had some good selections (among the highlights, about half a dozen different ceviches), but the entrees overall were below my expectations.

I stayed at the Encore last night, and the Wynn tonight -- the rooms were the same (ridiculously low) price, so I wanted to try both. The Encore room was substantially better -- more akin to a modern, upscale urban hotel than Las Vegas. It was a mini-suite with a seating area with a modern day-bed type sofa. Both have beautiful bathrooms, with the same great towels and toiletries. Wireless internet ($13.99 per day) is blazing fast in both places.

I went to Botero, the steak house at the Encore, last night, and had one of the best steak dinners I have ever had in Las Vegas. They offered supplements of bone marrow and foie gras, among others, and, being the glutton that I am, I selected both on top of my pepper-crusted New York strip. It was unbelievable. Even the french fries were outstanding. My only other dining experience at either Wynn was on a previous trip at Alex. I was also a bit disappointed, perhaps because Renoir, his previous restaurant at the Mirage, was my favorite in Vegas.

(Edited to add: Tonight I went to Wing Lei which, they will tell you at every opportunity, is the only Chinese restaurant in North America to receive a Michelin star. It was excellent, including great drink menus and a special Chinese New Year menu now. The normal menu has a lot of what we think of as typical Chinese dishes, plus many seafood dishes -- crab, lobster, prawns, and a few more exotic ones. The service was top-notch, too.)

In addition to the sheer beauty of the casino at the Encore, and the many interesting bars that surround it, the most notable aspect of both the Encore and Wynn casinos for me was the friendliness of the dealers. Everywhere I went, they were talkative and pleasant -- they really treat one like a customer, which hasn't always seemed common on the strip in my experience.

The biggest down-side at both properties, as others noted, was the ridiculously slow check-in. The lines weren't long, but it seems like they took five minutes or more for each guest. Each time, when I got to the front, even though I had pre-paid, it took way too long. They asked me for all of my personal information, even though they already had it, and explained the minibar, operation of the room key/charge card/player's club card, and other needless details. It seems like the system had a great many screens for the agent to click through. They have a multiple queue, where everyone kind of crowds behind of the stations, so if you get stuck behind a particularly slow transaction, it can be even worse.

Although one good feature is that when I checked out at the Encore around noon, they simultaneously checked me in for the Wynn (and gave me the room key after a bit of searching), so I can't complain about that.

Another disadvantage is a sign by the elevators at the Encore (I didn't see this at the Wynn) saying that consumption of food and alcohol purchased outside the hotel is not allowed. I have never seen this in Vegas before, and, while I don't know whether they enforce it (there was no one there monitoring at the time), it's a pretty outrageous rule to have in my opinion.

Also, the Encore provided two bottles of complimentary water in the room, while the Wynn did not.

I appreciated and enjoyed your report, but I have to take issue with one statement you made above. Vegas in general is known for having some of the largest standard rooms in the world, and the Wynn is known for having some of the biggest standard rooms in Vegas (640 sq. feet).

As for them being basic, I don't know what you could possibly be referring to. All of the rooms have at least 2 flat panel TVs, electronic motorized curtains, double vanities, separate tub & shower, cordless phones, exquisite beds...what more do you want for a "standard" room?

As reported on BB and BFT Wynn simply canceled some reservations booked via PL and HW for superbowl weekend (2 day notice) and Valentines day due to overbooking. No alternatives offered by Wynn.

Fair point. I guess I was expecting the Wynn to slightly eclipse the Venetian and Bellagio, and it doesn't. Rather, I would call it basically equivalent to those places -- which is a high standard. My expectations were perhaps unfairly high, so when I say "basic," I should have said, "about I would expect but not more." I didn't walk in and say, "wow, this resets the bar for standard Las Vegas rooms." (I did at the Encore, however.)

The bed didn't do much for me at either Wynn property -- I wouldn't use the word "exquisite." I prefer the elegant room design at the Bellagio, although that's just my personal preference. I think that the rooms are the about same size at the Wynn as the Bellagio and, although it's hard to compare to the Venetian, my standard room at the latter (from where I am writing now) has three flat panel TVs, a DVD player, and nicer furniture.