Vegas highlights, Part 1

Checking in at the Stratosphere

Definitely the two best spent hours of the trip. I mean, who wouldn’t want to wait in line for an hour and a half at one in the morning local time (four in the morning biological time) just to try to check into your hotel after spending the last ten hours traveling across the country? Even better, when we finally did get a blessed room key, we made our way through the smoky casino, up in the creaky elevator and to the room only to open the door and see the lights on and someone else’s luggage out on the bureaus. That’s right, we were given a key to someone else’s room. Rock on, Stratosphere, rock on. Back down to the lobby to cut in front of the enormous line of fellow disgruntled hotel guests also undoubtedly awaiting the same fate. Wait another ten minutes for one of the two--TWO--desk clerks to free up to have this conversation:

Renee: There’s someone in the room you gave us.
Desk Clerk: There is?
R: Well, we opened the door and saw lights on and baggage in the room. We just let the door close again. That really seemed like the safest thing to do.
DC: Really?
R: Yeah.
DC: That’s so weird, because my manager assigned that room for you.
R: Well, there are people in it.
DC: Oh. Ok. I’ll have to go talk to my manager. Hang on.

At this point, she disappeared into the back room for an additional ten minutes during which time I contemplated sleeping on the check in counter, in a slot machine chair or on a blackjack table.

DC: Ok, sorry about that. For the inconvenience, my manager is going to upgrade you to our most expensive room for the night. It’s a thousand dollar a night upgrade.
R: Really?
DC: Yeah. This is our nicest suite. The only thing is... it doesn’t have a bed.
R: What?
DC: It has a pull out bed.
R: Like a sofa bed?
DC: No, a roll away bed. It’s a bed, it’s just not a permanent bed in the suite.
Ben: What kind of suite doesn’t have a bed in it?
DC: Well, it’s a conference room. But it’s so nice, it has a kitchen and--
R: *sanity snapping* I don’t need a kitchen, I need a bed. I don’t want a thousand dollar a night room, I want a bed. Just a regular room with no other people in it and a bed. Can you just give me a regular room with a regular bed?
DC: Oh. Ok. I’ll have to go talk to my manager. Hang on.

The manager eventually came out and was able to find us a room with a bed *cue choir of angels* and no other people in it. Apparently, the hotel was completely sold out for the night and all the rooms weren’t clean yet so they were having trouble finding clean rooms to check people into, hence the delays. I try to be an understanding person, really I do. But this clearly falls into the category of Not My Problem. Or, perhaps more accurately, Not My Bleeping Problem At Two/Five In The Morning.

Check in problems aside, there was really nothing else to recommend the Stratosphere. Their ventilation system was inadequate so the casino floor was always smoky, the rooms were fine but nothing to write home about and they’re the very last casino on the strip making transportation inconvenient at best, irritating and potentially expensive at worst. But they are the cheapest on the strip, from what I understand. Get what you pay for, I guess.