New Year in Vegas
January 3, 2008
Haven’t had a "proper" vacation ins some time (Sept 06 when the wife and I went to Hawaii for a week was probably the last time I traveled anywhere without it having something to do with work!), and new year was approaching. The period between xmas and new year, as well as the following week, is usually a quiet one in the consulting industry, so as a bit of a break, thought we spend new year (+ a few days either side for the week) in Vegas.
No shocker in that all the rooms were either sold out, or very expensive, so for the first few days we stayed in Treasure Island (or TI as it is now). TI isn’t a bad hotel at all, but the plan wasn’t to stay there – as a surprise, I had re-booked us to stay in the Wynn after new year’s eve.
The actual new years celebrations were fun – standing on the (freezing cold) strip watching fireworks off the roof of the hotels (we were told 7 hotels, and they take turns each year) was really enjoyable. The police shut down all traffic on the strip for the night so all the people (and there were lots of them) could easily walk down the center. For 12 o’clock we found ourselves by the Mirage volcano which turned out to be an excellent vantage point.
However, the real excitement was checking into the Wynn. I’m a big fan of Steve Wynn, his vision and how he focuses on guests with such a level of detail, so ever since it opened I’ve always wanted to stay there. It’s certainly not a cheap place to stay, but they were offering really good mid-week rates via an offer that was emailed to me. At registration (which we arrived at a little early), our check-in person said that for some reason they didn’t have any card keys for the room we had booked, so he was upgrading us to a panoramic view room. Seemed like a strange excuse (aren’t all the keys just magnetic strips that need to be programmed?), but we quietly said thank you. Somehow I suspect it might be because it seemed that the people before us, and on either side while checking in/out were complaining/arguing about something or other, and we were just happy and polite – if they didn’t have a room ready we’d just grab some food somewhere. Pays to be "British" sometimes 
Anyway, what can I say about the hotel. First off, the room was stunning. From the 56th floor, we had an amazing view of the strip. Other than that, I won’t spoil it for people that do get the opportunity to stay there (which I can’t recommend enough) – the staff, and everyone we encountered from registration, housekeepers, nightclub doormen, security, etc, etc, without fail were professional, happy and polite – unfortunately not a common thing in the hotel industry. If you know us, we are pretty "normal" people, so I know that we didn’t receive any special service. In any case, taking a tip from my ex-boss (give praise/thanks wherever you find exceptional service), I asked for a comment card and left a small note saying how great our experience was.
In addition to the hotel (which could easily keep you occupied for a couple of days by itself), we went out and did some shopping, watched Spamalot (really funny), and took a trip out to Rachel/Area 51 (see separate post). All-in-all, a great few days, and an enjoyable way to start of 2008.
Posted in Trip Report
