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The Palazzo in Las Vegas
At the occasion of my invitation to participate in IMEX LAS VEGAS as a Hosted Buyer, I was lodged at the Palazzo Hotel, one of the expansions of The Venetian Hotel. The Palazzo reprises the theme of Italy. Located on the legendary Las Vegas Strip, to the south of Wynn Las Vegas and to the north of the Venetian. The Palazzo is an official property belonging to Las Vegas Sands. I remember above all that Las Vegas is a destination for leisure that attracts many families but also a destination for professional conventions that bring together thousands of businessmen and businesswomen.
A hotel complex such as the one that contains the Palazzo and the Venetian targets two types of clienteles. With a convention center measuring over 167,000 m² and by its very positioning, it owes itself to be at the level of a 5-star hotel according to international standards, and it certainly holds itself as one. The comments on TripAdvisor are overall positive, even if a few hint at certain flaws in the service.
Then again, one should not expect service of too great a quality in a hotel with over 3,000 rooms (the complex contains more than 7,000 rooms).
Unless you are an Executive Lounge client, you may find yourself facing around a 10 to 30 minute wait to access your room during peak hours. When I arrived at the reception, I asked several questions to the receptionist. Either he did not wish to respond or he simply did not have the answers on hand. “It’s like that here,” he told me. My colleagues experienced similar types of reception.
Once in my suite (entry-level room category), my first impression was that it was rather decent and pleasant. The room offered plenty of space (around 70 m²). It featured a salon corner with a dinner table for five people, along with a separate room section for the bed. There are three TVs, including one in the bathroom. The bathroom itself was also spacious and possessed a large bathtub and a shower. There was even a dresser for women.
When I look more closely into the details that go on to make the difference in a true luxury hotel, it’s clear to me that this hotel can do nothing but improve! The reception service, as well as the service in general, is far from meeting what a client should expect from a 5-star hotel. For instance, the evening service only took place once over the course of my four nights’ stay at the hotel (and without any personal attention).
One of the entrance – The Palazzo Resort
During my stay, I experienced a sound problem with the ventilator in my room. I called guest services to alert them, but I had to wait over an hour for a technician to arrive. Once there, he was unable to see the problem. I insisted that the noise kept me from sleeping. Well, as we were after all in the United States, the home of MacGyver, the only feasible solution was to cover the ventilation opening with a sofa cushion. Unfortunately, noise is a real problem in this hotel. You will hear the television running in your neighbor’s room just as clearly as the cleaning women in the morning in the hallway. And don’t forget your “Do Not Disturb” sign, or else, be prepared to be woken up very early in the morning by the housekeeping! On which, this latter reveals a certain carelessness in the general upkeep of the room: parts of the walls in my room were covered in dust.
As for the bathroom, the quality of the soaps, shower gels, and shampoos does not meet the expected standard; the aesthetics of the packaging and the products themselves are far from what brands like Bulgari or Hermès often offer in 5-star hotels.
Neither are the quality of the bath towels exactly up to standard.
In a hotel with 3,000 rooms, security is an important issue. That said, I never once saw a camera on the elevator lobbies (given the number of floors and rooms, the budget would be considerable, but even so!). To enter your rooms and depending on the hour, a security guard will ask to see your room card, but it is relatively easy to procure a room card. In theory, it could be easy to access the floors with rooms. There is no recognition of your card by the elevator. You could thus easily enter as you wish!
In a 5-star hotel, you should expect to be able to use the fitness center and pool. At the Palazzo, you have to agree to pay a supplementary “resort fee.” The same goes for Wi-Fi access in the room. Then again, you could also use the free Wi-Fi in the Casino section.
The hotel has a great location if you have to go to the Exhibition Center to participate in a fair or conference. Don’t forget to take everything you need for your day. You will easily take up 10 to 15 minutes returning to your room in the event that you forget!
If you are in search of a hotel and a reception site to plan your event in Las Vegas, I encourage you to reach out to me. I have visited other establishments in the area that correspond to the criteria for international 5-star hotels and that are far enough away from the casinos to be calm but close enough for you and your guests to be able to enjoy the capital of games, if you wish.
The Palazzo Hotel – Las Vegas
Laurent Delporte, an editor and conference speaker, is a strategic expert in the sector of hotels. A visionary, he brings his unique look on hotels in service to the decision-makers in the industry, whether to enhance the development of new projects or strategic visions.
Laurent has visited and audited over 350 hotels across the world and also participates in mystery visits to provide quality control for the world’s finest hotels.
