Shouldn't every hotel casino go out of their way or at least TRY to have a great restaurant? It would seem if they did, that it would keep people on the property longer and they'd bet more after their meal.
Had to be 20 years ago I had the greatest burger of my life at the Mirage, and big enough for 3 people. Terrible luck in the casino but didn't care because the food was so incredible.
Tim
Originally posted by: Tim Murtaugh
Shouldn't every hotel casino go out of their way or at least TRY to have a great restaurant? It would seem if they did, that it would keep people on the property longer and they'd bet more after their meal.
Had to be 20 years ago I had the greatest burger of my life at the Mirage, and big enough for 3 people. Terrible luck in the casino but didn't care because the food was so incredible.
Tim
They always have. It's usually been a steak house, sometimes goomay, sometimes a combination of the two. The thing is, that alone didn't keep people on the property as much as a good buffet or a value-oriented coffee shop. Then, when the casinos decided they weren't going to cater to us peasants any more, it was hard to find companies with enough capital to enter (or return to) the high-end casino goomay market. And when they did, the prices they charged were astronomical.
Another factor is that all the non-casino restaurants in Vegas have to be pretty damn good, quality and/or price-wise, just to survive, so they draw away the traffic that used to flock to the casinos for fancy meals.
There's still plenty of places that have good diners and decent comps to spend at them. Nobody does that better than Ellis Island.
I used to love El Cortez for that dynamic back when they had a steak house and seperate diner. Siegels has been a train wreck. I hardly play there anymore.
El Cortez is just a completely different joint now vs even fairly recent (2-3 yrs ago) history; at least in terms of player friendly perks and promos. They went ...well.. somewhat corporate. There is a whole new vibe in there with all the You-Tubers, etc. Change is inevitable.
Originally posted by: Nines
El Cortez is just a completely different joint now vs even fairly recent (2-3 yrs ago) history; at least in terms of player friendly perks and promos. They went ...well.. somewhat corporate. There is a whole new vibe in there with all the You-Tubers, etc. Change is inevitable.
Proving, once again, that not all change is good. Like many other long time El Cortez patrons, I no longer care to frequent the El Cortez. All of Downtown is morphing into a version of the Strip.
Originally posted by: PJ Stroh
There's still plenty of places that have good diners and decent comps to spend at them. Nobody does that better than Ellis Island.
I used to love El Cortez for that dynamic back when they had a steak house and seperate diner. Siegels has been a train wreck. I hardly play there anymore.
absolutely and 100 hundred percent with you on that PF Stroh. The El Cortez was so great with the old style coffee shop and the classy steak house. The LVA and ACG had great coupons in it so I loved to visit. And the place used to be backed back then.
Greed, or whatever you wanna call it, all the party animals that just parked for free and walked through the EC in order to get to the clubs with the noise explosion actually ruined the success of the EC.
I once was a very and back-to-back , year-after-year, loyal customer at the EC. I loved to gamble in the coin section or the breeze way. But then they changed it all. No more steak house, super charged breakfasts, no more points multiplier days, etc etc. The coin videopoker games were so much fun and the people loved it. The drawings attraced the people. Mr John Dorweiler was very nice to me and we had great conversations.
I just don't know what happened over there. I can't go to a place and pay 100 dolalrs for a vintage room in the tower (with all the fees, resort fee?????) and then accept the noise coming from all the clubs that make the entire building shake. It's not fun at all, but they don't change. They never will. It's the way it goes.
And also, before I forget...the sad fact about the homeless people hanging around inside the EC at nights. In the bath room, really sad. Even that we can't change. It's what it is....
Best regards from Switzerland
Boris
First time we stayed at El Cortez was probably like 2015/16 or so. Paid $18/night for a room above the casino. It was perfect. Played $5 craps and blackjack. Wife won on the slots. Those were the good old days. Now, they've cranked up the cost of the rooms and ruined their gaming. I used to love the place, but a lot of times we don't even go down there anymore. I'm not saying that rooms should still be $18, but they are priced closer to deals I can get at Wynn/Encore ($174/night, resort fee included during the week) which is a joke.
Originally posted by: Michael
First time we stayed at El Cortez was probably like 2015/16 or so. Paid $18/night for a room above the casino. It was perfect. Played $5 craps and blackjack. Wife won on the slots. Those were the good old days. Now, they've cranked up the cost of the rooms and ruined their gaming. I used to love the place, but a lot of times we don't even go down there anymore. I'm not saying that rooms should still be $18, but they are priced closer to deals I can get at Wynn/Encore ($174/night, resort fee included during the week) which is a joke.
Michael
I used to be a regular guest at the EC, for many years. it was back then when they had the coin-operated slots with great paytables down by the Subway. And yes, it was dirty at times, and yes, there were strange subjects in the casino escaping from the heat. It was ok. I had no problems ever because I really liked to play the Downtown Deuces, the Double Deuces, and the 5-8 DDB progressive which sometimes went as high as 3000 Dollars before it it. The staff was friendly and they treated me good. They had multiplier days that had a real value for the guest because after a long session you had earned enough points to buy yourself breakfast or could use those points in the gift shop for a t-shirt or some snacks for later.
They removed the good machines and some of the machines that are left and still coin-operated take 4 dollars coin-in to earn 1 point. Ok, they give you comps and points, but the comps are based on a different calculation and are worth not much anymore because a breakfast in the bugsy 1941 can easily cost 25 dollars now. How much is coffee now? 4.99 plus tax ?
I spoke to the hotel manager about other issues I had there (the incredible noise coming from the Fremont East clubs). The manager agrees with me but not much they can do as it^s a free country (???). The noise is so extreme that it even makes the windows and walls vibrate at times, that^s why I could, if I opt to stay there, only get sleep in a room facing North Las Vegas. It's actually impossible for me to sleep in a room facing South.
the room rates have gone up at the same pace they jacked-up the price for coffee in the coffee shop. I still love the El Cortez but they upgraded and made it a real boutique casino. It used to be a value place with certain boutique style aspects. But then the new generation video slots arrived with all the big screens. The once what used to look like a classy vintage casino main floor is now packed and stuffed with those super high tech machines that the millenium generation casino guests obviously find cool. I don't find them so cool as I am already older but I remember the great days of the El Cortez with the old and classic coffee shop and the steak house. And the times when gamblng had a great value and food was inexpensive were the times when I loved to stay at the EC. I lost money back then, still. I'm not saying I left a winner. But now I don't lose any money there no more because I simply don't go there anymore. Not a big deal for the EC. They still get their revenues, so no bad feeling. I found another great place that appreciates my business, and I appreciate their service. It's all good.
From Switzerland
Boris
