You might start at Venetian or Palazzo. Asked whether timeshare fleas were permitted on-property, spokesman Nathaniel Gray replied, "I don’t believe we do [allow them]. I’m almost positive we don’t." Multiple sources confirmed that condo salespeople are also unwelcome on the premises of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.
You can also stay without fear at any of the myriad Boyd Gaming properties – Main Street Station, the California Hotel, the Fremont Hotel in Downtown; the Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Sam’s Town, etc. off-Strip. "Timeshare salespeople are not permitted to solicit at any Boyd properties in Nevada," says a company rep.
"We do not allow timeshare salesmen on the property," echoes Alex Acuna of Palms Casino Resort. Neither does the Tropicana. Ditto the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "We do not allow any soliciting on property unless they’re a partner [i.e., restaurant or retailer]," an HRH spokeswoman told us.
"We don’t have any [timeshare] partnerships. We don’t do that," says M Resort’s Rina Foster. What’s more, guests who might be accosted by condo salesmen are encouraged to contact the M security detail.
However, you venture at your own risk at certain MGM Resorts International properties. We have been accosted by timeshare hawkers at both Circus Circus and Luxor. Corporate headquarters takes a hands-off stance on the matter: "There is no overall corporate-wide policy on timeshare salesmen; each property has its own operating committee and the committee including the property president makes the decision what will and won’t be allowed," writes MGM’s Yvette Monet. "It’s usually a decision based on the clientele mix."
However, Bellagio, Aria, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Vdara, The Mirage and MGM Grand are salesman-free. That strongly implies that if you are staying at low-end Circus Circus or Excalibur, or at mid-level Luxor, you are of the "clientele mix" that is presumed to be in the market for a condo.
You definitely want to stay away from South Point, which has an open-door policy for salespeople from the neighboring Grandview condo development – which looks like high-rise public housing, but isn’t. What does South Point get out of it? "I can’t discuss that information," a spokeswoman replied. Repeated calls to Stratosphere produced no response but an LVA staffer has been harassed by timeshare fleas on multiple occasions there – the foot of the escalator from the parking garage is where they like to lurk.
An inquiry to Station Casinos also went unanswered, so call ahead and investigate before you book a room at a Station property, just to be on the safe side. You’ll want to steer clear of the Riviera, however. It leases space to Casablanca Express "in what has been a long-term partnership," says a Riv rep.
Yet another company that ducked our calls was Caesars Entertainment. However, we’ve been buttonholed at various of its Strip properties, up to and including Caesars Palace itself. An LVA source assures us that every Caesars property except possibly The Quad (formerly Imperial Palace) has condo hawkers on the premises, however. Planet Hollywood has rented several booths (including two on the casino floor) to Hilton Grand Vacations, which now owns an adjoining timeshare tower. The Hilton folks have also staked out Miracle Mile and are described as "super aggressive." The pitchmen in Planet Hollywood initially "were very aggressive, wandering as much as fifty feet from the booth, but someone put a stop to that." As best LVA can determine, Caesars is collecting a commission from these salespeople, who sell discounted show tickets to things like Hitzville and Marc Savard’s hypnosis show as part of their pitch … and is believed to be doing very well off of them.
