Your email was the first we'd heard of it but we followed up with a call and yes, it's true!
This might not sound like such earth-shattering news to some, but in Las Vegas it is very unusual for a hotel room to have a balcony, or even a window that actually opens, unless you're in a serious suite or villa.
There are a number of reasons for this, not least the fact that Nevada has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation (a somewhat morbid topic we've tackled in the past (see QoD 10/18/2005 in the Archives)
Bugs are another issue. In the springtime, when the weather's at its most inviting and sitting outside on your balcony to watch the lights come up on the Strip might seem like a pleasant early evening activity, you run the risk of admitting some unwanted visitors into your room... Hence, don't be surprised to find signs in your hotel room announcing: "Moth season -- please keep vent closed."
Building balconies obviously adds to the construction costs of a hotel, too, while the ability for absent-minded guests to leave windows open could really crank up the A/C and heating bills for a major resort. Plus, in a city that would prefer to have its guests playing down on the casino floor, or at least catching a show or enjoying some kind of fine dining or retail experience, it's well known that the policy has always been to make the standard hotel room functional, but not so comfortable that you'd want to hang out in it too much (hence, also, the lack of coffee makers and other amenities that tend to be standard in many hotels elsewhere).
So, while back in the day when the original hotels here were not much more than low-rise upscale motels, but also were more concerned generally with delivering a comfortable and luxurious vibe as opposed to avoiding a death/lawsuit/health & safety violation, balconies (like hotel-pool diving boards) were commonplace. Today, they tend to be found a) as a lingering vestige of some older property that has not yet succumbed to the inevitable "upgrading" of the wrecking ball, or else b) they are provided by casino-less hotels, who evidently feel that the risk of suicide is significantly diminished among their non-gaming clientele and that it's worth taking a chance on including this popular, if potentially hazardous, amenity.
In the former category, you'll find: The Quad, which had some balcony rooms back in its Imperial Palace days (but they, along with the pool, are currently closed for a "remodel," which they may or may not survive, we reckon); Harrah's, were a select number of rooms overlooking the pool have small balconies (we've seen them described as "a really narrow concrete ledge not large enough to take a chair onto") and the reservations staff we spoke with all denied their existence, although we know they used to be there and suspect that they still are; at Hooters, what was known as the "Gold Tower" during its previous incarnation as the San Remo, have balconies (there's no extra charge, but the rooms must be requested); at the Royal Resort some rooms (those with even numbers) have balconies, but they have only north- and south-facing views, i.e., not of the Strip; the Sahara used to have some rooms and suites with balconies, but we think these succumbed to the SLS makeover; about two-thirds of the Garden Rooms (bungalows) at the "New" Tropicana have balconies, one of those examples of survivors from a bygone age. The accommodations received an upgrade along with the rest of the joint, but the balcony rooms have survived, although as the highest of them is only three stories, there's not much in the way of views to be had.
Again, the other mid-range or higher properties that have balconies tend not to have casinos, including Platinum, Staybridge Suites, and Signature at MGM Grand. When The Cosmopolitan opened with balconies for all its rooms, it was a major talking point and there has been at least one suicide since then, but it's perhaps of more significance that although this hotel does have a casino, it seems to belong better in this group of upscale non-gaming joints (much to the chagrin of Deutsche Bank).
It is to this latter group that Palms Place can now add itself, as our call yesterday confirmed. There's been a lot of upheaval under the Palms umbrella over the past few years, and evidently one aspect of the fallout was the closure of all the balconies at Palms Place two years ago. In recent months, an experiment has been launched to reopen those balconies that can be (some aren't up to code, others pose security issues, and so on), so were feasible windows are once more being flung open and exterior views enjoyed. Just remember the bug spray!
