Question of the Day - 10 October 2017

[Editor’s (Admittedly Long-Winded) Note: We received this question a while ago and are finally able to answer it.

Generally speaking, we don’t spend much time comparing luxury and high-end accommodations in Las Vegas. As any long-time LVA reader knows, we fall more on the frugal/bargain side of the equation. We can comment on things like the hotel-within-a-hotel concept and a few vital statistics about places like Nobu — their respective number of rooms and suites and starting room rates. But without actually spending time there, we can’t say anything authoritative about the experience, which one needs to judge for oneself by "paying and staying."

One thing we can say about amenities is this: The biggest advantage, to our mind, of these "hidden" Las Vegas hotels is that almost all have special check-in, with their own entrances and lobbies or check-in privileges through the VIP welcome suites.

Anyway, Nobu has 181 suites, a drop in the Caesars 4,000-room bucket, small enough to tout personalized concierge assistance and preferred access to Nobu, the elite Japanese-sushi hotspot downstairs.

And this was all we knew until our guy Andrew Uyal, who works for Caesars Entertainment, stayed there for his anniversary and graciously submitted the following report.]

The first thing that strikes you about the Nobu tower at Caesars Palace is the ease of check-in. When going through the normal process at Caesars or any major Strip hotel, you’re often faced with a massive lobby, long lines, and an ordeal that can take an hour or more. At Nobu, however, we walked straight up to the concierge desk during prime check-in hours, were the only ones in line, and received superb service. The concierge was friendly and solicitous and gave us the rundown on all the amenities available to Nobu guests: health club, business center, and free coffee, tea, and fridge stacked with bottled water.

Because it was our anniversary, she put us up on the 80^th floor, the highest. My wife and I looked at each other. The 80^th floor? Where were we, Stratosphere? It turned out that 80 is more a name than a number; when we exited the elevator (which requires a room key to access, to make sure only guests can use the tower), we were probably only eight floors above the Strip. Nobu’s floors go from 72 to 80, probably to identify them as separate from the other towers, not just because it sounds cooler.

Our room itself was standard-size and surprisingly plain. The décor was Oriental and the leather sectional under the big window was a nice touch. The bed was comfortable, although the pillows were a bit soft for my taste. The walk-in tiled shower was spacious and the sink was the deepest I’ve ever seen.

Minutes after settling into the room, I received a text message from our personal concierge, saying that if we wanted show tickets, spa or dinner reservations, or any other information, I could call or text her and she’d set it all up.

The part of the Nobu experience we were most excited about was the restaurant. We love sushi and Japanese-style dining. Unfortunately, it was such a let-down that we left before getting menus. In a nutshell, the seating is reminiscent of a food court and very close to the parties on either side of us. It was also incredibly loud — we couldn’t hear each other from across the table, nor did we catch a word of the complex ordering options. Far from being romantic, it felt like abuse. No one even glanced at us when we walked out without even seeing a menu.

The highlight of our experience was the Qua Spa, which is more about Caesars than Nobu. Hotel guests qualify for a sizable discount. Since I was new to the spa experience, starting with Qua probably spoiled future spas for me.

All in all, our room wasn’t the nicest we’ve seen by any stretch and the restaurant was a major disappointment. But with the express check-in, tower exclusivity, and personal concierge, if you’re staying at Caesar’s, dishing out some extra dough for Nobu is definitely worth it.