When you want to have fun with the kids, you go to Disney World or some other family-friendly destination, but where do you go for a gambling vacation? Casino enthusiasts have one place in mind – Las Vegas.
With an endless parade of hotels clamouring for business, it’s hard to decide where you’ll spend the night. Do you deplete your entire savings on a luxury stay? Do you play it conservative and save your dollars for the craps table?
Well, maybe these weird facts about Las Vegas hotels will help steer you in the right direction.
1. Worst hospitality services – The Luxor Hotel and Casino
The Luxor resort was at some point the epitome of awful hospitality, but surprisingly it’s not the only contender to this title. A brief search online will yield you a crowded list of shame, with other hotels like the Galaxy or the Desert Hills Motel shocking tourists with dirty rooms, unprofessional staff and shady neighbourhoods.
Many of Luxor’s visitors have complained of bug infestation, cumbersome parking, and a painstaking check-in process. However, after renovation, things seem to have changed for the better. At least in terms of appearance, the MGM-owned casino
2. Most expensive cocktail – Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
Las Vegas is known for its black hole effect, rocketing the decimals in your bank account into oblivion. There are many things to blow your money on, from gambling to spectacular shows. Still, the prize for the highest-priced singular item that will last but a moment goes to the Ono cocktail at the XS nightclub in Encore.
The Ono is a $10,000 cocktail that combines Black Pearl Cognac and high-end champagne. The drink has easily been marked up to a cool $9,900. Thankfully, you’ll also receive an 18k gold necklace and cufflinks to soften the blow.
3. A piece of history at a urinal – Main Street Station Casino, Brewery and Hotel
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, or rather, was destroyed, various onlookers gathered up the pieces. It so ended up scattered all across the globe. One of the pieces, about 3 meters wide and 2 meters tall, wound up in the bathroom of Main Street Station.
Four urinals have been placed on the graffiti-laden wall, which sits behind glass. There’s even a sign that reads, “Over 100 people were killed trying to escape to freedom. Flew over it, dove through it, climbed over it, & even tunnelled under it.”
4. Buried getaway car – Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas’s ties to notorious gangsters have been well documented. You could say that without these morally reprehensible figures and their vision of an oasis in the Nevada desert, Las Vegas as we know it today wouldn’t exist.
The famed gangster, Bugsy Siegel, was involved in the casino’s financing and construction. As such, he would often park his car in a tunnel underneath the Flamingo statue to hide it and make a fast getaway if things started to heat up.
Years after his murder in 1947, they discovered his car still parked in the tunnel. Unable to move it, they filled the tunnel with cement and made it a permanent fixture in the foundation of the Flamingo.
5. Go bowling in your hotel room – The Palms Casino Resort
You can arrange a bowling night that’s also a pyjama party at the Palms Casino Resort for the right price, that is $15,000. Ask for the Kingpin Suite at check-in if you want to spend a night in a room that comes equipped with 2 life-scale bowling lanes.
The whole suite seems to be an ode to bowling and the vibrant Sin City nightlife. The walls are decorated with artistic interpretations of Bill Murray and Woody Harrelson’s characters from the movie “Kingpin,” hence the suite’s name. A DJ booth, pool table, fully stocked bar and 12 TVs round out this 4,420 square foot space.
6. Most disgusting water – Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Did you know that the water they use for the iconic fountains in front of the Bellagio is actually greywater? Greywater is essentially recycled water from bathtubs, showers, and sinks. Luckily, it doesn’t include toilets. It’s disgusting, but hey, it’s recycled. At least they’re not wasting ungodly amounts of water for our amusement.
While the greywater might be gross, the nightly show itself is a spectacle to behold. And, if you have $250,000 to spare, you can control the water and lights. You can take advantage of this sweet but costly deal at the Hyde Bellagio nightclub.
Once you shell over the $250K, a butler will offer you a gold box with a menu of songs to choose from and a red button to kick off the show. They’ll even throw in a 30-litre bottle of champagne for you and your party to drown the night.
These unusual facts about Las Vegas hotels confirm the city is anything but boring, keeping true to its spontaneous and offbeat nature.
