So Disappointed with Wynn; Bellagio is a much better hotel.
Written: Jan 13 '06 (Updated Jan 13 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The Wynn dream beds. Terrace Point Cafe. Shopping/browsing.
Cons: Too many negatives to list.
The Bottom Line: Did I forget to mention that housekeeping is non-existent? They come to clean rooms when they feel like it, if at all!
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| Pisces's Full Review: Wynn Hotel Las Vegas |
I stayed at the Wynn Hotel for 4 nights in December. That was 4 nights too many.
HISTORY OF WYNN:
Steve Wynn, after building Mirage, Treasure Island, and Bellagio, and selling off those, decided to implode the old Desert Inn, which was located a bit farther North Strip than any of those other casinos above, all to build his namesake "The Wynn Las Vegas Resort". It took about 3 years to build, and in that time Wynn Resort Las Vegas was promised to take Las Vegas to new heights and far outdo anything previously seen before. It has been said to be the most expensive hotel ever built, costing 2.7 billion; whereas Bellagio cost 1.6 billion to build.
In a 4-night stay, I looked around, and I sure didn't see 2.7 billion. Somebody got ripped off, and after having experienced firsthand the place, as a Wynn guest, I think it was me.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE ROOM RATE ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP:
Wynn Resorts mailed me a promotion for a nightly rate of $159 Sunday thru Thursday, and $239 Friday and Saturday, during December 2005. I didn't think that was a very good value. It's more expensive than Bellagio during that week, and it was more expensive than Venetian---Bellagio and Venetian being comparably upscale resorts, with lower rates at that same time. December is the slowest month of the year in Las Vegas. Bellagio was running a promotion for lakeview rooms at $139.00, and Venetian had rooms for $129.00 midweek, all cheaper than Wynn.
Nevertheless, never having stayed at Wynn (It being the newest Casino/Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, and wanting to sample what THEY (Wynn Resorts) insist is the latest and greatest), I coughed up their required $159 for an initial 5 nights, midweek, in December.
On sites such as Trip Advisor, there had been a slew of negative reviews. I figured some of those negative reviews just had an ax to grind because of the high prices. After having seen for myself the dysfunction of Wynn, I can vouch for all the negative reviews, and the truthfulness of every last complaint.
THE SPECIAL WYNN GUEST ROOMS:
The only thing special about Wynn Guest Rooms, at least the standard guest room I stayed in, was the Wynn Dream Bed. That's it, I really can't think of anything else, and I seriously tried to like that room.
I'll get to what's wrong with the Guest Rooms in a minute, but yes, the bed: The bed in the Wynn guest room is the best hotel bed I've ever slept on. The mattress is like having a successful back surgery, and never having back problems again. You don't ever want to leave that bed, for the sake of your bad back. I'm convinced the linens are the highest thread count of any luxury hotel I've ever stayed in. The bedspread is so crisp, yet fluffy, and the whole thing feels very substantial, yet light and airless, like you are floating in the clouds. The blanket is one of those soft pashmina deals, and I love the fact that they include an actual blanket. Too many upscale hotels are ditching the standard blanket in favor of heavy quilts----bad bad bad. I still like a traditional blanket on a made up bed. I wished I'd turned over the mattress to see what brand it was. However, I think both the linens and mattress are custom made exclusively for Wynn Las Vegas. And there you have it. If I stopped right here, this would be a great hotel.
THE THINGS THAT RUIN THE WYNN GUESTROOM EXPERIENCE:
There are pictures everywhere of Wynn Guestrooms all over the Internet. But, seeing it in person, my overwhelming impressions are that it's just a very unusual, odd room. For a hotel that cost, supposedly, 2.7 billion to build, the adjectives "odd", and "unusual" shouldn't be coming to mind. Yet, the "Dreambed" notwithstanding, I feel that way about the standard Wynn Guestrooms.
They advertise their "sweeping" wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows. But, floor to ceiling windows are not so unique in Las Vegas. The Flamingo, a less expensive hotel in a much better location mid-strip has floor to ceiling windows. And, Flamingo was running a rate of $55.00 a night during that week.
I could appreciate floor-to-ceiling windows-- would that there was something to see out them. Wynn is in such a poor location that all you can see, at least in the foreground, with one of their "strip views" is piles of rubble from neighboring construction sites.
I was up very high on the 54th floor, again, on the Strip side. You might think that being up that high would offer incredible views, and it might, if we were talking mid-strip. But, at this location, that high up, all you really see is a bunch of cement rooftops in the background, and as I've said before, construction sites in the foreground.
Because of the poor location of the Wynn Hotel, that far North, wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling windows are not the big draw that they make it out to be, and it certainly doesn't justify them having the most expensive room rates on the Strip.
THE WALLPAPER AND DECOR:
In a word: Strange, odd, bizarre; and again, I shouldn't be saying that about the costliest hotel, and most expensive room rates on the Strip. Wynn's standard rooms have a very dark wall. Some of the rooms have a darkish red wall, and some have a darkish brown. The dark of the walls gives a very closed-off, sort of a tunnel-like feeling to the room. You feel closed in. Why do that? And, it's the same depressing, dark, wallpaper in the bathroom---oh, I'll get to the unusual guestroom bathrooms in a moment.
I like a much more expansive, breezy, airy, light-colored wall; say, the new luxury rooms at Caesars Palace Augustus Tower, which have a light ink-blot type of wall paper, not to mention the beautiful thick guest room carpeting of Caesars Palace luxury guestrooms. The carpet in the Wynn Guestroom felt like it had absolutely no padding underneath, and it looked extremely thin, flimsy and just plain cheap.
Lets talk about the artwork on the guest room walls---lighted reproductions of modern Andy Warhol. Just as I was saying, "odd", "unusual", "bizarre"----well, I guess it's consistent with the whole theme throughout Wynn. However, I like a more classic art, perhaps something more from the Impressionistic, or Renaissance period---the kind of artwork you'd see at Bellagio or Venetian, or the Pompeiian murals at Caesars Palace, which are so evocative and dreamy. Nothing like that at Wynn.
THE OVERBLOWN GIZMOS AND GADGETS IN THE WYNN GUESTROOM:
Wynn really touts their high-tech TVs in each guest room. And yes, there are many channels on those TVs to choose from. It is the only hotel I've stayed at that has HDTV as standard. However, HDTV is only good if your favorite shows broadcast in the HDTV format. Moreover, my TV broke down several times. Apparently the whole Casino is on the same computer system, so said the exhausted looking engineering guy who was summoned to fix the TV, and countless others throughout the resort, I'm told. And so, if there's so much as one single computer glitch throughout the entire resort.....you can't watch TV. Too bad, I guess.
If the TV actually worked, and all of my favorite shows were actually broadcast in the HDTV format, then the TV might be good.....provided you could see it.
The "special" Wynn HDTV does not pivot or come forward, and it's too far from the great bed to view. I had to set up a chair at the bar to see it and then crank my neck and stare up up up. This special TV does not lower or rise, and it only turns one way. Yes, it's large screen, but still, I'm blind as a bat, and I want the option of moving it forward. Never mind my stiff neck.
Again, this would easily be the best TV, with the most channels of any hotel ever, I've ever experienced....would that it were functional. There are several channels of satellite music for instance: Music Choice, and also music channels playing, set against special atmosphere backdrops. There's a lot to explore on that TV---when the whole hotel's computer system is up and running, though, which it didn't seem to be, several times throughout my stay.
HUMIDIFIERS, DOORKEYS, FLIMSY DRAWERS, SMOKE AND NOISE:
I'm from the beach and used to a marine climate. So, naturally, I always ask Housekeeping to send up a humidifier when in the harsh dryness of the Desert. I figured with all the "high-tech" gizmos and gadgets, and this being said to be the latest and greatest cutting-edge of hotels.....surely I'd get the most superior, computerized humidifier there was, sent up to me.
Apparently, the exclusive Wynn Resorts is utilizing Walgreen's Standard humidifiers---the cheapest humidifiers on the market. Fortunately Wynn is located one bridge across from the Fashion Show Mall with a Sharper Image, where I was able to buy a bit more sophisticated personal, computerized, humidifier that was much quieter than the Walgreen's standard that Wynn unloads on its guests. But the question is: why should I have to do that at what is supposedly a luxury hotel with the most expensive rates on the Strip?
Bellagio guest humidifiers are top-of-the-line, and it makes a difference. We are in the Desert, providing decent humidifier should be basic.
Here's a glitch that I would have never expected from the world's most expensive hotel that just opened: My guest room front door repeatedly sticking. You'd have to bang it, and pull it shut hard, THEN open it....to enter the room. Sticky door. And you can imagine the noise of having to bang a door to get it to open. The soundproofing in the rooms is horrible anyway, which means, when you're inside your own guestroom, you can hear clanging and banging doors of neighboring rooms all the way down the hallway. How I longed for the quiet of Caesars Palace--Palace Tower/Augustus Tower rooms. Caesars Palace got it right. In their guest rooms, with the wall-to-wall, padded carpeting...Caesars manages to muffle any and all sound coming from the corridors. Wynn has a marble entryway floor; and, although it's nice to have a marble entryway----that entryway floor will pick up any last sound coming from outside in the hallway.
Who designed the Wynn, and why didn't they think these things through?
The noise coming from the outside hallways is the least of it, though. The fact that Wynn was built not far from railroad tracks means that you hear the whistle of trains coming every 15 minutes. Moreover the curve of the complex of Wynn itself, seems to trap any and all noises coming from the Strip. Ambulances going all night long, construction noise etc. My advice? If you are checking in to the Wynn, get a Golf Course view----much quieter; but naturally, those rooms (Golf Course View) are much more in demand and harder to get. And, who goes to Las Vegas to look at a Golf Course? My thinking is that if I'm in Las Vegas, I want to look at the lights of the Strip.
I just don't want to hear it.
At Caesars Palace, which is built in a straight line, (The Palace and Augustus Towers) ---all noise seems to bounce off the Caesars building and away from Caesars guest rooms. Again, because Wynn is built in a curve, and the stripview guestrooms are in the middle of that curve, all noise coming from outside is concentrated and trapped in the curve, and as a guest, you hear each and every train roar, loud billboard, horn, car crash etc. Noise pollution---- and smoke pollution.
Did I mention that their non-smoking rooms, still have a smoking smell? What is the Wynn Resorts commitment to providing a smoke-free environment? When you are paying top-of-the-line rates, I do feel they have some obligation. Of course, with Steve Wynn strutting and swaggering around the premises with that obnoxious pipe hanging out of his mouth.....you know their commitment to a smoke-free environment is about the same as their commitment to reducing noise pollution.
Currently, I've found the least smoky guestrooms to be Caesars Palace Augustus Tower, and Bellagio's lower floor guestrooms. In all fairness, Las Vegas as a whole is Smoking Central, and "non-smoking" is never enforced. At Wynn, I was on the 54th floor. Smoke rises, so the higher up you go, the more the smoke concentrates, I guess. The higher floors are probably in demand by everyone. Again, it really shouldn't matter, though, at that price level. To pay Wynn's highest rates of any other hotel on the Strip, I feel I'm entitled to, at least, a degree of breathable air.
Last thing about the disappointing, smoky, noise polluted Wynn Guest Strip View guestrooms: There's no place to put your clothes. I was surprised that Wynn provides one little flimsy drawer. Part of the fun of staying at a luxury hotel is the sweeping, fanciful, luxurious armoire. Both Bellagio and Caesars Augustus Tower provide really handsome cherrywood Armoires in which you could fit a small city into. The Bellagio guest room armoires are so spectacular with the decorative curves and lit, oversize closet spaces right inside the armoire, that they (Bellagio Armoires) feel like royal walk in closets. At Wynn? Nothing. No sweeping armoire, which means practically no storage. Oh, Wynn provides a small dinky closet with glazed windowed doors. But, it's not a walk-in closet, and it has absolutely no depth to it ala the special Bellagio armoires that I longed for.
WYNN'S BIZARRE GUESTROOM BATHROOMS:
The Wynn Guest bathrooms had potential. They are certainly large and oversized enough, but some of the fixtures are not comfortable and intuitive. The hot and cold buttons on the double faucets....where are they? There's a chair at the vanity, but the back rest doesn't come up high enough, and no armrests. The soaking tub is deep, but once again, no arm or leg rests. Sure there's a TV in the bathroom, but it's not the good HDTV, with the special channels. Need I mention the harsh florescent bathroom lighting? Wynn provides a lighted makeup mirror already, so why not just have a much more romantic chandelier lighting with dimmers in their bathroom? Something feels really---off about Wynn bathrooms. Fixtures aren't classic, and in their attempt to be trendy, it just comes off as confusing and annoying.
Case in point: The extra roll of toilet paper in the separate toilet room, has a cutsey little tagline saying "emergency backup". In fact all printed material at Wynn seems to come with these types of cutsey and cloying bylines: The room service menu and it's tagline: "You can eat in our beds anytime".
I don't feel like I need a annoying slogan, or irritating soundbite plastered all over each piece of printed media, or furnishing, every time I turn around. I know what toilet paper is. I don't need it spelled out for me. I know what a room service menu is. I don't need cliched soundbites that masquerade as clever and trendy. But then again, the whole of Wynn, with his name plastered all over everything turns it into one big cheese-y soundbite, and promo. Branding. Annoying branding every time you turn around. Even on the toilet paper, no less.
WYNN BUFFET:
There's something "off" about this buffet. Once again, there's something rather odd, and strange about it. The decor is plush and comfortable enough, but parts of the design and decor look like nothing more than a department store tea room, with high ceilings. The seating area is a series of separate rooms, the best being the front seating area which has mosaics of fruit baskets, transparent open-air ceilings, charming displays, and just a bright and airy feel to it. Some of the other buffet seating rooms where you may or may not be seated, are downright claustrophobic with that 1930s department store tea room feel. The serving area where the food is located is rather small, it just looks bigger because they decorated much of it with mirrors. Sad that they needed to camouflage and give the illusion of bigger space by using mirrored walls. Remember, this whole complex---The Wynn Las Vegas Resort was purported to cost 2.7 billion in its entirety. 2.7 ought to have bought something better than whole sections of mirrored walls to create illusory space.
Anyway, the food itself, at the Wynn Buffet is nothing special, you just wouldn't know that from the hoards of people that crowd in eagerly like sardines to go to this buffet. It's one of those places where popularity doesn't reflect quality. What surprised me the most about the Wynn Buffet was not the high prices, but the lack of Asian cuisine. Steve Wynn prides himself on doing everything he can to woo Asians. The Chinese New Year is a big deal in Las Vegas. Everyone's building casinos in China, and they are the biggest gamblers. So why can't the Wynn Buffet serve a decent chow mein? Or, any chow mein whatsoever. Not at dinner, not lunch, and certainly not breakfast did I see one iota of dim sum or chow mein. The best the Wynn Buffet was able to manage was a small Asian soup bar with only a couple of choices that you have to wait for someone to prepare for you. Wynn Buffet has a sushi station, that nobody goes to. There's some steamed rice, and that's essentially all they've got for Asian cuisine at the Wynn Buffet. Shocking, given Bellagio Buffets extensive Asian section. Bellagio serves their own, from-scratch, house chow mein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And, Bellagio has far more variety of Asian creations. Of course, Bellagio far outdoes Wynn on every level, but that's another topic.
For me, one of the hallmarks of a decent buffet, especially an upscale luxury buffet.....is the smoked salmon. I felt Wynn Buffet's smoked salmon was clearly inferior. It tasted salty and stringy. I can tell the difference between fresh and store bought lox. I know for a fact that Bellagio smokes their salmon in-house, right on the premises. I would highly doubt, going by the taste if Wynn does that, and it is unforgivable if you are paying over $25.00, per person, for a brunch buffet.
DESSERTS AT THE WYNN BUFFET AND IN GENERAL:
What's really unforgivable is the astonishing lack of desserts at the Wynn Buffet, and throughout the Wynn premises. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth and at the end of a buffet, would like to see a sprawling dessert section. What the Wynn Buffet features .....is a sprawling Gelato/Ice Cream section. Ice Cream in December? At the Wynn Buffet, pastries are secondary and take a back seat to ice cream. And, what little pastries there are at Wynn Buffet....they certainly don't have anything good of the chocolate variety. I do tend to crave a little something chocolate after a luxury buffet meal. Perhaps a nice chocolate mousse, or chocolate souffle. Good luck finding that at Wynn. The only pastries I saw after numerous trips to the Wynn buffet, was the same sorry looking lemon tart, and strawberry shortcake. Day after day. Just those two. No signature chocolate creations ala Bellagio, no sprawling pastry counter, just the same over-buttered lemon tart, and sad strawberry shortcake. Again, that and ice cream in December, pretty much completes the depressing dessert section at Wynn Buffet. There was a crepe station, but surprise, surprise....the crepe burners weren't working while I was there.
By the way, if you are looking for a dedicated Pastry Shop at Wynn.....that would be down the street at Bellagio, which is Pastry Central. Wynn has one lone chocolate shop in their shopping promenade titled "Chocolat" but, I can tell you, it's little more than a glorified See's Candy Store with much higher prices and absolutely no pastries.
Anyone who's a dessert fanatic with a raging sweet tooth, owes it to themselves to high-tail it over to Bellagio, ----both Belagio's dedicated Pastry Shop and the Buffet at Bellagio are doing such incredible, and custom, fantasy dessert creations, that it completely blows Wynn right out of the water.
IS THERE ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE WYNN BUFFET?:
Tea. The Wynn Buffet does a very nice tea service when you order tea as your drink. They have a variety of breakfast teas and other exotic teas that are standard at the buffet. You do need to ask for what you want though, they might not tell you. Once you do ask, the skies the limit. The service itself comes with a great little kettle that houses an endless bounty of stay-hot water, extra spouts and mixers, coasters, and such. Again this does seem to be standard, and included in the buffet. I was surprised because most of the time when you order tea, all you get, at most buffets is a few generic bags slapped on the table, along with tepid water and a cup, if that. Tea service at the Wynn Buffet is so much more, and comes with nearly all the trimmings of a classic English high tea, and at no extra charge...but again, you do need to request it!
Breakfast is probably the cheapest and most satisfying meal at the Wynn Buffet. They have hand-cut bacon from the slab, which is unique and something I've never seen before. The steel-cut oatmeal and the tremendous selection and variety of berries is very charming. Wynn Buffet does a variety of breakfast potatoes, from a country skillet to standard house hash browns, which are quite good.
Again, I was horribly disappointed in their smoked salmon, but everything else I tasted at Wynn Buffet Breakfast was decent.
Overall, Wynn doesn't have a terrible buffet. Wynn Buffet just simply doesn't come anywhere near Bellagio Buffet, or Paris Las Vegas Buffet. Not in quality, and not in variety. Yet, their prices are just as high, if not the highest on the Strip, so I think I'm justified in my disappointment.
THE TERRACE POINT CAFE RESTAURANT:
Every hotel/casino has a 24-hour cafe, and the Terrace Point is Wynn's. And, my one meal there was a very positive experience. The decor at Terrace Point is very nice. They have a variety of different tables that have charming set-ups and individual ambience at each different table. The vaulted ceilings, chandelier, interesting carpet, and other assorted architectural details give the eye lots to gaze at. During my meal at Terrace Point, it was nighttime. I imagine during the day the views out the sweeping windows---views of the manicured pool area must be spectacular.
I ordered the cheapest things I could find on the menu, which were the spaghetti, and a bowl of French Onion Soup. The portions were extremely large. The spaghetti was very hearty and tasted very home-made. The French Onion soup was layered with a thick French bread slice and topped with an extensive mound of gruyere cheese. Actually, I made myself a little grilled cheese sandwich with just that bread and cheese alone.
I don't have any complaints about the Terrace Point Cafe, other than the high prices of everything else on their menu. My bill came to about $25.00 before tax and tip. That's kind of expensive for pasta, yet with the soup, and because the portions were so large and hearty (that order of spaghetti could've served two) ---I'm a single diner--------I do feel that this was somewhat of a good value.
I must say the service at Terrace Point Cafe was superior. Usually single diners get ignored, but not here. I was really overwhelmed with the politeness, that didn't go overboard; just a competent and quick kind of service with an extremely polite and efficient attitude.
As disappointed with the total Wynn experience as I was, and although I'd never stay with them again as a guest....I actually would go back to the Terrace Point Cafe, and probably order that same spaghetti and French onion soup again!
WYNN POOL....HINT---IT'S NOT BELLAGIO!:
I do like to sit out by a good luxury hotel pool, during all times of the year, and wile away the days, provided there's something to see. And therein lies the central problem with the Wynn Pool, there isn't much to gaze out out.
One of the biggest problems with the Wynn pool is that the whole area is mostly dedicated to cabanas. If you aren't spending the upwards of $500.00 per day extra to rent a cabana, and you just want a nice chaise........good luck. To me, cabanas should be secondary. The standard chaise lounges should be positioned front and center, and the cabanas should be the after-thought. ---Like at Bellagio, where every chaise is well-located.
Moreover, Bellagio's pool area has beautiful fruit trees, and fountain pools which provide incredible ambience, and little shops you can meander if you want a break from sitting. No such shopping area to stroll around at Wynn's pool area. Diversions. Little things to do and wander to, should you want a break from sunning and what not. That doesn't exist at the Wynn Pool.
The Wynn Pool has wonderfully manicured shrubbery and foliage. There are little pathways with decorative cement tile. It's certainly a very nice pool area, but it's not spectacular like Bellagio's pool. There are a few dull/dead spots at the Wynn Pool, where you are simply looking at the side of buildings/stucco.....very unlike Bellagio where, everywhere your eye gazes, you see charming windows, fountains or trees.
What is unique at the Wynn Pool area is the little bridges going up over the pool. Yet, what kills it is the fact that there there's no chaises facing that part. Once again, to get any worthwhile spot, with gaze-ability at the Wynn Pool, you need to rent the $500.00 a day Cabanas, and even then, they might be all full, or give you a lesser view if you aren't a high roller enough to get the very best cabana. It really shouldn't be like that. I'd want a pool area to be slightly more democratic than that. The type of pool area where every spot is a good spot, regardless of if you are wealthy and famous enough to snag the right Cabana or not.
By the way, the whole Wynn pool area is not accessible to outsiders. You must be staying at Wynn, as a guest to access that area.
On the whole it's a beautiful area, if a bit generic in some places, but to get the full enjoyment out of it, you'd need to rent a cabana.
GAMBLING AT WYNN:
Wynn's Poker room is supposed to be one of the best. I'll go along with that, since Poker isn't my game, and I've not heard about any problems with their Poker room. It certainly looked luxurious and exciting enough staring in from the rail.
My game is Blackjack, and I didn't find any acceptable tables at the Wynn. I did not see a single $10.00 Blackjack table to be had. And yet, you guessed it...Bellagio, midstrip, had dozens of $10.00 tables open.
Blackjack, these days, on the Strip is a big loser, which is why I'm not willing to start with the $15.00 minimums the Wynn demands. And, I saw very few $15.00 minimum tables available at Wynn, anyway. Most of all the Blackjack tables I saw, in December, started at $20.00. I say go to Bellagio for $10.00 tables. Actually, Bellagio has a few $5.00 minimum tables, also!
Slots at Wynn were also nothing special. I'd say I ran about $50.00 total through various nickel and quarter slots in 4 days. My $50.00 yielded nothing, so I gave up and quit right there. But, yes I did see a good degree of nickel, and even penny slots. Don't expect much play, though. In all fairness, maybe that's the case everywhere on the Strip?
DECOR, LOBBY, MISCELLANEOUS:
The public areas of Wynn are decorated in a certain style, that I can only describe as ....claustrophobic. In the casino proper, at least, there is an annoying, agitating, dark, deep red that drips from the ceiling panels to the walls. It makes everything feel closed in. That and the harsh, thumping beat of the tribal-type music (Or, do they consider that New Age?) ....makes for a very agitating, exhausting casino experience. In other words, it's not the type of Casino that you'd want to linger in....linger at the slots? If anything you are so exhausted you want to get away from that pounding music and endless red, painted everywhere.
There is kind of a transitional garden area off the lobby that separates the Casino from everywhere else. But, once again, I found the Wynn Garden area to be, odd, and strange. There were a lot of lit trees with plant mosaics hanging from the open air sky rafters. It's not quite a horticulture conservatory (Bellagio). I wouldn't call it exactly a garden. It didn't seem to be particularly Christmas-y. It's just these trees and mosaics that seem to hover over you with no particular purpose whatsoever. What is the purpose of this area? Clearly, the guest isn't meant to linger there, since there are no benches are comfy chairs.
Actually, there are no places to sit, comfy chairs, or benches anywhere on the Wynn premises. So, at their most crowded they have masses of folks sitting on the floor. Not very classy for what's purported to be the most exclusive luxury hotel, is it? Bellagio has comfy chairs everywhere you turn around spaced all throughout its corridors.
THE SPECIAL WYNN LAKESIDE SHOW---IT'S SURE NOT FANTASMIC!:
I actually don't know how to describe the special lakeside show that Wynn puts on nightly out at their lake area. Actually before I attempt to describe it, I'd have to ask the question, why have a lake and waterfalls to begin with? Steve Wynn prided himself on not repeating his designs, and he already designed the lake to end all lakes with the Bellagio's. Wynn Hotel's puny lake doesn't come anywhere close to that. The Wynn waterfalls, are just waterfalls. There's nothing any more special about Wynn's waterfalls, than there are with Mirage's across the street.
The overblown "show" is really nothing more than a projector flashing a few images onto the lake at night--- images that make absolutely no sense, aren't coherent, evocative, emotional, artistic, or the least bit creative.
For instance, their special Christmas show: All that was, was a projector flashing cartoon snow flakes onto a screen adjacent to the Wynn Mountain, set to Nat King Cole music. That's it. Merry Christmas. A few projector snow flakes, and a Nat King Cole song. Well, I do like Nat, but for a hotel that prides itself on being cutting edge, their antiquated projector and the flimsy images it projects, aren't very engaging, or spectacular.
There are a few other shows with flowers and frogs coming out the top of the Wynn Mountain, what kills those is that you can see the cranes moving the animatronic frogs and flowers....all this while an obvious projector flashes changing colors onto the lake.
None of this is very sophisticated, delightful, or particularly charming. And, I see why Steve Wynn wanted people to have to come inside the hotel to view these laughable shows. They are too embarrassing to be seen from the Strip.
A FEW POSITIVES:
I will say this, the Wynn Front Desk/Lobby personnel were extremely polite and efficient. I never had any kind of wait at their lobby, neither when I checked-in, nor checked out.....and I did check out early, after being so underwhelmed.
The shopping promenade, which they are calling Wynn Esplanade, is quite nice, and the variety of shops at Wynn Esplanade is much more extensive than at Bellagio's Shops. Things are still too expensive to buy anything at the Wynn Esplanade, but there is wonderful browsing, and you can spend hours just looking at all the gizmos and electronics they have on tasteful display. If you are interested in some of the electronics from the room, or finding out more about the bed linens and such, it is quite fascinating, as there is a whole home decor shop at the Wynn Esplanade, with all the room furnishings, plus other home furnishings to browse. "Gizmos" is the name of the retail store inside Wynn that carries all the special Guestroom electronics. Again, Wynn Shopping area is quite charming, even when browsing.
Across the street from the Wynn Resort, there is The Fashion Show Mall with six, or is that seven? full-service department stores. This is just a bridge away. It's true. You walk outside Wynn, and simply hop a bridge, and in less than two minutes you are at Neiman Marcus. And, the Fashion Show does have a beautiful Neiman Marcus plus lots of other stores, which made fun browsing at Christmas.
However, the Forum Shops at Caesars still beats all of that for shopping, and that's mid-strip, which Wynn isn't.
CONCLUSION: I'll never stay with Wynn again, and I ended up checking out a day earlier. I just couldn't take the smoke, the noise, the red, or the poor location, a moment longer.
In the past 6 years, I've stayed at Golden Nugget, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Flamingo, and Caesars Palace. I would easily recommend all of those hotels way before staying at Wynn. Well, maybe not Golden Nugget. But certainly Caesars and Bellagio, which are truly spectacular hotels/casinos. And, someone who's determined to spend luxury dollars shouldn't be thinking anywhere else except Caesars and Bellagio. Caesars is such a classic, with quiet rooms in their brand new Augustus Tower. And, Bellagio is the total experience, with legendary pastries, a better water show, more evocative theme-ing, and far more romantic in every aspect, than Wynn.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Pisces
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 143
Trusted by: 24 members
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