Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

I've been roaming the West for the past ten days and plan to write a report about my stays at MGM Grand, Las Vegas Hilton, Venetian and Wynn. It will be another week before I get my notes together. In the meantime, I sent a brief summary of my one day in Laughlin:

Drove to Laughlin from AZ for one night at Harrah's. First, I checked out Ramada Express before noon Sunday because a friend is an Aztar investor. I was impressed with how clean and fairly new much of the casino was; looked like new carpeting. Lots of new penny slots but higher denomination slots and VP need updating. Checked out two floors of the West Tower to see how the rooms looked. Top floor was all suites. The ones I could see (housekeeping had the doors open) were large and well furnished. A lower floor had standard rooms, and they looked OK but nothing special. The train motif doesn't appeal to me, but it sets Ramada apart. The Steakouse looked very nice, and the Buffet was busy. I donated $100 to AZR on a $5 slot.

I had never stayed, or been in a HET property, so I figured if Harrah's Laughlin was good enough for Danpatchfan, it would be good enough for me. $55 for one night, standard room in South "Adult"
Tower. Room was small, but very clean and comfortable. Bath must have been remodeled in the last year or so. Casino was loaded with 1 and 2 cent slots as well as many multi-denominational reel slots. Didn't see any 9/6 JoB except higher denominations. Range Steakhouse was good considering the prices for full dinner including salad, vegetables were mostly in the mid to high $30 range. Great views of the Colorado from the steakhouse. I wondered whether my Casino Management Association polo shirt would be ok for the Steakhouse. The guy in front of me had on a "A Hog's Head Is Better Than No Head At All" T-shirt, so I concluded I didn't need a dress shirt and
jacket.

I signed up for my Total Rewards Card when I got there and it was Gold. When I asked why I hadn't been given the regular one, they said Gold is the lowest. So much for that. The caste system seems to work very well. The perks for Platinum and Diamond are all very visible which must act as an incentive for customers to play more to get upgraded. Hotel check-in line was long for us peons, but the Platinum counter was almost empty. Next to that is the private office for Diamond check-in.

I have a new appreciation for Loveman. Every employee I met was friendly, helpful AND competent. I was very impressed with how they went out of their way to help and even walk me where I was going. It's as if they were trained by Wynn when he operated Mirage and Bellagio.