Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

100
CHAPTER 5 . WHERE TO STAY
Tips Is There a Doctor in the House?
The Imperial Palace hotel has a well-appointed 24-hour urgent-care clinic,
which is open to the public. Given its location, right in the middle of the
action, it’s well worth knowing about.
Imperial Palace Value Location, location, location. And price, price, price.
That’s what the IP has going for it—don’t think anything else. It’s smack in the
middle of the Strip—it doesn’t get any more centrally located than this—and on
a weekend night when rooms at nicer hotels are running $400 (that’s for a regular
room) lodgings can be had here for under $60. What you get in exchange is
an older, darker hotel that looks sort of sleazy in spots, but really isn’t. Not
much, anyway. It just seems like it in comparison to the gleaming hulks across
and down the street. We actually know types who prefer this, a more classic
Vegas feel, to the airy new upstarts. We aren’t among those, we have to admit,
and you may not be as well. The standard rooms are just that (remodeling is in
the works, which is a good thing), but they all have balconies, which is exceedingly
rare in Vegas. A perfect Vegas hoot, the “luv tub” rooms are some of the
best deals on the Strip, especially if you can get them for the cheapest end of the
price range; you’ll get a larger bedroom (with a mirror over the bed!) and a
larger-than-usual bathroom that features a 300-gallon sunken “luv tub” (with
still more mirrors).
From April to October, the hotel holds “luaus” at the pool, with a Polynesian
revue and buffet. Expect tiki torches.
The hotel is also home to the long-running Legends in Concert impersonator
show (p. 253). The casino has relatively low (for the Strip) table limits.
A unique feature is the Auto Collections at Imperial Palace (p. 176), displaying
more than 800 antique, classic, and special-interest vehicles spanning a
century of automotive history.
3535 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (between Sands Ave. and Flamingo Rd.), Las Vegas, NV 89109. & 800/634-6441 or
702/731-3311. Fax 702/735-8578. www.imperialpalace.com. 2,700 units. $49 and up double; $79 and up “luv
tub” suite, $159 and up other suites. Extra person $19. Children under 6 stay free in parent’s room. Inquire about
packages. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Free self- and valet parking. Amenities: Casino; showrooms; wedding chapel; 9
restaurants; outdoor pool; health club and spa; video arcade; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; shopping
arcade; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive-level rooms. In room:
A/C, TV w/pay movies, hair dryer, irons and boards.
5 North Strip
EXPENSIVE
The Riviera Hotel & Casino Overrated Its best days long past, this former
Strip star is looking awfully dumpy these days (and there are rumors, thanks to
its part-ownership by development-happy Donald Trump, that it will soon be
knocked down anyway). Between that and its promotion as an “alternative for
grown-ups” and an “adult-oriented hotel,” you should probably only stay here if
you can get a deal and simply must be on the Strip. You certainly shouldn’t bring
the kids, who are actively discouraged as guests.
Opened in 1955 (Liberace cut the ribbon and Joan Crawford was the official
hostess of opening ceremonies), The Riviera was the first “high-rise” on the
Strip, at nine stories. Today, it tries to evoke the Vegas of the good old days—
“come drink, gamble, and see a show”—and while it is appropriately dark and