Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

74
CHAPTER 5 . WHERE TO STAY
Strip-view rooms (the most expensive units) give you the whole incredible
panorama.
Service is superb (if they say 20 min. for room service, you can expect your
food in 19 1 ⁄2 min.). Your needs are anticipated so quickly that you’re tempted to
sink to the floor in the lobby because you know someone will have a chair under
your rear before you land. Children are encouraged and spoiled with welcome
gifts of toys and goodies, rooms are childproofed in advance, and the list of comforts
available for the asking is a yard long. Once you factor in all the freebies
(gym/spa access, pool cabanas, various other amenities), not to mention the
service and the blessed peace, the difference in price between Four Seasons and
Bellagio (with all its hidden charges) is nothing.
3960 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89119.& 877/632-5000 or 702/632-5000. Fax 702/632-5195. www.
fourseasons.com. 424 units. $200–$500 double; from $400 suite. Extra person $30. Children 17 and under
stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Free self- and valet parking. Amenities: 2 restaurants; heated
outdoor pool with free cabanas and other luxury perks; elegant health club (free to guests) and spa;
concierge; car-rental desk; courtesy car; full 24-hr. business center with faxing, delivery, and secretarial service;
24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; overnight laundry/dry-cleaning service; nonsmoking
rooms; executive-level rooms. In room: A/C, TV w/pay movies, dataport, minibar, fridge, coffeemaker, hair
dryer, iron and board, safe.
EXPENSIVE
Aladdin Resort & Casino Note: As we were going to press, the beleaguered
and bankrupt Aladdin had just been bought by Planet Hollywood,
which, as of now, intends to rename, remodel, and restyle the property. This
process may or may not be under way by the time you read this, but at least you
won’t be confused if there is a big blue globe out front, a new name, and lots of
cast-off clothes and props from various Hollywood movies enshrined inside.
It’s a bit of a pity, because the new Aladdin, rising on the ashes of the old
Vegas stalwart, which was desperately out of date, is a handsome building both
inside and out. The theme is a generic Middle East theme—you know, the sort
that pretends there is no significant difference between Egypt, Morocco, and
Turkey, which may be news to Egyptians, Moroccans, and Turks—best characterized
by one observer as “the Sahara with a billion dollars thrown at it.” Details
that indicate considerable thought went into the design are everywhere—what
other casino has actual tile work (clearly Moroccan in origin) throughout? But
all that work came at a price, hence a $700 million bankruptcy—the largest in
Nevada history.
That petty detail aside, this is already what a sexy, but distinctly Vegas, hotel
ought to be: a little bit of kitsch, a little bit of class, and all of it playful. And we
hope that the new owners will concentrate on maintaining and building on
these aspects. The rooms are not distinctive, but they are pleasing (except for the
beds; the money must have run out before buying the mattresses, which are
some of the most uncomfortable we’ve slept on), and the bathrooms can be
quite large, with a deep tub and separate glass shower, plus little Aladdin-lampshaped
faucets and exotic spice-scented amenities. Another plus is that the hotel
is constructed so that guests need to see little of the casino (a plus for you, a drag
for needed gambling revenue, and likely one of the first things the new owners
will change), while the pool area is decent but nothing spectacular.
And then there is the Desert Passage shopping area (p. 236), another one to
rival the capitalist ventures over at Caesars and The Venetian. This one is Arabian
Nights themed, all Casbah this and Sultan that. It’s impressive, to be sure, and better
still for the live-action touches such as jugglers, acrobats, and belly dancers who