japw82

I recently attended a conference at Paris Las Vegas and was very disappointed. First of all, the conference rates were outrageous and you could go to their website to secure a room for over $100 less per night. Beware of convention/conference prices in Las Vegas. Research the hotel's websites and other search engines before booking. The rooms at Paris are tired and worn. The furniture was beat up and the televisions weren't flat screen. The pillows felt like lumps of rags stuffed into the pillow case. The sheets (they don't deserve to be called linens) were rough, scratchy, and made you itch. Check in was ridiculous. They needed more that 2 reservationists to meet the demands of a conference/convention. Be prepared to pay for everything including the printing of your boarding pass. Internet rates were crazy and there was no wifi in public areas. Coffee makers were not provided in the rooms. If you like noisy rooms, this is the hotel of choice. With paper thin walls and minimal sound proofing, you get to hear all activities going on in the adjoining rooms and hallways. The casino waitresses were rude and once again there weren't enough of them. The conference facilities were nice but didn't outweigh all the negatives. The conference host said they had many complaints and would look into moving to another location the next time the conference was held in Vegas.

GoTravel

The reason conference rooms are more expensive than regular rooms is because you pay for the guarantee of having a room. Those rooms are usually blocked several years on advance.

Some conferences are booked up to ten years in advance.

HowardR

Not true, GOTravel. Booking a room through the convention rate does not guarantee you having a room. Having been in the trade show business for many years, I can sure you that you can be turned away if the hotel is overbooked no matter how you got the room!

nytraveler

Have worked MANY conventions - and if the hotel has to walk someone they are much more likely to make it a vacationer (who is usually paying less) than someone who booked through he convention booking. However, sometimes guests overstay and you can be stuck without a room - esp if the convention is more popular than anticipated.

Dayenu

"the televisions weren't flat screen" - are you saying, they guarantee a flat screen in each room, but when you arrived, you got a regular TV? Those liers!!! They are legally obligated to provide everything that is listed on their website. File a complaint with BBB.

"Coffee makers were not provided in the rooms." - see above.

(and if any doubts, all of the above is pure sarcasm)

socialworker

Las Vegas hotels rarely provide coffee makers or anything else that encourages people to stay in the room. The name of the game is to get people out of their rooms and into the casinos!

Tess

Paris is in the midst of redecorating all of their rooms. Bummer that you got an unrenovated one. We've stayed at Paris several times and it's still at the top of my list for Vegas--love the location and smaller size, compared to some of the behemoth Vegas hotels. We've never run into the service issues and rude employees that you mentioned--wonder if maybe Paris has reduced their staff in recent months, like many Vegas casinos. We stayed at Caesars in February and several employees told us that hotel employees all over Vegas were being let go...so sad. As for coffee makers, very few strip hotels have them in the rooms. That's such a shame that you had a bad experience there--give it another try sometime--it really is a great place.

HowardR

nytraveler, I can assure than if you have a guaranteed reservation, the hotel is overbooked and you happen arrive late, I can assure you that the hotel will not have walked someone earlier who had a guaranteed reservation at a lower rate to save that room for you!

NeoPatrick

Come on folks. I get what the poster is saying. With all the "top notch" hotels in Vegas these days, you'd pretty much expect a flat screen TV in any good hotel. But I agree that I've never had a coffee maker in a Las Vegas hotel, and I think socialworker is right that it is to discourage staying in your room.

In regards to the guaranteed reservation, I have to say too that there is no such thing as a true "guaranteed" reservation. There comes a point when if they have no rooms, then they have no rooms. I think the original point was that rooms are blocked to "guarantee" convention goers that they can reserve a room, even if otherwise the hotel would be sold out. Although people are kind of foolish to go ahead an book one at a specific hotel at the guaranteed rate without first finding out if there is an even better rate. There often is.

djkbooks

We stayed at Paris Las Vegas a few weeks ago and just loved the place! The first night, we upgraded (for a fraction of the regular rate) to a suite, then moved to another room. We were given a Red Premier even though we booked/paid for only a standard Premier room. Both rooms were newly redecorated. The second room had a flat screen TV, but (curiously) not the suite, which had two regular television sets (but did have a coffee maker and empty fridge). Beds, pillow, linens, in both our rooms were exceptional.

I have read/heard that convention attendees pay higher rates at most/all Las Vegas hotels, not just Paris, because it is expected that they will not be patronizing the casino, shops, restaurants so much as other guests. Of course, it is always prudent to check rates at all available resources.

GoTravel

Howard, let me rephrase, you are paying extra for the security of being able to book a room.

I was in the hotel management business for almost 15 years. I can assure you I know how room blocks work.

It is industry standard to overbook hotels by about 2%.

In this day and age, you almost expect a flat screen tv.

It sounds like the OP got an overused room.

LoveItaly

Hotels and conventions are sort of a toss up. We use to go annually to a convention in SF which was at the Union Square Hilton and we always got at least a Jr. Suite. But one year we were given a room that would almost make my walk-in closet here at my residence look large. And that particular stay it seems that the entire hotel staff were inattentive, rude and sullen compared to all the other stays where everyone went out of their way to give wonderful service.

japw82

I guess I'm a little naive about expectations. If a person is paying a premium price for a room that is guaranteed and prepaid, they should at least get one that is renovated. I guess when I received the e-mail offering an upgrade for an additional $40 I should have realized that I was getting old and worn. Give old and worn to those paying less than $100 per night. Yes, I did complain and my comment card was less than favorable. Doubt it will do any good!!!! On a positive note, I do agree that the hotel is in a great location and the conference center is close to everything. Mon Ami Gabi serves a great breakfast. It is the only place in which I ate breakfast, so I can't compare it to any other restaurants, but I would eat there again!!!

siena1

Regarding the TV: this isn't a make-or-break issue for me. I don't usually spend much time in the room when I go out of town. However, we stayed at the MGM last summer, and we had a flat screen TV in the room and a small TV screen in the bathroom mirror!

It's Vegas. I can see why the OP would be a little disappointed with her room.

suze

Well I think these are legitimate complaints. With the competition in Vegas these days, I'd think they would want to do more to keep up, especially with business travelers & conventions.

japw82~ Did you complain to the hotel management directly? Give them a change to right any of the wrongs while you were there?

HowardR

GoTravel, okay, now we're on the same wavelength.
And, you are so right about the extra security of being able to book a room. For others, who may not know, what happens when an organization books a hotel for sleeping rooms at the convention, is that the hotel sets aside a certain number of rooms for the organization at a "convention rate" (or "rates"). Those rooms are guaranteed to be available until x weeks (usually 3 or 4) before the show, no matter how sold out the rest of the hotel is. Once that cutoff date arrives, that's it. If the hotel isn't filled up totally, the hotel is under no obligation to book those rooms at the convention rate, even if the show's total allotment has not been booked. However, if the show is a regular customer of the hotel, there's a good chance that if there are still rooms available, the hotel will keep the show rates "alive" after the cutoff date.

djkbooks

There's a lot of interesting information in "The Unofficial Guide Las Vegas" regarding Las Vegas hotels and convention bookings/rates, most of which is contrary to all stated above.

If I were attending a convention in Las Vegas, I'd follow the advice in that book!

HowardR

djkbooks, what does the book say that contradicts what we've written here? Having been in the trade show industry for many, many years, I find your comment that most of what we've written is contrary to what that book says very, very hard to believe and accept! Everything I've written is based on first-hand experience over many years. So, please do tell us where we are supposedly wrong!

NeoPatrick

Well, if most of the book is "contrary to all stated above" then the book must insist that you will always get the best rate through the convention rate, that you WILL not be walked if you book that way, and that the hotel will not overbook rooms? If it doesn't say those things, then I wonder what would be "contrary" to what others have said here.

Cali

I have to admit I have gotten very spoiled in recent years and like having a coffee maker in the room, but have never had one in a room in Las Vegas. It bugs me every time we go there. I hate to have to order room service just to have a cup of coffee when I get ready for the day. Oh well, we don't go to Las Vegas that often anyway.