I just re-read this post and was amazed to see that Patrick finds it incomprehensible that hotel guests in five star properties want to be treated with kid gloves. Having lived and travelled throughout much of the world and having had the good fortune (hard work notwithstanding) to stay at real five star hotels in virtually every major city you can name, I can assure everyone that those properties fall all over themselves making their guests feel entitled to the best. And they don't do it by charging for phone calls or by not having special seating for house guests in their restaurants or by having mini-bars which go balistic if they're opened and so on........ There is one luxury property in Vegas - the Four Seasons - but even it is overwhelmed at times by being, well, in Vegas. So, we stay at the Paris - it's a high rise motel like all the rest but there is something fun and nice about it which none of the others, especially that awful Bellagio, offer. So there.

We stayed at the Paris Hotel and loved it! We were upgraded to three lovely rooms on an upper floor with great views of the strip and the Bellagio water fountain show. The rooms were tastefully decorated with very nice French themed furniture and fabrics. It was not motel-like at all! The bathrooms were very large and luxurious. We enjoyed our stay there and would go back there again.

My guess, wpcx2, is that you're embellishing your travel experience quite a bit.
Anyone who has "stayed in 5 star hotels in virtually every city which can be named", would never make some of the statements you made.

First off, Patrick said nothing remotely similar to what you attributed to him. Patrick said he found it ridiculous that someone staying at a very expensive hotel would gripe about a $1.25 phone call. You said he criticized you for wanting to be treated with kid gloves.
The two have absolutely nothing to do with one another.
In fact, the REASON people are treated with kid gloves at most very nice hotels is BECAUSE they're paying for it---including paying for phone calls, and tipping. How much did you tip your service people, by the way? I'm guessing your wallet never opened. And that kind of behavior won't endear you to anyone in a nice hotel.

Second, there was a period of time in the 1990s when most hotels stopped charging for phone calls. That period began winding up several years ago. The vast majority of hotels now charge for calls. Part of the reason is that nearly every guest in a nice hotel owns a cell phone these days. (Why would you want to pay for calls in the first place?). In order to pay for the elaborate phone systems in a nicer hotel, most charge for the calls to defray expenses. I can't think of the last nice hotel I stayed in which offered free calls.

Third, you give yourself away when you whine about add on charges. You know how much it costs to have a shirt laundered at the Hotel du Cap on the Cote d'Azur? $65. Do you know how much the mandatory service charge with tax runs per day at nicer resorts in places like the Caribbean in high season? As much as $200. That's in addition to the room rate. And you think people spending that kind of money are going to gripe about $1.25 or fail to give out tips when appropriate? You show your true colors in situations like that.

Fourth, the Four Seasons in LV operates no differently than other FS hotels. The hotel is not unusually large at about 420 rooms. Having stayed there in the past, I have noticed nothing different from other FS I've stayed at with regard to desk personnel, valets, bellmen, room service, concierge, all of whom I interacted with. The service at the FS LV is indistinguishable from that of the FS Scottsdale, Seattle, Santa Barbara and other western (more casual) FS hotels. It's different from the FS NYC and Boston, but most of that is due to local culture.

As for your claim of having stayed at 5 star hotels in any city which can be named, please....yank our chains a little more. There are a handful of 5 star hotels in the entire USA. Specifically, there are 21 cities in the US with 5 star hotels (Mobil). And given your bitter attitude I'll bet you haven't stayed at 2 of them.

WooHooo traveleis =D>