Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino — Hotel in Paradise

Not sure how this hotel gets 4.3 stars. I am a Marriott Titanium member and got stuck here instead for a convention. Obviously I would have preferred a Marriott property, but it is what it is. With that said, though, there is a LOT to be desired for this property as a hotel and it is definitely NOT a 4.3 star hotel.

Let's see.... Rooms - mediocre at best. The rooms are drab and boring when compared to other similarly priced hotels like the Cosmo. Reserved a king bed, got two doubles. Nothing could be done about it. The "Strip view" does kind of overlook the strip but there's a giant rooftop in the way, so it's really a drab, rooftop/garage top view with the strip in the background behind it. Mandalay Bay has much better views and it's across from the airport.

That leads us to service - No options for assistance other than "pay more" or that's just how it is. As an example, we checked in and connected our mobile devices to the wifi. Then, when trying to connect our laptops, were informed that only 2 devices can be connected per day unless we want to pay (wait for it) another $14.99 PER DEVICE PER DAY! So, I called the tech support and were informed that there is no way to remove the two phones to replace them with the laptops and we would need to call the front desk to see if they could do anything. The person at the front desk smiled and said "sorry....you gotta pay more". I'd sooner eat my hat that pay yet ANOTHER fee to this hotel, so I just connected to my mobile hotspot.

Location - If you're into gambling right in the middle of the strip, yes the location is fine. If you have any activities at the convention center, definitely not a good location as you'll have to cab it. There are a lot of restaurants and casinos around it, so it keeps it's 2 stars when it comes to location there are a TON of other properties that are similarly price that have nicer rooms, better customer service, and just as many restaurants and hotels. For those reasons it gets a 2.5 star rating from me, and I rounded up to 3 stars - I won't even charge Planet Hollywood an extra "service fee" or "resort fee" for rounding up. Consider it a parting gift as I won't be back to Planet Hollywood ever again once this stay is over.

---------UPDATE--------- With respect to the WIFI, I waited the requisite 24 hours and still could not connect to my laptop. Tried calling the front desk - got "transferred" and hung up on. Tried calling back and the person at the front desk said they "cleared my devices" and to restart and try again - didn't work. I tried calling the Internet tech support line again and the person apologized for the runaround and said they could manually add my MAC address for my laptop, which would bypass the security and allow me to use the WIFI. I asked if they could have done this yesterday and...yep. They could have. HOWEVER, Planet Hollywood makes money from people paying extra for WiFi devices beyond the two, so no one offered me this option. This goes to their customer service. As with most hotels on the strip, they are focused on revenue, not customer support. For this reason, I drop my review to 2 stars. If you want a drab, boring hotel with no amenities, poor customer support, and a priority of money over your satisfaction - Planet Hollywood is your choice. If you deserve better than all that, find somewhere else.

-------UPDATE-------- Night 2 and we found out just how paper-thin the walls are at Planet Hollywood. Our new neighbor arrived around 9pm and prepared to go out for a night on the town. I'm here on business, so I was working and could hear every word of the conversations through the walls. Be aware that your conversations in your room at PH are NOT private - you're neighbors can hear everything. Then, promptly at MIDNIGHT, housekeeping showed up to clean the room across the hall. Two housekeepers yelling at each other while one vacuumed the room with the door wide open. Yep, we heard it all at full volume.

--------UPDATE-----

Housekeeping doesn't show up to clean the room. Only 5 more nights...

My immediate impression: dishonest & disloyal. My husband and I have the rewards cards and the credit cards for Caesar’s properties so when it came time to book a room for ourselves and for my brother for our sister’s Vegas wedding, we actually called to speak to a human person to book the rooms to ensure accuracy and best price as Planet Hollywood was in the best location for the week’s events and gatherings.

We called in early January and booked an Ultra Hip King room that was a comp room for my brother and an Ultra Resort King room for my husband and I that was not at a comp rate, but a standard discounted rate. When we arrived to check in the desk person advised us they had no King rooms for any of us as “bed choice is not guaranteed” and told us we would all be getting double Queen rooms. When we stated that we talked to a human person to confirm the rooms at the rate (and they took the deposit) for King rooms, she advised us again that there is fine print when you book that bed choice is not guaranteed.. What is the point of listing a room with a bed choice and a price if there is no guarantee? Also, we booked through a person, not the webpage so there was no fine print to read and this was not mentioned. I have since gone back to find this fine print and can not find it when I create a mock checkout, but I digress as I heard this same statement being told to the person checking in before us and the person next to us. It’s just a thing here I guess. We were told we could only have King bed rooms if we pay to upgrade… After some “checking with the manger” by way of our desk person disappearing to behind the wall for several minutes and getting the same answer, we caved and paid the upgrade for ourselves. My brother accepted the double queen room. This felt like a shakedown and because of this, I will never return to stay at this property again.

We were all put on the 9th floor and it reeked of cigarette smoke in the halls. Once in our room, which was now the Ultra Resort Vista King, we found a lackluster room with no full length mirror and closets that smelled so much like smoke we could not store our items in there. The room was fairly clean, with the exception of excessive dust on the headboards and the bed was comfortable enough. We did have 4 different sized pillows though. There were ample outlets. The room came with a mini fridge, an iron/ironing board and a safe. It also had a small coffee maker. The toilet did not work right away as the chain for the plug was undone, my husband hooked it back up. The shower had decent water pressure. When we requested house keeping and more towels, both requests were met promptly and housekeeping was friendly.

My brother stated that his double queen room was quite run down with peeling wall paper, low water pressure and that his hot water ran out very quickly while showering and this made using the large bath tub impossible. With the volume of people checking in creating long lines and wait times and the disregard for customer service in general, we did not even bother complaining.

A final note.. When we booked the rooms my husband was a platinum member from having a Caesar’s credit card, meaning we should have free parking, when we tried to park it would not allow us to use his card. We asked at check in and were told he was now downgraded to a gold member because of annual tier reset. We were informed at the Caesar’s rewards desk that Caesar’s does not reset tiers to include the free parking tier and you must earn it yearly, even if you have the credit card. We booked here thinking we would have free parking as well. We were told if you earn platinum while here for your stay we will reverse the parking charges, let me tell you, earn platinum I did! They did reverse the parking charges at checkout but I will never stay here to be shook down ever again. When you have the MGM credit card, you always get free parking, even as the annual tiers reset. Where is the transparency, honesty and loyalty to Caesar’s rewards...

In the past, middle class Americans were shocked by the high taxes attached to a hotel stay, but now prepare yourself for a $52.10 NIGHTLY “resort fee” to be added to your hotel rate. This is reasonable if you have “resort like” benefits, amenities, or some outstanding customer service. Read on for the many more aspects of this hotel that travelers should beware of! Poor customer service at check in. For MONTHS we planned my husband’s big 60th birthday party in which 7 couples were all flying in from California, Tennessee, and Texas. It was a BIG deal for us, but not to the check in staff at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, we were treated as if we were just a number. We had asked in advance for our friend group to be roomed on the same floor and were told on the phone that the check in staff would take care of that. However, at check in we were urged to “get it over with,” and were brushed off. There was absolutely no consideration whatsoever of our “group” status or the personal special event we had put together. The attendant DID NOT CARE. Rooms. The man who checked me and my husband in “the man of honor, “said we would LOVE our room. Yet, when we got into room 2694, it smelled musty, mildewy, and as if they had used a cheap “Carpet Fresh” on the carpet. The room was hot and had a view of the tops of buildings. When I took my boots off and walked around the room one sock became wet. I went downstairs to request a new room and found another set of our friends was attempting to change their room, 5190, as well reporting that it was also hot and musty/mildewy. The manager, Bryan, dismissed my friend who explained she had an autoimmune disease and asthma and would appreciate a move. My husband and I were granted a room change, but the manager refused the move for our friends and instead sent maintenance to check the ventilation and WHAT A SURPRISE THEY WOULD FIND! That smell was the same as our room moldy and mildewy, just as suspected! Pool loungers. One of my friends was told the loungers we were sitting on at the adult pool, were $70 each. There was no signage. We learned from some other guests that they were quoted $50, and another $30. One of our friends went to the front desk and paid $30. What kind of deceptive practices are going on here? Rooms. The armoire has a full size mirror, but the entry had a full size picture of a young man about 20 years old, in a sexy pose. Think back to when you were a teenager and had posters hanging in your room of a heartthrob or crush. That is what we saw every morning, day, and night. Ridiculous! If not artwork, something else. There are no amenities in the room to speak of except shampoo, conditioner, lotion, a fridge, and a safe. There are no coffee makers in the rooms. Remember, the additional $52.10 RESORT fee you’re paying EVERY night? That gets you access to the fitness center and internet access. This is bare bones Motel 6, but certainly does not merit the title “resort.” We have paid resort fees and received a personal butler, turn down service, essential oils for the jacuzzi in our rooms, and had robes and slippers for each of us. “Resort fees“ should have some merit. They could charge for internet and fitness center, but then what amenities could they justify that extra $52.10 for? We have already looked at different hotels for our return trip and it certainly won’t be...