Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas — Hotel in Paradise

We last stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in July 2020. That visit, while understandably unusual due to the circumstances at the time, was generally enjoyable. Shortly after, we learned the hotel was planning a top-to-bottom renovation. We decided to return this year to see the results—now mostly complete. Unfortunately, the renovation and our overall experience did not live up to expectations.||Check-in Issues:|Our stay began on a rocky note. We arrived early and were pleased to hear a room was available. However, upon entering, we found dirty coffee mugs on the table. We called the front desk, and they insisted on assigning us a new room. No problem—except that getting back to the lobby now requires taking two separate elevators (one to the 3rd floor, then another to the ground floor). Once there, we were given keys to a second room—only to walk in and find someone actively showering, with suitcases in the hallway. We quickly returned to the front desk to report the situation.|To their credit, the manager upgraded us to a Panorama Strip View One King Bed suite as an apology. The suite was spacious, with stunning 180-degree views of the Strip. Standing in the corner, surrounded by the city skyline, was a highlight. While the upgrade helped smooth over the check-in issues, it also revealed deeper problems with the property.||The Renovation – A Mixed Bag:|It’s clear that no expense was spared in renovating the public areas. The lobby, Peacock Alley, and Hard Shake are all beautifully designed. However, the guest rooms—ours included (Room 1800)—tell a different story. The renovation felt more like a superficial refresh than a full overhaul.||In our suite, only the soft furnishings (couch, chairs, carpet, lamps, wallpaper) had been updated. The hard furniture—desk, nightstands, media cabinets, and dressers—was unchanged and in poor condition. The stone on every piece was badly stained, cabinet doors were broken or misaligned, and the desk legs were bent. The hardwood floors were also heavily worn. The pictures I’ve uploaded clearly show the wear and tear. ||One particularly odd detail: the media cabinets. These once featured plastic portals for connecting electronics—relics of the early 2000s that are now entirely worthless. In our suite, one cabinet still had this feature installed, while the other had it removed and the hole covered with black plastic. It looked cheap and out of place. And while the TVs were identical, they had different remotes for some reason. ||Bathroom & Layout Concerns:|The bathroom hadn’t been updated at all during the renovation. While still functional, the fixtures showed their age, and the dark brown stone and silver finishes clashed with the refreshed aesthetic elsewhere.|The room layout was also odd in some places. The TV stand in the living room was placed directly in front of the bedroom door, creating a narrow and awkward passage. Why not mount the TV to the ceiling or reposition the furniture? The bathroom lacked a door, offering little privacy. And the hallway to the bathroom and closet featured dirty blinds that didn’t align with the rest of the suite’s decor.||Outdated Fixtures:|It was surprising that the renovation didn’t include replacing the light switches or thermostat. Many switches were bulging, unlabeled, or non-functional. The thermostat was so old that the icons on the buttons had faded completely. While we could figure it out, this kind of detail matters in a luxury hotel—it should be intuitive and seamless.||Other Disappointments:|• The elevators hadn’t been touched during the renovation, so after leaving a bright, modern lobby, guests step into dark, dated elevators.|• Signage throughout the property still references Twist, a restaurant that hasn’t operated since early 2020.|• The pool area showed signs of wear, with uneven concrete (some painted yellow to warn guests) and lackluster service.|• Afternoon tea at Peacock Alley was a chaotic and disappointing experience (full review posted separately).|||Breakfast at Zen Kitchen was a highlight. The food and service were both excellent.||Final Thoughts:||I sincerely hope that management and ownership take this feedback to heart. The Waldorf Astoria brand is synonymous with luxury, but this property currently falls short. A more comprehensive renovation—especially of the guest rooms—is necessary to bring it up...

TLDR: The first thing my daughter said to her father when he picked us up from our Mother's day stay was that there were BUTT CHEEKS on the window. That's her memory of this weekend. Can't wait to hear from her teacher what she shares in class today.

I would recommend checking in on your app as it tells you when the room is ready. Check-in was messy. There isn't signage or staff in the lobby to help. There is 1 line (no separate Hilton Honors line). They only do upgrades in person (maybe for the $20 trick or to size you up). If you want to check in 2 hours early, you must book a room for the night before. Hotel made it seem like they did me a favor that I had a room to go to when I checked in as several guests were stuck waiting for a text. She also kept having to run in the back, like to check with her manager if they could give me an upgrade or to make my room key, etc. Turns out she was the Front Office Manager. BIZARRE.

Contrary to the welcome email I got after booking, I did not get a dedicated concierge for a flawless visit. You're routed through their ticketing system. I ended up having to follow up at the end myself as they didn't deliver. Maybe if I was just booking a spa appt or dinner reservation, they would have been helpful.

We couldn't regulate the room temperature. It was ungodly hot (70) when we walked in. Took about 3 hours for it to cool down to 68. Ended up having to set it to 72 as it was too cold. Water pressure in the shower was lacking.

Zero personal touches. At high-end properties, we've received a handwritten note with a small amenity. Nada.  The concierge did send up a cupcake decorating kit later to celebrate Mother's day.

The pool was empty. There's a towel booth but no attendant. Had to flag someone down to grab them.

Room service has 2 separate charges (delivery and service). Allegedly that's gratuity. Not so sure b/c the server was surprised and really thankful when I gave him a cash tip. Food was standard, maybe not as good as the Wynn. Salad was exceptional - crisp and clean lettuce with the right amount of dressing.

Seeing my girls so happy by the end of the night flipped my attitude toward the property. I would totally rebook this even though it was no better than a 3 star experience. They really loved the pool and the tub in the room. UNTIL......my girls had been looking out the window at the strip so I thought they must have dirtied the windows and left their handprints. We clean up after ourselves and I come prepared with wipes. Look a little closer and what do I see, it's very graphic and NOT my 7yo. I'm LIVID at this point as I cleaned the ottoman earlier thinking my kids left white stains on the ottoman. I'm now wondering if it's bodily fluid from a previous guest (GAG). Before ANYONE wants to claim that it's me making said smudge. Look, even in my prime before kids, my boobs did not look that great or in symmetry like a grade-A surgeon's touch.

I message the hotel (a little after 9pm). I received the MOST PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE PETTY RESPONSE over an hour later from the front desk manager. Not even an offer to clean it up. They didn't take my invitation to come and see what they're now calling a "smudge". Even after I told them what the image CLEARLY WAS. By then, my girls has passed out so I waited til they woke up the next morning. We were out of there a little after 9am. Opted to eat breakfast off the property.

The hotel's overall service was no better than a $19/night hotel on Freemont. Luxury five-star white glove this was not. It was more of a middle finger. They did live up to their promise of "AN UNFORGETTABLE STAY IN THE HEART OF THE STRIP". What a way to celebrate Mother's day.

After proofing my review, I had my a-ha moment that the hotel probably only wants White customers. The people who didn't have to wait for their room, or had someone bring them towels at the pool, or received bottle water at check in, were...and all the people who had hiccups or had to wait for a text for their...

Waldorf Astoria is the height of luxury and perfectly located at the city center of the Las Vegas strip.

We were fortunate enough to stay here thanks to our Hilton free night reward. I reached out to concierge and guest relations as soon as I booked the reservation and requested an upgrade. They placed us into a strip view room with 2 doubles and it was notated on my app as well.

PARKING WA is strictly valet at $35 with unlimited in and out privileges.

If you're looking for self park you can always go to Aria but as the daily fee is $30 it might just be worth it to pay the valet price (assuming you don't have Pearl+ privileges with mgm resorts.)

CHECK IN The hotel lobby is oddly placed on the 23rd floor which is also home to Twist and the Sky Lounge. You take the first elevator from ground level to the third floor then walk a hallway to go up to the other floors up to 23.

There is no distinction for Diamond members but as there was nobody there in line we did not mind. We checked in about 2 hours early and the room wasn’t quite ready yet so they said they’d text us whenever it was.

HOUSE CAR * This is a first come, first serve amenity that is super helpful. Walter is the chauffeur and is extremely sweet. To utilize the house car, you can only ask for it at the ground level with one of the bellmen and they’ll let you know if it’s available. The service is eligible for only the length of the strip in either direction but is a nice and easy option when you’re in a pinch and don’t want to wait for an Uber. The vehicle itself is a gorgeous silver BMW with the WA branding on the exterior and soft leather interior with complimentary bottles of water.

STANDARD KING STRIP VIEW * We were given a south facing strip view room and the room itself is 500 square feet with 2 double beds. It has a nice entryway closet area with a full length mirror and plenty of shelving and closets. The bathroom itself is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of separated bath and shower and water closet but they also have a little vanity area equipped with a chair. Dual sinks, of course!

The bathroom has one facing wall that looks out to the bedroom but rest assured you can use the wooden door on the opposite end to get that privacy. The room also comes with a nespresso machine, mini bar, and stemware. I was disappointed that it did not have a mini fridge but it wasn’t a huge dealbreaker for us.

HILTON MYWAY CREDIT * As a Hilton Diamond member, I was able to use my $50 daily myway credit for room service. I ordered eggs Benedict with smoked salmon while my mom ordered the vegan scramble. I felt that the food was decent at best but arrived in about 25-30 minutes with the host setting up the table in between our beds.

OVERALL IMPRESSION * I want to say that WA has been my favorite stay in Vegas but truthfully I find that though it’s nestled in the city center, its isolation is what ultimately gets me. If you’re looking for privacy and a step away from the casino and standard Vegas hustle and bustle, this is a great hotel that keeps you right in the middle of the action.

For me, however, I did miss being able to go downstairs to a casino but again that’s not really against the hotel itself.

I was a bit disappointed that the only room upgrade they could get us was a strip view unit. I find that I’m rather unsuccessful in terms of Diamond upgrades in Las Vegas unless I’m on a paid stay.

I will say that the customer service upon arrival was more than spectacular. In our initial conversation upon checkin, I briefly mentioned how I forgot to pack a bath bomb and they had graciously dropped some off in our room along with my adorable souvenir, Wally the ram (yes, I do enjoy collecting them.)

Overall, I think this hotel has its merits and is definitely plush and luxurious. I do also believe that they cater to a different demographic but I otherwise...