Palms Casino Resort — Hotel in Spring Valley

Just recently completed our 3rd stay here. There are things to love about the Palms and surrounding area, but also some notable downsides.

On the one hand, between the Palms, Gold Coast, and Rio, all within walking distance, you get a decent selection of attractions that somewhat resembles what you get on the Strip, but with free parking and less crowds. It's also close to Chinatown. The AYCE buffet is always a highlight for us. Having a movie theater on site is a great backup option for family members who aren't keen on gambling or shows. I love the rooms.

On the other hand, there is a serious lack of free attractions among these properties. Sure, you're probably not going to get the most out of any Vegas trip without spending money, but many of the Strip resorts have free attractions, sights, and gimmicks to draw people. The same goes for Fremont Street. One could even argue that locals casinos like those in Summerlin or Henderson have proximity to places like Red Rock or Hoover Dam as selling points. But there's not really anything like that around the Palms. There aren't even any real stores to window shop at (overpriced convenience stores don't count).

But okay, assuming you go into it expecting to pay for all your entertainment, do you really get your money's worth here? Not really. 2 of our 3 stays so far have been comped, which was our main reason for choosing to stay here. Without that, I find the value to be questionable. The Palms, in particular, has a serious lack of decently priced food options. It's like they really swung for the fences when pricing these food menus, as if this was the hottest property in Vegas. As expensive as the Strip is, there's enough variety and selection to find at least some deals hidden amongst the tourist traps, but not here. Oh sure, there's the food court, but I find the notion of paying extra to have McDonald's in Vegas to be offensive. Cafe Serrano occasionally offers decent specials, but mostly at really off-peak hours. Basically, if you really want value, you need to go off-property. Send Noodles specifically is criminally overpriced. We tried it once during our first stay, and the food was mediocre, but the prices have only exploded into the stratosphere since then. It's really strange to me that what looks like a budget eatery is so expensive.

Then there's the matter of service. I've always found service at the Palms somewhat lacking. I don't know if it's just something about the way I look, but drink servers avoid me like the plague when I'm gambling. During this stay, the WiFi was out the entire time, and it's like none of the staff had a care in the world. They all just say the guest WiFi is provided by a 3rd party (Cox) and to call them, but when you call them, they say the property is performing maintenance and they don't know when it'll be done. They did agree to refund half our resort fees after I mentioned it since their website FAQ specifically states the resort fee covers WiFi. So, in some sense, they did resolve it. I just don't get how any "resort" could tell their guests to call an ISP. I realize the term "resort" is used very loosely in Vegas, mostly as a tax loophole, but they're not even pretending to be a resort if they just point guests to their providers. Am I supposed to speak to the food delivery company if my meal isn't delicious? Lastly, one employee in particular was very rude to my wife about our 2-year-old walking through the casino, which I might understand if the property wasn't designed the way it is. Unfortunately, there are no clear paths to rooms or restaurants that do not go over the casino floor, so it's simply impossible to avoid. Things like the theater and buffet are supposed to be kid-friendly, so I'm not sure why that employee went off on my wife specifically and ignored the many other kids we walked past.

We've had fun here, but I think I'm done with the Palms. It's good for 1 or 2 stays, maybe the occasional buffet, but I don't see myself coming here time and time again unless they round out the experience...

SERVICE & TRANSITIONS -- 👍 great Luxurious, lively, & lavish vibes. Attention to detail was impressive, emphasized by cute paneling on doors. Upkeep & cleanliness was impeccable. The reception floor was reminiscent of Virgin Hotel, just brighter & MUCH larger. Customer service & Hospitality were on equal footing 👌 -- excellent staff, excellent training, excellent management. Fast (& reliable!) bell services was the icing on the cake 😌. Valet services were top-notch on departure too; engaging and speedy. MVP employees: Michael

ROOM (Ivory King) -- 👍 https://youtu.be/jZvF2Ip3tJY Dreamy amount of space, comfortable for 2 (possibly 3). It looked clean, FELT clean, & delightfully engaged all the senses. Floor to ceiling windows lording over the puny neighboring casinos, was an experience 🎩. Subtle details that also stood out were the aroma, color palette, & uniquely textured furnishings. Things that weren't so great: Workspace is very thin & impractical Flimsy, dirty, DnD signs Ice bucket with leftover water 😕

BED (king) -- 👍 great Mind-blowing softness... 🫠. The Serta perfect sleeper was a brilliant mattress choice. Adorned with: Fresh AND sustainable linens, custom-made Extra fluffy duvet & Thiccc pillows w/a firm snuggly poly fill All very VERY nice. I didn't expect to love the overhead mirror much, but that grew on me

This will be a very detailed review as I believe in details, good and bad. We visited the Palms Sept. 5 - 8, 2024. We stayed in a King size bed Fantasy Tower room. When we arrived we valet our car, the staff was welcoming, smiling and helpful. Our check in was very smooth, quick and our room was ready even though we arrived early (1pm). The room was spacious, clean and fresh. We couldn't open the fridge, so we contacted housekeeping and they came quickly and fixed the issue. I didn't like the fact that we couldn't use the fridge for our drinks. I asked for extra towels and they were quickly brought. The housekeeping staff was nice and quick. Water pressure was good, bathroom spacious and a private water closet was a ++. Slippers and robes were provided - NICE! We visited several restaurants and bars on the property. A plus to this property is the variety of restaurants and bars. We had drinks at Scotch 80 Prime during their happy hour, sorry they call it social hour, I HIGHLY recommend this social hour. We had delicious cocktails, I had the smoke & mirrors, a tequila/mezcal mix and it was 10/10 and for $8 you can't beat the price. We didn't eat at this restaurant sadly, but hope to do so on our next visit. Ambiance was great and the space is beautiful and clean. Mabel's Bar & Q - this was my FAVORITE of all the restaurants we visited on property and in Vegas. I had a cucumber/ginger margarita, it was fresh but was too gingery for me personally, 8/10. My husband had an Old Fashion and he gave it a 10+/10. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were nice, engaging and knowledgeable about drinks and the food. It is a treat to watch a bartender make a cocktail from scratch, it shows their commitment to your drink. We ordered the Cracklin' with French Onion Dip, it was freshly made and a 10/10. We also ordered the Chopped Brisket Sliders, YUM!! Melt in your mouth brisket, the slaw was on point a 10/10! We also ordered the Shells and Cheese, it was smokey, gooey and very cheesy. 9/10. We stopped at several bars throughout the casino floor and they were all average but not bad, overall 8/10. Breakfast at Serrano Vista Cafe (which is open 24 hours!) was good. There were 7 of us so we were a large group, they accommodated us and we didn't wait more than 10 minutes. Our server was awesome! She kept us entertained and her assistant was a hoot! He talked us in to a Patron Margarita flight that was just what we needed after a long night out. The plates are large portions that could feed 2. I had the Country Fried Steak and Eggs 10/10, steak cooked perfectly the shredded hash browns were cooked just like I asked. My husband had the Serrano Vista Breakfast it was good (eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes) 9/10. The others ordered Steak and Eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, fruit and the Spanish Omelet. No complaints and everyone enjoyed the meal. 9/10. The fact that they have such a varied menu (something for everyone) is a plus. Overall a 9/10. We rented a cabana with a private jacuzzi/pool. Our group of 7 decided we would celebrate our friend's 40th by renting the cabana and relaxing for the day. The staff was courteous and our cabana host was nice and knowledgeable about what to order etc. since we were 1st timers. A huge minus was the DJ, it was advertised as a 'Ladies First' event (Friday's) on Sammy's Island. The pool was clean and our cabana was spacious and came with a minimum spend of $750, we actually spent $1,000 total. The DJ didn't take request and we felt he was not engaging the crowd and no 'party' vibe. This was a huge miss for us. We finally asked our cabana host to ask the DJ if he would at least shout out the birthday boy, which he eventually did, but again, the music was not it for us. We would probably not do this again at the Palms. The drinks were good, we got a bottle that came with mixers etc., we also ordered beer and Paloma's. All good. For snacking we ordered the Wings & Things, Fry Mix Boat and the Snack Tower all were better than we expected. The cabana, pool get a 7/10. Overall...