> On Mar 22, 2010, at 22:40 , David Ilvedson wrote: >> >> As I mentioned, room nights are the only way the convention is going keep >> going. If everyone is looking for a cheaper or "better" place >> to >> stay other than the convention hotel, you can say goodbye to conventions. >> Or they will be much more expensive. ------------------------------------- Huh? You've lost me. Unless everyone stays at the same hotel it will be the end of conventions? A significant number of attendees have been staying at other surrounding hotels as long as I can remember including myself. Please explain. ------------------------------------ As a Las Vegas resident and member of the host chapter I was a little surprised that the home office would have chosen Bally's for the convention. Just a guess but I'm betting there were comparable deals elsewhere but that's my opinion. As for Bally's I would have to agree that the rooms are probably little more then average and there are a lot of places much nicer. Bally's is an old hotel which used to be the original MGM before the massive fire, (google MGM fire). It was remodeled back then and turned into Bally's. In recent years they have put a huge amount of money dressing up the exterior. From that vantage it looks pretty fancy but it's mostly window dressing. The casino is just a casino like many others. From the view at the crap tables you wouldn't know which one you were in. I've never seen the rooms but I did tune a piano a while back in a big ballroom on the top floor. There was nothing exciting to report about it, very typical. The economy sucks and there are many empty rooms in Las Vegas right now. Someone mentioned the Weston which is right behind Bally's. That would probably be equal or possibly less money and likely a lot nicer. It used to be a dump called the "Maxim". Some investors bought it out, completely gutted the building, and started from scratch. It doesn't have a casino, (or at least it didn't, it may have a small one now). From what I understand it's somewhat similar to an "Embassy Suites" kind of place. Directly across the street is the Flamingo but it's old and probably no better then Bally's. Caesar's is diagonal to Bally's which is very nice. Hundreds of millions have been spent upgrading the place in recent years including two new towers. I'm not sure about the prices but they might not be too bad in the current economy and certainly a lot better. The Bellagio is across the street to the west and it is gorgeous. It would likely to cost more but if you want to treat yourself to something special it may be worth it but that's a personal decision. Right next door is the Paris which is pretty new and top of the mark. Again your likely going to pay more but no doubt its much more special. There are also a half dozen other nice places within easy walking distance that are worth looking into including "City Center", (brand new, fancy, and probably quite pricey). One block down, (no big deal), is the MGM, the Monte Carlo, and New York-New York, all of which should be very nice. I can't tell you with any degree of accuracy what these other hotels will cost but the bottom line is that they all have a lot of empty rooms right now and if booked well in advance you may get a bargain. It's worth looking into for a significant upgrade. Check the on-line travel companies like Price Line and Travelocity. For those who are cheep and seriously budget minded penny pinchers the world's largest Motel Six is about a half mile from Bally's but don't expect mints on your pillow. See you when you get here! Rob > On Mar 22, 2010, at 22:40 , David Ilvedson wrote: > >> As I mentioned, room nights are the only way the convention is going keep >> going. If everyone is looking for a cheaper or "better" place to >>stay >> other than the convention hotel, you can say goodbye to conventions. Or >> they will be much more expensive.
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC