Las Vegas is one of my least favorite destinations — sorry, Michael Trager — so gambling, drinking, smoking, nightlife and many of the other activities which are the legendary hallmarks of Sin City do not interest me; but whenever I attend a conference or a meeting in this city, I attempt to seek lodging which is affordable but not cheesy; the less ostentatious, the better; and someplace where I can reasonably walk, as hotels, resorts and casinos are so large that walking to one right next door could take as much as 15 minutes.

I have been known to walk long distances, which I do not mind — such as when I walked from the international airport which serves Las Vegas to a meeting inside of a hotel and casino property instead of taking a taxi cab.

Location, Arrival and Checking In

When I arrived at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort and Casino property, I waded my way through the smoke and crowds of the casino floor to get to the actually lobby — something you must do at virtually any hotel property in Las Vegas.

Once I arrived at the lobby and had my stomach momentarily drop upon seeing the crowded front desk, there was a sign directing elite level status members of M Life Gold or higher to use the VIP lounge to check in — which is what I did.

The VIP lounge is rather small, as it has a desk with two agents, three chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. The agent who checked me in informed me that my elite level status was incorrect due to the fact that although the representative from the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest loyalty program to whom I spoke via telephone said it would be done, my M Life and Hyatt Gold Passport frequent flier loyalty program accounts were never linked when the reservation was booked — but they were linked at the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property two days earlier…

The VIP Lounge

…and almost as if to taunt the “unwashed masses”, there is a window in the VIP lounge which offers a clear view of the crowds at the front desk.

Water and a limited selection of soft drinks and juices are offered in the VIP lounge, with wine served in the evening. The staff of the VIP lounge is very friendly and accommodating. For example, they allowed me to work there long after I checked out of my room; and they did not bother me even once. They even encouraged me to take a couple of drinks with me when I left.

The Room

Unlike at the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property at which I stayed for the prior two nights, the room I was in was on an upper floor due to my M life elite status.

The room itself was smaller, darker, and far more dated that the one I was in at the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property. I felt like I was in a time warp from the 1990s — or perhaps even the 1980s.

Both the lamp and the coffee machine were plugged into the electrical outlets, finding me wanting for more outlets. Good thing I do not drink coffee, as I unplugged the coffee machine — but I still had devices other than a laptop computer which needed to be recharged. The ones by the bed were used as well. The lack of electrical outlets near the desk and the night tables of the bed is the most significant critcism of this hotel property.

I must admit that I found the bed to be somewhat more comfortable than the one at the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property. Although I woke up several times during the night, I slept well in it.

The alarm clock next to the bed was not all that easy to use — and I am pretty good at figuring them out. The funny part was that just before taking my shower on the morning of the day I was to check out of the room, I heard through the wall next door a guest asking a member of the housekeeping staff if she knew how to use the alarm clock. “No”, she replied.

Apparently I was not the only one — although I did eventually get that alarm clock to work.

The Bathroom

The bathroom was as dated as the room itself. It was fine for its typical purposes — taking a shower, taking a shave, and taking other functions done in a bathroom which start with sh as the first two letters — and everything worked well; but it had seen better days.

The View From the Room

My room was on floor 31 — one story below the top floor, which is the thirty-second floor. I suppose I should consider myself fortunate that my room was not on a floor which apparently only lasts for half of a minute. Give me a thirty-hour floor any day.

Okay — I suppose that attempt at humor did not floor you from your point of view — and speaking of the view: because my room was on an upper floor, I enjoyed some nice views even though I did not have a room with a view of the Las Vegas Strip.

Resort Fee

Be aware that you will be socked with a resort fee of $22.40 per day, which includes the following hotel services:

• In-room wired internet
• Fitness center access
• In-room coffee
• Two daily bottles of Monte Carlo water
• Daily newspaper
• Complimentary copying and faxing
• Boarding pass printing
• Free local calls
• 800 calls

You probably know by now how I feel about resort fees; and in my opinion, many of those services listed above are bogus — although the speed of the Wi-Fi Internet service was high speed but slightly slower than that of the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property, with some infrequent noticeable lags in the service. However, I must say that at least you are clearly warned about the resort fee during the booking process; so you are not surprised with it once you get to the hotel property.

Although I unsuccessfully attempted to talk my way out of paying the resort fee, the total cost of my stay for the night was a respectable $76.16 — including the resort fee and taxes, which was not bad at all.

Summary

Overall, I would recommend staying at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort and Casino — especially as the room rate is considerably lower than that of the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas hotel property. If you believe that the total room rate is inexpensive enough — even with the resort fee and taxes included — then book the room and enjoy your stay in Las Vegas.

All photographs ©2014 by Brian Cohen.