Sunshine and Stars

We booked and paid for our room in advance. Upon arrival, we were informed that our room was not ready. The staff offered us a large suite for an additional $50, assuring us it was a great deal and that we would love it. We agreed. However, when we entered the room, we were unpleasantly surprised: some of the lights didn’t work (we arrived after sunset), the carpet was dirty, several outlets were broken, the refrigerator was old, and there was dust in the corners. Overall, it felt like a very dirty, old room with an unpleasant smell. I believe that 20 years ago this might have been a great room, but definitely not now. We requested a room change. We were given another room for the same price, which was slightly better. Still, there was a strange odor, which we managed to air out. While this second room was more acceptable, it was still not worth the price. It seems the hotel does not pay much attention to the condition of the rooms due to the high tourist traffic. Parking at the hotel is paid in all forms — both self-parking and valet. I would like to note that despite all the shortcomings, the staff did their best to appear friendly and polite. Conclusion: if you’re looking for a truly comfortable stay and not just a place to sleep, this is not the right choice for you.

Disappointing Customer Service at Check-In and Beyond! We checked in to Harrah’s on a quiet Monday afternoon. There were 2 front desk employees were talking at one window, and when they stopped and the employee made eye contact, I stepped forward. I said "I have a reservation", and the employee in front of me said only, “ID.” No greeting, no welcome, no basic courtesy. She asked if I was self parking of using valet and I told her I had parked (in a spot with no signage on the back side of the parking garage), and before I could finish, she cut me off and said, “That’s for check-in. You’ll be towed at your expense.” I tried to clarify, but she repeated the warning, more bluntly this time, and asked, “What do you want to do?” I said if I decided to move my car later that I'd come back down to pay for self parking. She handed me keys without another word. No directions, no mention of our room number, where the elevators where, nothing. Once in the room, we quickly realized one side of the bed had no power. The lights didn’t work and the outlets were so loose throughout the room that cords wouldn’t stay plugged in. This was a real issue, as one of us had a final to complete for an online class and there were not any usable outlets in the room where the cords didn't fall out with the slightest movement. I stopped at the front desk to ask if anything could be done. I didn’t ask to be moved, just described the issue. The employee I spoke to was helpful, asked if I wanted maintenance sent up, and after checking with a manager, he offered to move us to a different room instead. He even offered help with our luggage. I appreciated the effort and said we’d go check the new room before moving. Unfortunately, that second room was extremely hot. The old-style thermostat showed nearly 85 degrees! We adjusted it and turned the fan on high, but no air came out and there was no sound. It clearly wasn’t working. I didn’t want to chance being stuck in a hot room, so we returned to say we’d prefer to stay in the original room. That’s when I ended up speaking with the same employee who had checked us in. I explained everything, and she said our original room had already been reassigned, even though our things were still in it. Then, mid-sentence, she walked away. When she came back, she casually chatted with a coworker about her hair and then handed me new keys without a word of explanation. I asked if we should check the room to make sure the AC worked, and she replied, “This is your assigned room. We won’t be moving you again. If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to check out.” Her tone was unnecessarily harsh, and I was stunned to be spoken to like that. We moved our things again. After settling in, I decided to speak with the manager about the encounter. I wasn’t looking for anything other than to make her aware of how this employee was treating guests. The manager came out looking annoyed and chose to have the conversation in front of other customers and front desk staff. She didn’t apologize or show concern, and the whole exchange felt dismissive and inappropriate. At checkout, I stopped at the desk to make sure my bill was accurate. Good thing I did. The same employee who checked me in had charged me for two days of parking, even though I told her I wasn’t parking. A different, very friendly employee removed the charges without issue, but it didn’t sit right. The whole thing felt shady and intentional. Overall: The rooms were functional, but the customer service at the front desk was some of the worst I’ve experienced. The initial check-in set a negative tone for the entire stay. When hospitality staff lack basic professionalism and courtesy, it affects everything. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and addresses it with their team.

Pros: Location convenience. Two full bathrooms. Comfortable bed. Over a dozen outlets throughout the room. Strong A/C on this visit. Last year in a non smoking room the air reeked heavily of smoke and the A/C didn't run. This year, the non smoking room only occasionally smelled of smoke but it also smelled like raw sewage which was simply gross. The refrigerator was broken and non functioning. It was surprising to see a wide stretch of duct tape across the window frame to seal it? The carpet buckled from one end of the pathway to the other. The sofa had a large circular soil stain on the seat cushion and all the furnishings were well worn. We didn’t spend much time in the room anyway so it wasn’t a big deal except for the smell. Our stay was only two nights. I did call housekeeping about the broken fridge our first evening but nothing became of it. It was not replaced. I kept my sandals on when I walked across the raised, buckled carpet that looked warped…I wondered if there had been a sewage pipe leak that flooded the floor resulting In that odor and damaged carpet. No point in telling the staff. They were not responsive with the broken fridge to begin with. Try Harrah’s at your own risk.