Downtown Grand is the worst casino / rant

In my opinion, the Downtown Grand has got to be the worst casino, in my experience.

First of all, you have to valet there -- there's no free/charged parking garage. Sometimes when I go out, I'll have a small stash of chips from different casinos that I'll be playing at (makes it easier to jump into a game). Usually I'd leave the chips in the car, but since I have to valet, I'm not going to leave chips in my car. Plus, I don't want someone else driving my car. It's inconvenient. I can't just walk to the garage and get into my car, I gotta wait 5-10 minutes before they bring my car up. Then I gotta readjust the car seat a million different times to get it to the position where I like it. Also, you have to validate the coupon or else it costs $$$ for valet. That's not so bad, but it's a hassle. Plus, you got this oversized piece of cardboard in your pocket -- and if you lose it, you can't get your car back [although I'm sure you'd be able to get your car even if you lost it by showing your name on ID matches the registration or something else in the car, etc.]. I'm not against tipping, but now I gotta tip a dollar or two to the valet guy.




Next, trying to get free play, free bets, or something else like that. First of all, you gotta wait in a line that in my experience has always been at least 5-10 minutes long. I guess that's not too bad. Once you get to the front of the line, you give them your ID and player's card, tell them you have a freebet or freeplay. They type your information into the computer, and sure enough [EVERY SINGLE TIME], they say I don't have any free bets or free play. I know this isn't true, as I was just looking at my mail offer 45 minutes ago at home.

Now I gotta haggle with the person and tell them I do have a free bet, it says so in the mail, and look at a different screen. I know this isn't the boothling's problem, as they have a pretty f*cked up system there. 10 minutes later, they finally find it. I can't imagine there being much in the system when it comes to showing what offers I have. But every single time, it's something like, "Well, your offer is for February 8 to February 14 and it says it's expired". I look at the date on my phone and it's February 13'th. But I keep pressing the issue, and sure enough they print it out and give it to me.

Other times, my mail offer said $XXX in PROMO CHIPS. The promo chips there are the good ones -- they stay up after a win, and they pay odds (pays 3:2 on BJ, double or triple in the field with 2 or 12 in craps, can use them for your odds in craps and they pay the 6:5, 3:2, 2:1 odds, etc.). That's the one good thing. Half the time [in the past when I did get promo chips], they'd say my offer was for a free bet. I show 'em my mail offer which says PROMO CHIPS and they insist the system says FREE BET. Promo chips are worth slightly less than 100% of their face value, while free bets are worth a little less than 50% of their face value -- no way I'm giving up half of the value. 15 minutes later, I finally get the promo chips.

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EVERY SINGLE TIME I've tried to get my free bet or promo chips, there has been some issue. Either they say I don't have any offers right now, or they say it's expired, or it's not showing up on the screen, it's for a different amount, or I'd get a free bet instead of promo chips, or other bizarre things occurring.

A few times, the person next to me is complaining about the same thing -- they have free play but it's not loading on the machine, or the boothling is saying it's expired [even though it's the day before it expires], or there's no record of their offers.
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If you want to use your free food credit offer thing for the Stewart + Ogden restaurant (I think that's what it's called) -- it's confusing what's even going on in there, especially around midnight or later. There's no host at the front desk, even when there's a line of people waiting. You finally get seated, and there's one server for the entire place. It takes forever to place an order, and even more forever to get your food. I don't think it's the employee's faults, they're just under staffed. But when more than half the tables are occupied, you'd think DT Grand would be smart enough and hire some more waiters, hosts, cooks, or whatever is causing the delay. On top of that, half the tables that are empty have old food just sitting there and no one to take it away.

To add insult to the injury, they've recently switched all their double deck games to 6:5. No thank you!


Oh yeah, and the best VP there (as far as I know) is 8/5 Bonus Poker.

The great thing about Vegas, is if you don't like a particular casino, there is one either right next door or a fairly short drive away. You can take your business elsewhere. As far as valeting your car and protecting your chips, most cars today come with a "valet key" You can use your main fob to lock any valuables in your glove box and hand the valet the valet key, he can get in you car, drive it and not in the glove box. If your car has a push start. You can usually get a "hand key" out of the main fob, lock the glove, keep the key, and had the valet the fob and he can't get in the glove box.

When did you see 6:5 BJ there? As recently as early Feb their 2D pitch game was still 3:2. If they killed that game there's really no reason to go there, except Pizza Rock kicks ass.

I agree that the S+O late night service is horrendous.

Quote: Sigsev

When did you see 6:5 BJ there? As recently as early Feb their 2D pitch game was still 3:2. If they killed that game there's really no reason to go there, except Pizza Rock kicks ass.

I agree that the S+O late night service is horrendous.

The change happened very recently. And now they cut off a full deck instead of half a deck, that's just silly for a 6:5 game. Someone must be paranoid.

They have been all over the place since they opened, flip flopping constantly. NSUD at open, worst vp downtown a week later, then the massive improvement of vp pay tables to......arguably second worst DT after Golden Gate. Shoe BJ games they didn't allow surrender or rsa right away, then they allowed surrender, then back to not offering it again, then the last time I played there( don't remember when, probably been over a month) I could surrender and rsa. They only had UTH for a month or so.

I pretty much just park at El-Co and usually make a couple stops when downtown, so the valet thing doesn't bother me.

On a side note, does any else find it weird that Four Queens has decent VP and binions doesn't, and the D has a solid selection of vp while golden gate sucks? The pairs each are owned by the same companies, both smaller, so one would think they'd have comparable game selection.

A week ago it was 6:5, two weeks ago it was 3:2.

Yes, they've been all over the place.....in so many different ways. First they had promo chips, then they switched to free bets, then they switched back. There's a room in the corner, it used to be the high limit room. Then it got changed to all machines. Then they put two tables in there. Now it's back to all machines. They change their table locations/pit setup frequently.

I just called them, and yes, the DD game is 6:5. I've stayed there three times in the last 9 months. If I stay there again it will be for the free room and they won't get my action. Their DD game used to have 75-85% pen. Adios Downtown Grand. (Last time I was there I had a free $50 bet and won it. Got a comp for one of their hoodies. Nice quality.)

Maybe it will close down and they'll have an insanely good video poker promotion at a bar down the street.

So is this place doing well or going under? I've only been in there a few times, and every time it was pretty dead. Is this why they keep switching things up?

It's always been pretty slow in there whenever I been there, even on Fri or Sat nights.

If a casino doesn't have an identity they are doomed to fail. They should have gone for the "best returning games in town" angle or "best promotions". Consider it a marketing expense and see what happens then. Why would I waste my time with a casino with no parking when I can go to Main Street or Plaza across the street?

Quote: djatc

If a casino doesn't have an identity they are doomed to fail. They should have gone for the "best returning games in town" angle or "best promotions". Consider it a marketing expense and see what happens then. Why would I waste my time with a casino with no parking when I can go to Main Street or Plaza across the street?

Why do you say it has no parking? There's a parking garage right across the street.

You mean the 3 or 4 spots across the street, with a parking meter, that are always occupied....that parking?

Not the most convenient (no walkway or bridge) but

Quote: Downtown Grand website FAQ

a. Downtown Grand Las Vegas offers complimentary valet parking with validation for all hotel guests and $12 flat rate without validation for non hotel guests.

b. Downtown Grand Las Vegas offers complimentary self-parking with validation. The self-parking garage is located on Ogden Ave. between 3rd Street and 4th Street.

Their opening was pretty poorly done. When they opened, many rooms weren't open, very little advertising, their pool was not open and at that time they did not have that self parking garage. Should have waited for a better time/ more ready to open, the opening/first impression is the best chance I think in a saturated market. Now when they continue to flip how they do everything around (game selection, also they've been intermittently running okayish/meh promotions but not really repeating them to gain traction) over every couple months they don't seem to be giving anything long enough to actually evaluate if it could work.

Getting significantly less random walk-in traffic compared to their competition probably hurts. OTOH there would be much less noise in hotel rooms than many most oother properties downtown, would think they could push that angle to a degree.

Come to Downtown Grand! The Light Show and "Arena" won't bother you here! Just peace and quiet, even in the casino!

If the El Cortez can survive then there is no reason the Grand cant make it.
El Cortez has good video poker and excellent BJ.
Why doesn't the Grand look over to the El and copy some of the practices.
I love DT and always take the short hike to the EL.
The Grand is even closer to the Freemont Exp, they can get traffic like the El, just gotta give us better games.
I am actually staying at the Grand next week.
I picked them just because I have stayed at just about every hotel DT but never the Grand so I thought try them out this trip.
Good gambling just a short walk away :-)

Quote: tringlomane

Come to Downtown Grand! The Light Show and "Arena" won't bother you here! Just peace and quiet, even in the casino!

Other possibilities:

Are other casinos too loud and noisy? Check us out -- it's never loud and noisy in the DT Grand!

Plan on staying downtown? Look no further -- our hotel is a quick walk away from several casinos!

You like peace and quiet? Well peace and quiet is what you'll get -- we have less* players than any other casino in Las Vegas!

Do you want sex? Well you've come to the right place. After you've been wined and dined, we'll f*** you over every which way!

I was in DG last week. They eliminated the Players Services desk. So now, all players services are done at the cashier. They have a separate line for chips only, but that DOESN'T WORK.

Too often people get in the wrong line (because they are stupid), or the cage critters don't see you in the CHIPS line, and you are forced to wait forever JUST TO CASH CHIPS!

I found a guy in a suit and told him I'll never play there again. He didn't seem to care.

In a way it seems like they launched the DT with the idea that they'll ony spend so much on the property and it either floats or it doesn't. The hallways in the hotel are often dirty. The escelator leading to the west tower is poorly designed. Why does it go up to a plateau where the hotel guest then has to walk down a few stairs? And when using the west tower's elevators you had to know to come down to the third floor to then walk to the escelator to reach the loby (but sometimes you could ride all the way down to the Commissary restaurant--you never knew when). The design seems odd. And yes, the player's club struggles to understand their own offers. Overall I liked the place. But when they went 6:5 on their DD game that was it for me.

Quote: terapined

If the El Cortez can survive then there is no reason the Grand cant make it.
El Cortez has good video poker and excellent BJ.
Why doesn't the Grand look over to the El and copy some of the practices.
I love DT and always take the short hike to the EL.
The Grand is even closer to the Freemont Exp, they can get traffic like the El, just gotta give us better games.
I am actually staying at the Grand next week.
I picked them just because I have stayed at just about every hotel DT but never the Grand so I thought try them out this trip.
Good gambling just a short walk away :-)

el cortez runs on a monthly expense of $5000 a month I'm sure the grand spends a lot more.

The one positive they have going is the peace & quiet aspect of the location. Close enough for you to get to the action & energy of Fremont, but far enough away that you get a bit of respite from the noise if you are ready to crash.

They should have named it The Downtown Oasis and gone for the "new/fresh rooms offering a place to re-charge" angle. They'll get some casino play if the just keep the hotel full cause you won't always walk to Fremont if you have a decent selection of games downstairs from your room. Or alternatively, you'll take one more stab at gaming after you walk back from Fremont. I actually like the hotel & location piece of DT, stayed their twice......but the casino does need do to more to attract play from their guests, because they aren't going to get a lot of walk in traffic.

I love the energy of the The D, probably my favorite downtown casino, but I would never stay there due to the noise just outside from the live stage, etc. I have to believe you will hear that in your room until 2-3AM. Sure I may stay out that late, but I want the option to call it an earlier night and crash in a room where I can actually get to sleep.

Quote: terapined

If the El Cortez can survive then there is no reason the Grand cant make it.

El Cortez is on the way between a Deuce stop (in front of Heart Attack Grill) and Fremont Street Experience. DTG requires you to know to look down what is pretty much an empty block. Unless you're headed to Pizza Rock or the Mob Museum, how many people even know that DTG is there?

Then again, if you want to draw more people there, how about:

We're right across the street from Pizza Rock!

We have Taco Tuesdays! (Well, The Commissary does - or at least it did when I was there - and it's across the street)

You don't have to cross the street any more to eat at Triple George! (TG did take over the Mob Bar spot, right?)

Other casinos on Fremont Street have unlucky fourth floors - not here!

Quote: Paradigm

I love the energy of the The D, probably my favorite downtown casino, but I would never stay there due to the noise just outside from the live stage, etc. I have to believe you will hear that in your room until 2-3AM. Sure I may stay out that late, but I want the option to call it an earlier night and crash in a room where I can actually get to sleep.

Energy? You mean the deafening music? I can't stand playing at the D...I ran some coupons and free slot play there last trip and couldn't wait to get off the gaming floor. It's so loud sometimes you can't even communicate to the craps dealers what bets you want.

I was surprised that from my tower room at ElCo I could still hear some bass thumping around 11pm or midnight. I couldn't figure out if it was from the FSE or some other stage somewhere, but it was a bit frustrating. It was just quiet enough that it didn't keep me awake though, so no big complaint really.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

El Cortez is on the way between a Deuce stop (in front of Heart Attack Grill) and Fremont Street Experience. DTG requires you to know to look down what is pretty much an empty block. Unless you're headed to Pizza Rock or the Mob Museum, how many people even know that DTG is there?

Then again, if you want to draw more people there, how about:

We're right across the street from Pizza Rock!

We have Taco Tuesdays! (Well, The Commissary does - or at least it did when I was there - and it's across the street)

You don't have to cross the street any more to eat at Triple George! (TG did take over the Mob Bar spot, right?)

Other casinos on Fremont Street have unlucky fourth floors - not here!

After I eat Heart Attack Grill, I have to make a Deuce stop :(

As far as the Grand, I think it's bottomfeeder that they make you play something before you can use your FP, guess they are afraid of penniless bums taking your cards.

On a side note their cafe has some decent clam chowder.

Quote: RS

our hotel is a quick walk away from several casinos!

More like a quick run after dark, to
avoid the low lifes and homeless who
want to help you with your BR..