Revel is a bad casino

I spent the weekend at Revel and was disappointed about every aspect of my stay.

The line to check in on Friday was about 50-people deep, so I tried to use the self-check-in kiosks. They weren't working. Oh, they look like they're working. They take all your information. They have you swipe your credit card. But at the very end of the process, they just say "see front desk for help." Revel's self-check-in kiosks look like video slot machines, and that's exactly how they behave. You never know the result you're going to get beforehand.

After waiting 20 minutes to check in, I went to the room to find that two lamps and the phone/tablet were all not working. What's the point of having a high-tech room where you can remotely control the lamps when the lamps don't work? What's the point of having a guest folio and a room service menu only accessible by the phone/tablet if the phone/tablet won't even turn on? In fact, the last three times I have stayed at Revel, the phone/tablet wasn't working.

I gave up trying to do anything about the situation after using the room's other phone to call guest services, only to be on hold with Revel's awful hold music for 5+ minutes.

Now, the meat of my complaint: the casino. I played three different games for a total of three hours, minimum bet of $50 a hand. Maximum bet of $100 a hand. Had a big losing session, so I went back to my dark room and used my own tablet to check how many resort dollars I had earned...$3. Yes, not $30. Three dollars. For three hours of play at $50 a hand and a large loss. Again I used my own tablet to e-mail my host to ask her if there had been some mistake. She writes back saying that she only shows two hours of play, and that the floormen had under-reported both my cash buy in and loss, but that $3 was the right amount of resort dollars anyway.

Just as a test, I went to Borgata and played only 30 minutes at $40 a hand, and earned $6 comp dollars there. So Borgata comps $12 an hour for $40 a hand, and Revel comps $1 an hour for $50 hands. Exact same games. Exact same rules. Makes so much sense.

Saturday night, I attended a hilariously bad cocktail and buffet hour with an awful wedding band playing and a speech given by Revel President Scott Kreeger, who emphasized that Revel's new approach is to listen to players and make them happy to gamble there. Well, Scott, listen to this. It makes no sense for me to play there recreationally when you are comping $1 an hour for the same game and betting level that Borgata comps $12 an hour. Borgata has nicer things to spend the comps on, anyway. I don't need to buy tacos from a giant truck in your hallway.

One last thing. Revel is hitting up its guests to help them save money on laundry. This place has fallen so far, so fast, from its image as a luxury resort. They actually printed up these signs and placed them in the bathrooms:



"Join your fellow guests in helping save the environment, and our laundry bill." Cheapskates. Like it has anything at all to do with the environment.

I am pretty much done with Revel. It's such a beautiful building, and a nice location right on the beach, but it's the poorest run business I have ever seen.

Can't speak for your other experiences ... but the recycling/reusing towels sign has been in every hotel I've stayed in recently.

Quote: sodawater

I am pretty much done with Revel. .

Not much of a complaint list. You had to wait
in line and they give crummy comps. Yeah,
I'd leave in a huff too. You must be one hard
to please guy..

I rate a hotel/casino on 2 things. Can I beat
their game and did I sleep well. Who cares
about the rest of it.

Caesars has the same towel policy, even in AC. I wouldn't fault Revel for that. Just throw the towels on the floor. There's a plethora of reasons to avoid Revel as you've outlined above but the towel policy is standard fare.

Spot on with most posters experience with this place. Only 2 defenders on here and even they are not as vocal as before. They f'd up from Day 1 and never even made a strong attempt to fix it. Everything was done with the same "We are better than you and we know it" mentality that Kevin DeSanctis had in his head. I honestly believe that if you asked him today, he would not admit how much he f'd the entire thing up.

Quote: EvenBob

I rate a hotel/casino on 2 things. Can I beat
their game

I thought roulette was just about the same everywhere in the US.

My GF has been getting nice offers from the Revel and she didn't play much at all. 30 min on $2 9/6

Quote: AxelWolf

I thought roulette was just about the same everywhere in the US.

My GF has been getting nice offers from the Revel and she didn't play much at all. 30 min on $2 9/6

EB, please share your secret for beating roulette.

Revel sounds like it is not well run. Saving the environment is a good reason for reusing towels; saving on their laundry bill, not so much. It may be important but not all that important to the person staying there...

Sounds like it is time for Revel to throw in the towel.

I've been loyal to the Trop for 5+ years in AC. Never gotten a "bad" room (they aren't as flashy as elsewhere, but always clean and functional), there are plenty of good eats, and the table game limits are great ($15 mini baccarat and $5 5X odds craps game on Friday night). Solid, fun poker tournaments. Was thinking about giving Revel and try, but sounds like I should stick with the Trop.

One interesting experience I had at Revel last year...on a Sunday morning, they had a $50 midi baccarat game going on the main floor. Guy had to be betting $1k-2k per hand and was losing terribly, and getting pretty upset. Me and a couple others were watching from a distance and the floor told us we either had to buy in and play or move on. Later, I was playing blackjack and mentioned it to a dealer, who rolled her eyes and mentioned how she didn't understand why they had recently moved all the baccarat out to the main floor.

I was really annoyed being shooed away...if the guy wants to play on the main floor, he wants to be seen. If he wants privacy and Revel won't provide it, many other AC casinos will at $1000+ per hand. Second, why would a casino in a town like AC kick all their baccarat onto the main floor? Almost every casino in AC keeps at least some baccarat in the high limit pit, if not all in a separate baccarat pit.

Quote: AxelWolf

My GF has been getting nice offers from the Revel and she didn't play much at all. 30 min on $2 9/6

Slot players ALWAYS get better offers and comps than table games players.

And that $1/hour? I bet they think they are doing a great job. After all, when Revel opened, they were opposed to giving out ANY comps.


But the towel thing? Get over it. LOTS of hotels have that policy about the towels.

Many also skip on the daily sheet change, and do it only every few days, or upon request, and after check-out.

Quote: silversonic2006

Second, why would a casino in a town like AC kick all their baccarat onto the main floor? Almost every casino in AC keeps at least some baccarat in the high limit pit, if not all in a separate baccarat pit.

Revel's midi-bacc game has been moved to a tiny elevated section attached to the "Flirt" bar, which is only open a few hours a week. It's a strange, deserted place to play. They moved all the Asian games in there. So now instead of being near the newly installed noodle bar, all the Asian games are attached to a perpetually-closed "Flirt" bar, which makes no sense in terms of theme.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

And that $1/hour? I bet they think they are doing a great job. After all, when Revel opened, they were opposed to giving out ANY comps.

It's just absurd to play that much for that long and see $3 sitting in your account. It's almost like they are trying to piss off their players.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

But the towel thing? Get over it. LOTS of hotels have that policy about the towels.

Yeah, it's no big deal. My point was that Revel opened as this mega-luxury, we-are-better-than-you exclusive resort, and now they are reduced to putting signs in the bathrooms asking guests to reuse their towels. It's just incongruous with the image they tried to maintain when they opened. Sure a lot of hotels do it, but how many ultra-luxury hotels do it? Does the Plaza Hotel in NYC have a sign asking you to reuse towels? Does Aria have them? Marina Bay Sands in Sinagpore asking guests to use old towels? I know Borgata doesn't have the signs. Revel was trying to be like all those resorts and it turns out they're just another crappy AC boardwalk hotel. With broken lamps and phones.

Quote: sodawater

My point was that Revel opened as this mega-luxury, we-are-better-than-you exclusive resort, and now they are reduced to putting signs in the bathrooms asking guests to reuse their towels.

At least they don't display signs like this one (yet):

Quote: gpac1377

At least they don't display signs like this one (yet):

actually i saw similar signs in the revel rooms last summer! i think they wanted something like $600 if you took the (broken) android tablet attached to the (broken) cisco phone.

Quote: sodawater

actually i saw similar signs in the revel rooms last summer!

Ouch. Nothing conveys luxury better than passive-aggressive threats from the housekeeping department.

Quote: sodawater

Revel's midi-bacc game has been moved to a tiny elevated section attached to the "Flirt" bar, which is only open a few hours a week. It's a strange, deserted place to play. They moved all the Asian games in there. So now instead of being near the newly installed noodle bar, all the Asian games are attached to a perpetually-closed "Flirt" bar, which makes no sense in terms of theme.

Pretty much, Revel is a strange and deserted place to play:-)

Forgot to mention that Revel now locks your television close to your checkout time. This morning at 10:58 am, my TV locked into a giant message saying basically "time to check out." You can't remove the message from the screen.

I have not been to Revel in a month - I wonder if there will be tumbleweeds there when I return…?

I found one of these while spending a night in Missoula, although their prices were lower and seemed more in line with just the replacement cost.

I applause the towel policy.

There are check in lines in many hotels at busy times

The Revel casino is beautiful. The biggest problem Revel has is getting over the bad publicity the first management team left with the arrogant gamblers be damned policies.

As for the comps, vote with your feet just do not return.

One other thing perhaps you were not rated properly the floor person is often too busy or lazy to keep an accurate record.

Quote: Scan

I applause the towel policy.

Why? It's clearly not for the environment. They just want to save money. Why weren't the signs there when they opened two years ago? Probably because they didn't think they would even need to concern themselves with the cost of washing a towel. Now that they are broke, suddenly it's about the environment.

Quote: Scan

There are check in lines in many hotels at busy times

The Revel casino is beautiful. The biggest problem Revel has is getting over the bad publicity the first management team left with the arrogant gamblers be damned policies.

As for the comps, vote with your feet just do not return.

Yeah, the lines/lamps/phones thing were just annoyances. My real complaint was the $1 an hour comps for betting $50-100 a hand. That's a dealbreaker for me and I will not be going back unless they retroactively credit my comp account.

Quote: Scan

One other thing perhaps you were not rated properly the floor person is often too busy or lazy to keep an accurate record.

Well, considering there were a total of 4 players in the entire pit, I don't think he was too busy. Lazy, maybe. But busy, no.

Quote: gpac1377

At least they don't display signs like this one (yet):

I used to borrow a lot of things not listed for sale in hotel rooms if I needed them. My bathroom at home is stocked with toilet paper from all types of strip hotels.

Anyway this is all the fault of those "advantage players" exploiting the loss rebate. Also card counters. We might as well throw in video poker players as well.

Quote: aceofspades

I have not been to Revel in a month - I wonder if there will be tumbleweeds there when I return…?

Haha, Ace, well if you're playing black chip blackjack, expect about $2 an hour in resort dollars. After six hours of play you can cover their new "resort fee" they charge every night.

Quote: djatc

Quote: gpac1377

At least they don't display signs like this one (yet):

I used to borrow a lot of things not listed for sale in hotel rooms if I needed them. My bathroom at home is stocked with toilet paper from all types of strip hotels.

Anyway this is all the fault of those "advantage players" exploiting the loss rebate. Also card counters. We might as well throw in video poker players as well.

Wait - are you being sarcastic? If you are serious - then how can you fault players for participating in a promotion? If I recall correctly, most AP's were barred from the promotion and the good paying VP machines were suddenly "out for repair".

You know what's funny? Mrs and my offers are free midweek room and $100/mo free play each. We were there maybe 15 hours total last year. We go to Borgata, head over to Revel for our free play, and then go back to Borgata. She plays slots, I play tables and slots.

Last time we were there they were giving away apple pies and George Foreman grills. There was some complicated offer with comps and meals that we misunderstood and which caused confusion when paying the bill at Amada. The service at Amada was bad; in fact, we've never had good service at ANY restaurant at Revel. The food has been decent, but the service has been slow, disorganized, and incompetent. Except for the taco truck.

I just don't like it there. I'll take the free play, but we won't make Revel our destination. The mood is bad. The colors aren't friendly. The hospitality isn't natural. Things flow downhill, and if it isn't fun to work there it won't be fun to play there.

Quote: sodawater

Why? It's clearly not for the environment. They just want to save money. Why weren't the signs there when they opened two years ago? Probably because they didn't think they would even need to concern themselves with the cost of washing a towel. Now that they are broke, suddenly it's about the environment.

At most hotels, they don't even follow these rules. Put your towel anywhere you want, it's still going to be replaced. These programs are more for PR than anything else. It's an easy way to say you have a sustainability program without actually having to pay to be sustainable. Hmmm...maybe the malfunctioning lights and electronics were also part of a conservation effort:-)


I saw one of the most ill-conceived casino promotions that I've ever personally experienced when I was in AC 2 weeks ago. Revel was giving $100 to 20 people every 30 minutes. That's pretty standard, right? Well, there are two things that Revel got totally wrong: 1. It was cash. 2. Players need not be present to win. Just scan to activate entries, then claim your prize at the cashier within 24 hours. So, they created absolutely no need to actually stay/play at the property (and, not surprisingly, most people didn't stay and play. I stayed at Showboat, which was at least twice as busy as Revel was). And, the next day, there was a big line of people at the cage checking to see if they won. That line kept their real actual players from being able to access the cashiers.

I have not received free play since October……..I ran into a woman I knew from Bally's - who also plays at Borgata - she is a black chip player.
She had not been to Revel in 6 months and they sent her $1k in free chips (you do not have to bet them)
Meanwhile, my free play, when I was getting it, was $60.

Perhaps I need a 6 month break and they will send me $1k?

well i'll be going on a 6 month break and i'll let you know what they offer me. i imagine whatever it is will have a warm fruit filling.

Quote: sodawater

well i'll be going on a 6 month break and i'll let you know what they offer me. i imagine whatever it is will have a warm fruit filling.

Question is if they will even still be there in 6 months

Signs in hotel rooms. Some people hate them.

I think signs near the internet connection are sensible.

Signs about towels or bedsheets vary. Some may remember that sign about "do not fish from your hotel window"... just because one drunk had done that and broken a lower level window, those signs went up.... and that caused everyone who was drunk and quite a few who were sober to fish from their windows.

I think those signs are actually Please Don't Steal since we charge ridiculously high replacement costs and will inventory the whole room once you check out.

Hello! My name is S. Kreeger and I invite you to take a piece of Revel home with you!

If you enjoyed using our soap dish, you are in luck. The soap dish is IN STOCK and can be added to your home decor for only $16.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Soap-Dish

How about that luxurious wastebasket? Well get this: it can be yours for the low price of $95.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Leather-Wastebasket

Why not check out the entire Revel hotel collection? GetRevel.com!

(Shipping and handling extra.)

IMO there's no reason whatsoever to choose Revel over Borgata. Unless being by the beach is that important to you.

Quote: chaunceyb3

Hello! My name is S. Kreeger and I invite you to take a piece of Revel home with you!

If you enjoyed using our soap dish, you are in luck. The soap dish is IN STOCK and can be added to your home decor for only $16.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Soap-Dish

How about that luxurious wastebasket? Well get this: it can be yours for the low price of $95.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Leather-Wastebasket

Why not check out the entire Revel hotel collection? GetRevel.com!

(Shipping and handling extra.)

Can I use my comp points playing $100 blackjack? If so only 100 hours for that wastebasket!

From the wastebasket listing:
"Revel curates a guest’s experience down to the details so that even the most routine act, like throwing out desk papers, becomes enjoyable."
I hope they didnt actually pay anyone to write that crap.

Quote: bw

From the wastebasket listing:
"Revel curates a guest’s experience down to the details so that even the most routine act, like throwing out desk papers, becomes enjoyable."
I hope they didnt actually pay anyone to write that crap.

Revel wants us to help conserve water and use towels multiple times, but we should throw away paper? If they DO pay someone to write that ad copy, they should fire them...

I thought I read on here that Caesars was going to buy Revel? What's all the fuss? Isn't it about to close? They will have plenty of items with the Revel logo for sale unless of course the name remains the same.

Quote: bw

"Revel curates a guest’s experience down to the details so that even the most routine act, like throwing out desk papers, becomes enjoyable."

I enjoy it when I crumple the paper into a ball and throw make it into the basket across the room.

Quote: Wizard

I enjoy it when I crumple the paper into a ball and throw make it into the basket across the room.

Do you give odds on whether you'll hit it or not?

LOL ......Who steals an iron board? They wont fit in my suite case.

Never stolen anything from a hotel in my life,
would never even occur to me. Not that I'm
so moral, but stealing from hotels is something
common people do, so it's kind of beneath me.
It's not creative enough to be worth my time.

I always take the pens from the rooms at the MGM Grand. Those are good pens.

Quote: chaunceyb3

Hello! My name is S. Kreeger and I invite you to take a piece of Revel home with you!

If you enjoyed using our soap dish, you are in luck. The soap dish is IN STOCK and can be added to your home decor for only $16.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Soap-Dish

How about that luxurious wastebasket? Well get this: it can be yours for the low price of $95.00!

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Leather-Wastebasket

Why not check out the entire Revel hotel collection? GetRevel.com!

(Shipping and handling extra.)

I can't believe they want $95 for that little garbage can. Do you think they have EVER sold one? Who stays at Revel and says I need me that garbage can, let me buy that for $95?

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Pool-Towel

Funny thing is, they are replacing the pool towels shown above with smaller, cheaper towels at the actual Revel pool. I was at the pool Sat. and Sunday and those nice, big, brown towels made up only about 25% of all towels available. The vast majority of towels were much smaller blue and white striped towels.

Quote: sodawater

http://www.getrevel.com/productDetail.aspx?Pool-Towel

Funny thing is, they are replacing the pool towels shown above with smaller, cheaper towels at the actual Revel pool. I was at the pool Sat. and Sunday and those nice, big, brown towels made up only about 25% of all towels available. The vast majority of towels were much smaller blue and white striped towels.

Can't believe we are talking about towels and garbage cans. Talking about how gay Miata's are seems way more entertaining. We need a new JJ.

I have a baccarat pen from Caesar's Palace and still use it...twist-retractable AND two colors on the same pen!

Quote: thecesspit

Do you give odds on whether you'll hit it or not?

Of course.

Quote: EvenBob

Never stolen anything from a hotel in my life, would never even occur to me.

I collect "do not disturb" signs. However, you're allowed to take those, right?

Quote: PlayYourCardsRight

Can't speak for your other experiences ... but the recycling/reusing towels sign has been in every hotel I've stayed in recently.

Same here.

I've seen the signs about towels/sheets in lots of high-end hotels and have no problem with them. In fact, I applaud it.

Quote: Wizard

I've seen the signs about towels/sheets in lots of high-end hotels and have no problem with them. In fact, I applaud it.

I concur, and they were in the guest book at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. I like the signs because, if the guest chooses to take any of the items without asking or buying them, then the guest can reasonably know how much they will cost. Are the prices ridiculous? Of course, that's the point, they'd be ridiculous anyway, but at least the guest knows the bath towel will put his credit card out $40.

Quote: Mission146

I concur, and they were in the guest book at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. I like the signs because, if the guest chooses to take any of the items without asking or buying them, then the guest can reasonably know how much they will cost. Are the prices ridiculous? Of course, that's the point, they'd be ridiculous anyway, but at least the guest knows the bath towel will put his credit card out $40.

I think he was referring to the re-using of towels, vs washing them every day.

As for the rest of it, I remember that the Venetian used to (and I'd assume still does) have a sign about the bathrobes, saying that if you want one, you can order a brand new one and it will be delivered to you for some price, or you could take the one in your room for the same price.

The problem with the sign in the picture is that it is rude. The words that they use are important; it shows that they have no respect for their guests. I would not stay in a place like that.