We (me and a group of buddies) had a great trip to Vegas last month and stayed downtown for the first time. We ate at excellent spots like Barry’s Downtown Prime and Pizza Rock. For this trip, I stayed in a Parlor Suite at the Golden Nugget. I always try to create a premium experience by paying for access to the VIP lounge wherever I am. The Golden Nugget VIP Lounge was available for a $60 set price for the stay, so I booked it. I received excellent service, but with the limited hours and amenities I am not sure I would do it again.
Let’s start with details. I was staying in the Gold Tower. When you get your registration confirmation email, there is a line which says, “Take advantage of our Express Check In services options. Click here and explore the ways to start your vacation quicker.” Following that link offers the opportunity to book the VIP Lounge and several other amenities. There is also another VIP Lounge in a different tower. My offer was a $60 one time fee for the length of my stay. I *hate* standing in line at check-in or when I need help, so I booked it.
VIP Lounge Check in Experience
My flight arrived super early on a Sunday morning. In retrospect, that was poor travel planning on my part. The Golden Nugget VIP Lounge did not open until 10 a.m., which I thought was weird for a busy weekend day when a lot of people would be checking in and out. Still, I walked in at 10 and the lovely employee did a great job of helping me get into my room early. No complaints there. The space was nice and quiet, and there were comfortable places to sit. I wish I would have gotten some still photos, but I anticipated being back there. The video at the top of this post shows the space fairly well, though.
The core problem, though, was that I did not come back. That was because the hours were super limited– I couldn’t even get back in to take video or photos. There was no coffee and snacks, and there was certainly no alcohol. The attendant did offer to get me a bottle of water when I asked on check-in, but I declined. She also did not tell me I had to request housekeeping the previous day, and that became a problem the next day. All told, it was a nice space and a nice service if you treat it as an express check-in line and are getting there between 10 a.m. and whenever they closed in the early afternoon. Just don’t expect the kind of premium reception I received when I paid for similar access at other hotels. The Gold Tower VIP Lounge was good, but not great.
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