well had another great stay , check in, went smooth took picture and they made me picture key chain, free slots, 2 free nite in the furture, free food, lose slots ,and when you are winning at slots ,tables and you dont want to lose that streak,well if you get hungry just ask for waiter, and get your food brought to you ,thats nice my room was nice and fresh and clean, and had a ball on fremont st. check pictures out more later.

There's a reason it's the lowest priced hotel downtown(Fremont East District) but it's still a good bargain. I wouldn't reccoment the Pavilion section, go with the tower or vintage rooms.

Note: No pool.

The gambling is good and Roberta's Restaurant served some very good food for the price. Try it.

There are still some old coin in type dollar slots which I liked.

The noise level outside late at night can be annoying, so you may want to take that into consideration when obtaining your room.

You can stay here and visit a dozen casinos or more without having to cab it. If you've never stayed downtown try it at least once, it's an experience.

We spent two nights at the El Cortez and it was probably the best stay we've ever had in Vegas. With the help of a coupon from the American Casino Guide, we spent $30 for two nights in one of their vintage rooms, a huge, clean, and well-furnished suite. Yes, $30 total, $15 a night before tax. These rooms seem to get a bad rap, and we're not sure why.

Our room was clean, quiet, and just a few steps from the casino, very convenient. It had a big living room area with a sectional couch, two closets, a big comfortable King-sized bed, and a separate dressing room/sitting room. It was a smoking room, but there was very little smoke smell and no noise whatsoever from the casino downstairs. It's a very old building, but it's in nice shape and has lots of character, a rarity in Vegas. Also, there were gobs of storage: Two nightstands, an armoire and a big dresser in addition to two generous closets. And the furniture wasn't cheap hotel furniture either, it was real wood stuff that I'd be proud to have in my house.

The vintage rooms do have a few drawbacks, however. There's no elevator, so you'll need to drag your luggage up the stairs. Also, the bathrooms are very small. And it's obvious that it's an old building--the floors creak sometimes, there aren't many electrical outlets etc. This stuff didn't bother us in the least, but other people might feel differently.

The steakhouse and coffee shop are great too, above average food at bargain prices. And everyone at the El Cortez, from the front desk to the hostesses at the restaurant to the security guards went out of their way to make us feel welcome and valued.

Safety seems to be a concern for a lot of people downtown, but we never felt unsafe. Obviously, it's a city, and you need to be aware of your surroundings and keep track of you're valuables. But we never felt any less safe than on the Strip. We had a great time and an unbelievable hotel value and hope to come back for many more.

Big clean room in the tower. Good location. Great valet. Terrific food at the cafe with generous comps. Weird blackjack sidebets with lots of locals who give you a hard time for not betting the side bet and dealers barely proficient at English. Still, I left with more cash than I arrived with. I may stay there again...it's a good bargain.