I can't understand WHY the Stratosphere is getting such bad reviews..I didn't realize they had the rooms I'm reading about! My husband and I hit Vegas up every 6 months. This past July, we drove to Vegas from the east coast. We stopped over in Phoenix to see family, but our BIG destination was VEGAS! Everytime we come to Vegas, we always try to stay at the Stratosphere...(there's been 2 occasions we stayed elsewhere because PH was just a few bucks more per night...we do our gambling at Strat though!) We always stay in the premier tower and NEVER have any problems...we had adjoining rooms for 3 days with our teenagers and the window in their room was big enough to stand up in, not to mention the amazing view at night! I don't have a single complaint about this place. Housekeeping came by every day. Yeah, it's further down the strip..take the money you saved on the room and get rental car, take the duece or a cab...we chose to walk some days! Who wants to stay in a room when there's soooo much to see in Vegas?!?

As far as safety is concerned, our vehicle stayed parked at the property the entire time. We went out to get things all hours of the night, and never felt threathened. There was almost always security patrolling the grounds..even on bicycles. No theft or damage to our vehicle or belongings. No need to feel unsafe :o)

My teenagers loved the big shot and the observation deck. It was the very first thing they wanted to do when we checked in..they went up a second time at night before we left..what an amazing view!! The pool was nice..big towels were provided. We ate at Roxy's, Lucky's and a few breakfasts at McDonalds. We planned to eat at the Courtyard Buffett for one day, but the $20 all day deal is for players club members only. We called down before we went and they told us our kids could eat for the $20 per day as well..but that was untrue. They broke the too-good-to-be-true news to us when we went down there. My teenagers are so little, they wouldn't eat $20 worth of food in 2 days..so that wasn't too big a deal!
Some of the shops were closed the past few times I was at the Strat. The casino has been one of the better ones to us. My hubby enjoys blackjack, while I'm a slot monkey. We always have a good time and there is never a shortage of cocktails if you TIP your waitress!

All in all, the Stratosphere is middle of the road. It's not Planet Hollywood (Prostitute Hub) but it is safe, clean, comfortable and very affordable! We enjoyed our stay and have booked our next trip for March, which we will be staying again at the Stratosphere. It's gonna take more than a few bad reviews to keep me from staying here again!!