We stayed here on the way home from So. California on Sunday night, March 29, 2009.
Sam's Town has a very good basic rate most nights for a clean comfortable room. All staff were extremely friendly and helpful.
We had a two queen bed room. While very nice with a desk and flat screen T.V., I was surprised it didn't have a refrigerator, microwave or even a coffee maker, so take note if you were expecting those. Wi-Fi is available in the rooms but the charge for it seems pretty steep. There is free ice on each floor so with our travel cooler we didn't miss a refrigerator. We always take a small electric kettle to heat water for coffee etc.. We requested two extra pillows which were brought to us promptly at no extra charge.
There was a problem with the toilet which was quickly addressed by hotel engineering.
Dinner at the Firelight Buffet is $10.99, or $9.99 if you get one of the Coast Club Cards which are free. It was very good with a huge selection and included a glass of wine or draft beer for the adults.
There is no free breakfast, but there are lots of places to eat on the property. The Firelight Buffet has breakfast for about $6, but the line was too long by the time we got there. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the in-house McDonald's, which was much better than most "free breakfasts" for about $5 each. I have to mention, this McDonald's is the only fast food location we visited on our entire vacation that didn't mess up the order.
The atrium in the center is kinda fun. It has a feature they call Mystic Falls with a waterfall scene and animatronic animals.
If you are with anyone who has a problem with cigarette and cigar smoke, be aware it is hard to entirely avoid. The atrium is a non-smoking area and you can reach the McDonald's through there. The hotel corridor we were in was also non-smoking. Just the same, you'll be smelling some smoke walking from one place to another.
This isn't the easiest place to get your luggage to your room in if your doing it yourself. We couldn't see an available bell hop when we arrived and just thought we'd do it ourselves. It took us about twenty minutes, involved four trips to the parking garage which isn't all that close to the rooms. It would have been easier to have waited for a bellhop. It could have helped if the hotel had a few luggage carts on hand in the garage for guests.
I'd consider staying here again since the price can't be beat. If I was looking for a real Las Vegas experience though, I'd probably stay somewhere on or nearer the Strip.