I stayed for 5 nights during Smokeout, a gay men's cigar event.
The Alexis is a former condo complex consisting of numerous small "blocks" around a central courtyard with green spaces and several pools.
We had a double suite, two beds and a huge living area, plus kitchenette. Very spacious and very clean.
Despite being part of a large group which booked a large number rooms, I felt that service was a little lacking. Case in point: at check-in, I requested two items for my room: a sharps container for syringes (I take an injectable medication), and a supply of extra sugar packets for in-room coffee as I find there are never more than one or two.
At the hotel where I work, these two requests would be dealt with at check-in, and likely arrive at the room as soon as the guest. However, the response I got can be paraphrased as "er,,,umm....well...maybe you could ask the restaurant....it's closed now but if you come back when they are open...." Similarly the sharps container seemed to be such a difficult request to meet the front desk really would have preferred I just not press the point.
Despite two phone calls to maintenance, neither TV in the suite worked throughout our stay, nor did the drain in the bathroom sink.
Internet was cumbersome, expensive (whether in-room or at the business centre) and involved spending a lot of time under the desk dealing with a slipshod assemblage of wires, routers and zip ties. Even after paying for a cord and internet service, we weren't able to hook up in our suite.
The killer for me, however, was the response I got to my comment when I checked out. As mentioned before, I was here for a cigar meet, and was lucky enough to get a smoking room; however, many of the attendees did not, despite having had their smoking preference confirmed in advance. (C'mon, people - it's a smoking event - guys want to smoke in their rooms - pretty much the whole point in being there).
I mentioned this to the manager who was checking me out, and he said basically that since "there were a lot of problems" this year, next year smoking rooms would be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis (meaning first to check in). The "problems" he was referring to weren't errors with reservations; it was all these guys who insisted on a smoking preference (which is in low demand these days anyway and the more so given the falling occupancy rates in Vegas hotels).
Again, I work front desk in a hotel, and I know you don't want to confirm exact rooms or features too far in advance. But smoking preference and bedding should always be confirmed. Smokeout books a large block of rooms at the Alexis every year, and every year, according to other attendees, requests that are confirmed in advance are not delivered at check-in. Had I not been there for Smokeout - or had I, like some of the other attendees, not received my requested smoking room, and been at the end of the hotel where the rest of the group was gathered - I would have been sorely disappointed. As it stands, I felt the effort made towards meeting even simple requests was lacking, and a group of our size - which returns yearly - certainly deserved better.
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