I stayed at the Sahara for 3 nights on a full comp and had a balcony suite, 786 sq. feet.
I waited for several hours to get into my suite, and spent the last 20 minutes in the filthy hallway waiting for the cleaning lady to finish my room.

I first stepped into my "Just Cleaned" Suite at about 3:25 P.M. First the positives: the size of the suite was large at almost 800 sq. feet, and the view from my private 18th floor exterior balcony was great, day or night.

Inside my "just cleaned" suite the conditions were shocking. Badly ripped and soiled carpets, left over cigarette butts put out and left on the balcony carpet, the tub had several large chunks taken out of it and you could see a black interior composition.

I also killed two ticks in the bathroom, and I cleaned up the excess carmel corn left by the side of the bed from a visitor prior. My wet bar/sink combo was even dirtier. The side wall was splattered with something red, I honestly don't know if it was koolade or blood, and the vent up above was black with dust and grease, and the fawcet handles were 2 totally different badly mismatched handles.

There were also several lightbulbs out and a toilet that would just barely flush. It never overflowed but I was scared to go #2 on my own toilet. Overall the Sahara needs badly new carpets, wallpaper, paint, fixtures, and furnishings from top to bottom.

I spoke with my Casino Executive Host and he told me that the recession was really taking a toll on their restaurants as well. The 2 nice sit down restaurants at the Sahara are completely closed, The House of Lords steakhouse and Paco's the sit down mexican restaurant. Also, the 2nd floor buffet which I have eaten at several times is now closed for breakfast and closed for lunch from Monday-Friday, I know they only open up at 4:00 PM for dinner.

Overall the Sahara is just old, dated, worn, and filthy and most of the people who still have their jobs have stopped caring about any details long ago. The Sahara needs a massive top to bottom remodel or sadly based on its long history, the wrecking ball!!

I would also like to say that I am far from being picky or a neatfreak, but I felt that since I witnessed this firsthand, that I should inform any potential future guests. Thank You.

Was checked in to stay in a "deluxe" room for memorial weekend, but left after 2 hrs. I'm really not a very picky person, but I was completely disgusted by almost everything in this hotel. If your going on vacation where you'd rather not spend your time worrying about the sanitary conditions of your room or your food then the Sahara is not for you. Let me paint you a picture: The hallways on the room floors were hot and humid, like they weren't even running air to them. The room had stains or tears every 12 inches of space, even on the pillows, sheets, walls, lampshades and desks (which were also chipped and and very low to he ground). The carpet and wall paper were ratty and torn, and the curtains felt so old and crusty that they could almost crumble in your fingers. The AC unit didn't work at all and the smoke detectors were off colored and dirty and I just couldn't trust them to work. There were also small little what looked like pubic hairs left on our bathroom floor. Outlets were barely holding onto the wall and there was a piece of mysterious rusted hardware left in the bathroom. Health and safety hazards. The lobby, casino, restaurants and hallways were very dark and dinghy . Dark, old and cheap feelings were overwhelming. There were even gnat's flying around in one section of the casino. We got lunch at the hotel's cafe (only because we were absolutely starving from traveling so much earlier) while we tried to figure out how to handle the situation and was equally grossed out by the restaurant and food. They tried to sit us 8ft from a smelly overflowing trashcan outside the kitchen area even though the cafe was practically empty. The food was old and obviously came directly from a can... and was cold. Staff was slow moving and slow thinking, unmotivated and tired.
I explained my great disappointment and concern to a manager who was visible upset that I had taken photos of the room, and tried to say that there was nothing he could do and there was no way he could refund my money but that he could put a "request" in to the accounting department to have my money refunded to the website I made the reservation with. A very long story short I ended up getting my money refunded before I left.
In case your interested, I was not they only upset customer, just during my time in the lobby, 3 other people made complaints about there room conditions.
I felt pity for people who felt the price made it a bearable situation.
The view from our room was nice of the mountains and it was connected to the monorail, but could never make it worth it.
BEWARE OF THE SAHARA.

The place is old and run down. Carpets are filthy and ripped, furniture is literally from the 50's & scratched to [----]. Staff is unfriendly & food at all the restaurants is unedible. Got crowded on the weekend with lots of college kids and internaltional travelers looking for a cheap place to stay. Don't stay here even on a comp.

I have stayed at the Sahara for several years, and while it used to be OK and good value, I think it is time to look for another hotel.
The carpets in the hotel everywhere are disgustingly dirty, and in definite need of replacement. Their are foul odors everywhere in the hotel, and no doubt the carpets are a big part of that problem.
I stayed in a premier room in the Tangiers Tower. If this is the state of the premier rooms now, I can't imagine the how bad the standard rooms are. The furniture is badly marked up, the carpet is filthy, the windows haven't been cleaned in months. The tv's are small, and are very old. Their are no coffemakers in the rooms.
The pool at the Sahara is probabely it's best remaining feature. It is very large and in pretty good shape. It is kept reasonabely clean.
A big disappointment was the closing of two of the best restaurants here. The infamous steakhouse the House of Lords closed in the last few weeks. The Beatles ate here in the 60's. The food their used to be excellent and good value.
They also closed the Mexican restaurant Paco's bar and grill.
I still maintain that a wrecking crew is on it's way to the Sahara. It is quite a shame that it couldn't have been maintained better, because as one of the older hotels on the strip, their is a lot of nostalgia here.