I visited Resorts World Las Vegas for the first time in April 2022 to explore the property’s public areas and play in the casino with the hope of generating some offers for future trips. Last month, I was able to take advantage of an offer that included three complimentary nights at the Conrad. Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) has three hotel brands on site, including Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords (part of Hilton’s LXR portfolio). If you want a full review or walk-through of RWLV, there are plenty of places to find that content online from other blogs, YouTube, etc. What I want to address in this article is why Conrad at RWLV will never be a true luxury hotel.
I was looking forward to trying the new Conrad at RWLV on this trip, and let me start by saying that it was a “nice” hotel. I enjoyed my stay overall, and I certainly can’t complain about the price since the room was comped. The room was decently sized, and I had no issues with how it was furnished. Hilton describes its Conrad brand as “smart luxury.” And whilst the property’s modern vibe is certainly quite “smart,” it fell well short of a “luxury” experience. Here are the main reasons why:
1. Poor Room Cleanliness
A luxury hotel should pay attention to detail, and that includes how the rooms are serviced and cleaned by housekeeping, both throughout a stay and in-between guests. However, it was evident that housekeeping did a very poor job, as this hair from a previous guest and this dried mystery fluid on the wall in the toilet room remained throughout my three night stay.
2. Bulk Toiletry Dispensers, One of Which Was Empty
Whilst we’re in the bathroom, I’d like to point out these bulk dispensers for shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Now, I’ve heard all about these being a “greener alternative” to individually packaged toiletries. But these say more “Hampton Inn economy” than “Conrad smart luxury” to me–especially when the shower gel is 100% empty upon arrival.
Did anyone mention the importance of attention to detail, yet? I’ve worked in several hotels throughout my life, and I know that housekeeping in many properties have a checklist to follow to ensure rooms are serviced thoroughly and completely. If Conrad have this in place, then “refill the cheap looking dispensers in the shower” isn’t on it, but it ought to be.
3. Lack of Daily Housekeeping (Or a P*** Poor Job of It?)
Hilton claim that guests staying at all Waldorf Astoria, LXR, and Conrad hotels can expect to receive daily housekeeping, but I never received proper housekeeping service during my stay. I say “proper housekeeping” because when I returned to my room at the end of the 2nd day of my stay, I found the duvet had been thrown over top of my bed, but the pillows hadn’t been reset and were still in the haphazard positions where I left them. To say the bed had been half made is being generous, and towels had not been refreshed and garbage had not been emptied. This haphazard attempt at making my bed was the only sign of any kind of housekeeping for my entire stay. Incidentally, they did take the gratuity I’d left in exchange for this “service.”
Speaking of gratuity, I always try to leave a tip for housekeeping during every hotel stay, but I usually also leave a note so they know the money being left is meant for them to take. In this case, I also wanted to leave a note for them to refill the shower gel. A small pad of paper and a pen would have helped, but these basic amenities were also absent from the room. I actually had to leave the note for more shower gel by writing it on the actual cash I left, since I couldn’t find any paper whatsoever. Is the lack of something as insignificant as a pen and paper a deal-breaker? Probably not, but a true luxury property anticipates these kinds of small and normally insignificant needs.
By the way, COVID is no longer a valid excuse for not providing basic housekeeping services to your guests. I’m looking at you, Marriott.
4. No Room Service
What luxury property doesn’t offer proper room service to its guests? RWLV have decided that GrubHub is a suitable replacement for traditional room service. They call it, “Room service reimagined.” It’s not. It’s just GrubHub.
Conclusion
As I said at the top of this article, Conrad at RWLV, and indeed the entire property is “nice”. However, unless and until these basic issues, service failures, and lack of basic amenities is addressed, this Conrad falls well short of what defines a luxury hotel. For the second half of my trip, I stayed off-strip at the Red Rock Resort in Summerlin, where the room was properly cleaned and serviced, amenities included individually packaged toiletries and a pen and paper, and full room service was available. Their tag line is “Modern Las Vegas Luxury,” and at the very least, they managed to deliver the basics that Conrad and RWLV did not.
