BELLAGIO LAS VEGAS: MY WORST CHECK-IN EXPERIENCE

Vegas is a happy place; many people will say. What’s there not to like? The skyline of the Strip, incredible restaurants with lots of options, drinking on the street is legal, excellent shopping, live entertainment, and so much to do. The slogan, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas is a very popular slogan to many, and one of the things that makes Las Vegas to be Las Vegas.

It was a day before Thanksgiving, and having just checked out of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, I proceeded next door to The Bellagio Las Vegas for my next hotel stay before concluding this Vegas trip at JW Marriott Las Vegas. 

BOOKING:

Like I’ve emphasized in some of my previous Las Vegas posts, American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts has always been our go-to when it comes to Vegas hotel bookings. Especially when the price is right, and the benefits outweighs the costs.

For this booking, Kayode booked a Resort King Room at $148 per night on amextravel.com, this total amount was excluding the $51 Resort Fee which is due to the hotel upon check in. Altogether, the total rate was $199 per night which was still great for Bellagio booking, especially when factoring in all the FHRs benefits like noon check-in (when available), 4pm guaranteed check-out, daily breakfast for 2, $100 food and beverage credits, free enhanced internet, and complimentary upgrade (when available).

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HORRIBLE CHECK-IN EXPERIENCE:

Upon arrival, temperature was being checked by a member of the Community Ambulance, after which you can then approach the front desk attendant. 

There was no one in line, but Check in literally took my precious 45 minutes away since the front desk attendant wanted to “charge me $146 for resort fee per night”. This got me wondering, and I asked her how much was the room cost that she just couldn’t figure things out? She came back saying the room wasn’t paid for, of which American Express already charged my Platinum Card as at the time of booking, which was 3 months before arrival.

Fast forward to 25 minutes later, a manager showed up to help Ebony (the front desk attendant). Funny enough when a manager stepped in into a situation like this, you’ll assume the manager would be able to help. Right? That wasn’t the case. First thing this manager said was that “I was under the assumption that I already paid for the room…”, after which she requested that I show her the confirmation email from Amex when the payment was taken. Like seriously?

This was when I lost my cool and decided to call Amex Travel to just figure out their mess. Fast forward to 45 minutes while still waiting at the lobby, another manager’s manager (Jeff Gifford) eventually approached me and said he has figured out the problem and will be checking me in momentarily. I was offered an upgrade, which I replied “I don’t care about your upgrades, I just want my room keys”. Long story cut short, I was assigned a larger room, and the resort fee was waived. 

Located at the end of the hallway on the 28^th floor, this corner room was very spacious and although it only has a partial view of the Bellagio Fountain, the Mountain View from the second floor-to-ceiling window did compensated for that.

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THE BATHROOM:

My favorite part of the room was the bathroom, most especially the electric mirror which has a built-in TV, as well as the whirlpool bathtub. The bathroom also featured double vanity, lighted makeup mirror, hair dryer, and a bidet next to the toilet. Bathrobes and slippers were also provided.

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

Due to Corona Virus, most hotels are still offering limited services when it comes to dining. Personally, I prefer to just do in-room dining so as to avoid eating and drinking around other people that I do not know. For dinner, I used the $100 credits and ordered at Noodles, while for breakfast, I did a to-go at Sadelle’s. The food was consumed in the comfort of my room, and I believe both dinner and breakfast were okay, except the French Toast which looked and tasted funny.

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AMENITIES:

It was a bit windy on Thanksgiving Day which was the next morning, and it was good to see the pool still in operation. The Bellagio Hotel and Resort heated pool would make a cool place to unwind not only during the hot sun of Las Vegas, but even in windy and cold weather.

There were a few other activities/amenities that were also operational during my visit:

WI-FI:

The Bellagio Hotel and Resort offered internet connection that we (The Points Engineer) considered to be an enhanced internet. Although not as superb as its’ next-door neighbor, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but an internet connectivity with a download speed of 45.88 Mbps and upload sped of 47.00 Mbps is sufficient enough for all guests as part of their resort fees benefits.

IN CONCLUSION:

Bellagio has always been one of the sought-after hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Famous for its fountain and world-class restaurants, and boasts of services that will have you coming back again and again. Unfortunately, we did not get such services or hospitality during our visit. The first impression was awful, and so is some of the staff members. We believe we could have gotten a better treatment, and the front desk staff could have checked us in and letting us know that they’ll charge our card for the room should Amex confirm the room was not prepaid for. The Points Engineer was quite disappointed as to the way he was treated.

But on a positive note, we were satisfied with some of the features in the room. The bed was comfy and complemented with brand new linens, very-spacious bathroom.

Will I return to this hotel in the future? Probably not, especially if the price is not right. In my opinion, there are better hotels and resorts on the strip that provides a better value for your buck, and besides, there are still tons of other hotels to be explored in Las Vegas.