We stayed at the Venetian 8/14/08 thru 8/23/08. This was our 4th trip to Vegas in the last 13 months. We have been to Vegas yearly for the last 9 years. We have stayed at numerous resorts on the strip. We were not completely impressed with the Venetian.

First of all I would like to apologize for the length of this review, however, I hope to really give you enough information to make an informed decision as to whether this is the place for you.

Check-in: Great! Arrived very late 8/14, no lines and the women that checked us in was very friendly and helpful.

Check-out: Not so great! Check your bill thoroughly. We received an offer for the average temperature rates. Our nights rates were $101 and $102 nightly with the exception of Sat. 8/16 which was $199. The rates were great for the Venetian. However, when checking out I reviewed our bill and they charged us $177 for our last night, Fri. 8/22 (which should have been $101). I brought this to the gentleman's attention and he said Fridays are always more expensive, but he would check with the manager. I gave him my confirmation paperwork from the Venetian, and he again said, I will check with my manager. I told him we were quoted $101 and not only did I have that email confirmation of the rates, I even had the original offer (paperwork) with me, which I ended up giving to him as well. He went to the manager and it took them quite some time to straighten it out, but they eventually did. There never should have been a question as I had the confirmation from the Venetian that showed the correct rate. He then told me it was a good thing I brought my paperwork and he advised that in the future I should check the rates when I arrive. Shouldn't have to do that, they should have the correct confirmed rates. However, we did review it at check-in and don't know when they decided to make a change to it. Plain and simple check your bill carefully, when leaving. That is exactly why I won't do the express check-out.

Suite: Amazing. We were on the 33rd floor with a view of the Venezia pool area, also looking south down the strip (which you couldn't see far down the strip, however you could see a portion of the Bellagio fountains. The view was fine, nothing spectacular. The suite was clean and was maintained that way throughout our trip. We received several pairs of slippers throughout our stay and they always replenished the toiletries and towels. Turn down service was done nightly (with the exception of one night, but that was because we were in our suite at the time they were providing turn down service in our area of the hallway). It was nice to come into the room and have some mood lighting and music. Chocolates on the pillows as well. We had a non-smoking king suite (I'm sure you have read the particulars of the standard suites, so I won't go into that) and it was definetly non-smoking. Great room, great bathroom. The nicest we have stayed in during our visits to Vegas.

Restaurants: Great variety: Everything from foodcourt to Upscale. We ate several meals at the Grand Lux Cafe. Each meal was delicious. We ate at the one in the Venetian our first night there. The other times we ate at the one in the Palazzo. Much nicer at the Palazzo. Quieter, cleaner. One morning we had the breakfast buffet there. They say it is limited, however, there are more than enough choices and the food was wonderful as was the fresh squeezed orange juice. We also ate at Delmonico's and that was amazing. The service, the food, not the price (but, we knew that going in). It was however a nice treat. The staff is very attentive, but not overwhelming. The only other rest. we ate at on site was Riva (poolside), for breakfast. It was good, but not worth the $. All other meals were at other resorts. Border's Grill at Mandalay Bay (Mexican) was very good. Ocean One Bar and Grill at Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile of Shops and Pampas Brazilian Rest. there as well, were both very good. Preferred Ocean One. BLT Burger at Mirage was a great place for a burger and shake (very good). California Pizza at Mirage has lost it's appeal (not as good as it use to be). Buffet dinner at the Wynn was also very good as was the lunch buffet at TI. Mr. Lucky's at HardRock (prime rib special) was not good at all. Had the same special there in April and it was delicious, this time it was not. Marilyn's Cafe in the Tuscany Resort always has good breakfast, the service is slow, but the food is good (and reasonable). Ellis Island has a great BBQ (ribs or chicken), both great and very reasonable.

Pool: Area is wonderful. During the week it is great, plenty of chairs and always able to find either sun or shade (can't take too much sun this time of year). The pools had plenty of room to swim. Weekends are horrible. We could not believe our eyes. We went to the pool late afternoon on Friday and it was truly standing room only in the pools (all the pools, even those at Palazzo). It was mostly 21 to late 20 year olds and they were litterally standing shoulder to shoulder in the pools. Drinking and talking, it looked like a nightclub in water. We went to the pools at the Palazzo hoping it was different, but it wasn't. They were even in the pools that are made for lounge chairs (so you can actually sit in the water) and they were pushing and horsing and knocking each other off the chairs. It was extremely disappointing for a resort of this calibur. It was the same way on Saturday. We found relief at the pool at the Venezia Tower. It was a very small area, but it was the most relaxing on the weekend.

Casino: This is the casino we like the least. Absolutely disliked this casino. It is far too small for the size of the resort. It is extremely busy, disorganized and chaotic. We enjoyed the casino at the Palazzo. It had much more room and even when it was crowded, you still had room to move about and it wasn't so hectic and noisy. The table games at the venetian are right up against the walkways and it is very difficult even getting through. The TAO nightclub attracts the young partying crowd and it has lost the upscale, comfortable appeal it use to have. We were very disappointed in this casino and there was a time (I believe Sat. night that you could barely get out the doors from the canal shoppes due to the line up for TAO. Trying to get across the outside porch area to get to the strip was also near impossible due to the TAO lines. If you are still in the partying scene you will probably like it here, if you have outgrown the heavy partying scene, you may not like it here. We enjoy a good time, but we have outgrown the young, wild party scene. Our favorite casino's are Wynn, Palazzo, Mirage, MGM (which get very busy and wild, however there is plenty of room), Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and even Treasure Island. Our least favorite is Venetian. If you want to go to a nice casino off the strip, Green Valley Ranch is very nice and they have a nice street of shops right outside the resort. They had a wine walk benefit on the street of shops (with entertainment) the night we were there and it was very nice.

Parking Garage: Nightmare! This is one of the worst parking garages we have used in Vegas. Two way traffic and not enough room for two way traffic. Very full and often difficult to find a spot.

Tip: If you have a car (we always rent one) and you are a coffee drinker, go to Walmart and purchase a coffee maker (available for under $10) and coffee, dixie to go cups, etc., bottled water 12 packs for $2.50. It is a huge savings and it is so nice to have it available in your room when you wake up (no standing in long lines for coffee or spending alot for coffee or water). We do this every trip and then just leave the coffee pot.

Staff: Most everyone we encountered were friendly and helpful.


All in all the only way we would ever stay at the Venetian again is if we received a rate we couldn't refuse (we really found it annoying to always want to leave and go to another casino if we wanted to gamble for awhile). We prefer the Wynn, Bellagio, Mirage or Paris. We even prefer MGM or Mandalay Bay, we just aren't fond of that end of the strip.

I stayed at the Venetian for two nights from August 21st to August 23rd. Check-in was a breeze and I received the exact room that I requested.

Room

I managed to get a Rialto suite at $160/night, which is extremely reasonable since the room is normally over $300/night. The room was huge and looked remodeled. It had remote control curtains with LCD tvs in the bedroom, living room, and bathroom. Beds were extremely comfortable. The bathroom had a separate shower and bathtub and was elegant. The minibar was well stocked but I would only get anything from there out of pure desperation.

Amenities

The pool is shared with the Palazzo so you can use both. It was interesting to see construction cranes overlooking the pool and the noise from them was minimal. If you go to the pool in the morning, the pool closest to the Venetian tower is blocked by the tower so there is a lesser chance of getting roasted. There was also a great selection of restaurants but Grand Lux Cafe is just a high-end Cheesecake Factory and not all that exciting.
The shopping was geared more toward designer boutiques and it is fun to look in them without being bothered by the staff.

Spa

I managed to get a massage at Canyon Ranch and it was excellently done. The spa complex itself is huge and offers rock climbing. The ambience and wait staff were not as good as Qua at Caesars Palace, but the good massage compensates for that.

Overall

I was impressed with the Venetian and now am spoiled by staying in such a nice room as this. I would definitely look to stay here again and wish I would have stayed longer. The only drawbacks include many rude European tourists staying here (not Venetian's fault though), and poor signage.

I have stayed in Las Vegas a few times in the past few years. I have always stayed on the Strip. I found a great air/hotel package to the Venetian, so I booked it. I really enjoyed the hotel and all of its amenities the entire trip! The staff was very nice and accomodating. I upgraded to a view of the strip when I got there and it was worth it. It looked out over the pools and the strip towards Treasure Island. The room was large, clean, and comfortable. I especially liked the bathroom. It was very large with everything that you could want in a bathroom, including a flat screen tv, a make up vanity, and fresh flowers. To me, it's the little extras that make it even better. We ate room service for breakfast each morning and it was good (although a bit expensive). The pools were great! There was always plenty of room to swim and to find a lounge chair when needed. It was quite relaxing. I ate in the hotel food court one day and I enjoyed it. There's a nice variety of restaurants in various price ranges. I checked out the Palazzo next door and it is nice. However, I felt more comfortable at the Venetian. I will most likely stay at this hotel again next year!

Spent 4 nights at the Venezia tower on the Club floor. It was great. Breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails with snacks were included. Basically, whenever you wanted drinks or bottled water, it was available. The staff went out of their way to be accommodating. Pay the difference and stay on the club floors. A few drinks each evening during happy hour more than offsets the price difference. I'd suggest a view of the strip . . . during the day it's nothing special, but at night with all the lights . . it's quite a view!! I honestly must say, I don't get the negative reviews . . . there was always staff that was willing to go out of their way . . . even on the gaming floor, I saw lots of cocktail waitresses bringing lots of drinks to everyone. I would stay here again. The location is central to everything . . . it's all within walking distance.