Tropicana Atlantic City: Debts No Honest Man Can Pay
Written: Dec 31 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The casino area is nice enough...
Cons: but the rooms themselves are disgraceful in the extreme.
The Bottom Line: Gamble, have a nice meal, shop a little, but STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE.
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| CurtisEdmonds's Full Review: Tropicana Casino and Resort |
You are, of course, an experienced and sophisticated traveler, and you know - indeed you do - that your average casino sees you as a walking dollar sign. That's it. They don't see you as a guest, or a customer, or even as somebody that they might want to come back someday. You're a commodity, sweetness, an entry on a balance sheet, and if you think you're anything else, then you're sadly mistaken. You are a sheep, if you're lucky.
But even sheep get nice pens to stay in.
Okay, that's maybe a little mean. The Tropicana is nice enough as a casino, really. Didn't get to the tables, but did very nicely indeed on the slots, and that's good. There's a no-smoking section, which is good. The area across Pacific Avenue from the casino (called "The Quarter") is almost as nice as, say, the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Vegas, plenty of nice restaurants (and a handy Italian deli with a gelato shop much cheaper than the one at Caesars). If you just want to run down there and gamble and head right back, knock yourself out. (And spring for the valet parking, it doesn't appear to be that much more pricey than self-park.)
But we didn't do that. We got a room.
My dad has a great casino story; he was playing dollar video poker and he hit a royal flush and won a thousand dollars. "And that's when I made my mistake."
"You didn't put all that money back in the machine, did you?" I asked.
"No. I told your stepmother. That was the mistake."
Anyway, the mistake we made was booking a room at the Tropicana, as follows:
Problem One: There is no place to sit in the reception lobby. This may not mean a great deal to you. This meant a great deal to my wife, who is six months pregnant, and didn't want to stand up the whole time while I parked the car. I understand that casinos don't want people hanging out in the lobby; they'd rather have them playing slots. Still, it's thoughtless and inconsiderate not to have anyplace to sit.
Problem Two: We asked for a king-size bed (we stayed at the Tropicana specifically because Bally's wouldn't guarantee such a thing). We got a room in the "Havana Tower," which looked about as Cuban as fettucine alfredo. And that room was right next to the ice machine. You get a room like that in a big hotel, you just know that someone has it in for you.
Problem Three: We absolutely could not get the card-key thingy to work properly. You have to slam the card in there fast and yank it right straight out again. This is a pain.
Problem Four: The floor was stained and filthy; a big chunk of grime right inside the door. I understand that most Atlantic City hotels are cutting back on housekeeping; doesn't mean I have to like it.
Problem Five: Okay, no plasma-screen TV. I can deal. But the channels that did come through were fuzzy at best. And you want the TV to be on just to have something to look at, because, man, was it an ugly room.
Problem Six: There was a refrigerator (you'd expect one for what we paid). If it worked, I couldn't tell. (We got a bucket of ice and put it in there to make sure it kept our breakfast cold for the next morning.)
Problem Seven: The bed. There was one. It was king-sized. And it was hard. Hard the way a box spring is hard. I do not think this is an accident. Neither of us slept well at all. I occasionally rag on Sheraton for running its "Sweet Sleeper" campaign when lots of Sheratons still have beds that just aren't up to par. I would have loved to have had a lower-level Sheraton bed. It was a step up from sleeping on the floor - which you couldn't actually do (reference Problem Four, above).
Can you gamble at the Tropicana? Yeah. Can you have a nice meal? Sure. Can you have a good time? Sure. Should you sleep there? No. Not under any circumstances.
We walked out of the casino with money (not enough to finance the trip, but every little bit counts). But the Tropicana owes us a debt that they will never be able to repay.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
CurtisEdmonds
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Member: Curtis Edmonds
Location: Trenton, New Jersey
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 461 members
About Me:
Check out my blog - http://www.txreviews.com/blog/
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