No More Encores

I am a big fan of the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas; it is my preferred hotel whenever I spend the night in Sin City, so of course I wanted to try the new Encore suites addition to the hotel. I finally had the chance to go last week since I was in town for the new Viva Elvis Show by Cirque du Soleil at the new Aria hotel.

Some things should not be extended or repeated, just because the originals are wonderful doesn't necessarily mean that more would be better. Encore opened during the height of the recession, so the timing of its' debut was not fortuitous. Discounted rooms were immediately made available to patrons of the Wynn for the same price, which is almost unheard of for a new hotel comprised solely of suites. Now I understand why they had problems filling the rooms (even taking into account the recession).

Finding the registration desk was an ordeal since there was only ONE sign leading to it from the self-parking garage. I had to ask several employees for directions to both the registration desk and the guest elevators. The hotel itself has a predominantly red and black theme, not at all my taste. After finding my room, I was equally disappointed with the black and tan room colors which gave the space a very austere and somber tone. Even the sheer curtains were black, so if you wanted some privacy without using the blackout curtains you go a black veiled effect in the living room area. I think they were trying to be chic and metropolitan, but the vibe came off as sterile and soulless.


The salon area is mirrored, so the photo above is actually of TWO spaces in one photo (imagine that I am standing in the middle of the room taking the above and below pictures). The desk area came with a two line phone and a fax machine, but the seat was much too low for me even raised to the highest height. I began to wonder if this decor was geared towards male guests who are badly in need of a Queer Eye makeover.



The bedroom area had a nice swiveling flat screen so you could watch tv in bed or in the salon, but the space of both rooms was made smaller by the room division.



There was ample closet space and a safe.


The bathrooms were the nicest part of the suite and I liked the bathroom the most because it was nearly identical to the bathrooms in the original Wynn.


The Wynn rooms feel much more spacious, and the colors are warm and inviting with caramel and beige tones; I considered asking to be switched back to the Wynn after I checked out my room, but I did not want to trapse through the hotel again trying to find the passageway to the Wynn.

I will spare you the photo of the garish carpet in the hallways and Lobby Bar, but both might appeal to you if you are a vampire or color blind. Nearly all the restaurants are $$$$ (expect over $100 per person), the pool was closed for repairs, and the spa entry was $35 if you were not getting a service, so it seems the objective of the Encore is to take as much as possible while giving as little as possible in return. The casino seemed very quiet, so that same objective seems to have also driven the gamblers elsewhere.

I do my best to try new things and this experience reminded me that all new things are not necessarily an improvement. I would still highly recommend the Wynn, but I will not be giving the Encore an encore visit.