I recently took a short trip to Las Vegas and after searching online at Agoda decided to stay at Palace Station, which is known as a budget friendly off-strip hotel and casino.
Overall I was happy with my stay and was able to get some work done using the in-room wifi.
The Slomad Score
Price
Since I wasn't going to Las Vegas for vacation, I didn't want to pay too much (not that I ever want to anyway).
I stayed 4 nights in the "luxury tower" and paid around $50/night. That price is including their $14.99 "resort fee", which seems to be a common way for Vegas hotels to advertise cheap rates online. It's annoying, but a fact of life when staying in Vegas.
They also have cheaper (and often criticized) "courtyard rooms" that are even cheaper at around $37/night (including resort fee). These are definitely not nearly as nice and are quite old, not to mention loud and dirty. It has more of a cheap motel feel than the tower rooms, but if you're on a tight budget you might want to check them out.
The Room
My "Luxury King" room was quite nice and I was happy with it for the price. They seem to have been recently renovated too and are clean, comfortable and large. The bathroom was also spacious with 2 sinks and all the amenities you'd expect (nice soap, lotion, hair dryer).
- Big, comfortable bed
- 40" Samsung TV
- Nice desk for working
(Laptop and salad not included)
Internet / Work
I always need high-speed (or at least not slow) internet to work several hours a day. I found the in-room wifi to be decent. It wasn't super fast, but it wasn't slow either. Most of the time it worked fine for me.
There is an option to upgrade to a faster internet package, and I'd be curious if it makes a difference. I probably would have tried that if I ran in to issues with the standard internet package included in the resort fee, but I didn't.
A nice sized desk was also in the room, which I always appreciate. It's such a pain to work in a hotel room without a desk.
Location
Palace Station is located on Sahara Ave right off the I-15 interstate, which was centrally located and very convenient for me. It's important to note that this hotel/casino is NOT near the strip or any attractions and in fact isn't even in a great neighborhood. I would never recommend this hotel to someone going to Las Vegas for vacation without a car.
One great thing about Palace Station is their well-known airport shuttle. It goes to/from McCarran Airport almost every hour during the day and it's free. Tip the driver a few bucks though. There's also a shuttle to the strip, but I didn't use it.
Amenities
- Free local/long-distance calls
- Free fax services (I needed to receive a fax and this was no problem)
- Starbucks within stumbling distance of the elevator (Okay, not really an included amenity, but useful for me regardless)
- Free airport / strip shuttle (Shuttle Schedule PDF)
Conclusion
Palace Station is a good option if you are on a budget, have a car and aren't looking for a "Vegas" style vacation. If you are coming here to gamble, party and socialize, you will surely be very disappointed. Otherwise, Palace Station is centrally located and a great place to stay if you have business to take care of in Vegas or are visiting to check out the surrounding area (Lake Mead, Red Rock, Mt Charleston, etc).
