El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV

We love this place but after this past stay we have encountered things that we have witnessed in the past and continue to do so currently. We may not stay here again for awhile. We will certainly miss this casino and hotel but more importantly all the fine wonderful employees that care for us during our stay. There is none better. As you will see in the downloaded pictures that we have encountered some issues. In photo number 1, my wife spilled a little water on the floor and we went to wipe it up. That picture is the which was once a pure white washcloth but is now very soiled and dirty from just wiping a very small area on the floor. Picture number 2 and 3 are pictures of cigarette burns in the bedspread. There bedding is very outdated.

Bit of a mixed experience here. Firstly the booking process went a bit wrong: I booked two rooms but for some reason only received email confirmation for ONE, and there's no way to view bookings via the website. So I eventually booked another... Upon checking in, it became apparent that i had in fact booked three rooms. Due to their cancelation policy they were insistent i had to pay for the un-needed one. Well, okay, whatever, for the sake of the eighty bucks or whatever I wasn't going to bother arguing, but i DID object to being charged all the "resort fee" type stuff for a room I wasn't actually using. (wi-fi, parking, etc. it's such a con, but all the hotels do it now...) ANYWAY, they eventually conceded to remove those charges from the unused room, but were really argumentative and grumpy about it. That soured me on the hotel in general. Oh, the one other criticism I have is that they REALLY labour the point that only paying hotel guests are allowed up to the rooms: it comes across as if they have a real problem with people taking, er, *cough*, "shady ladies" up to their rooms, or something. which i saw no evidence of! I don't think it's that kinda place at all. But one consequence is that they code the room keys (which are quite annoying wristbands) to only take the elevator to the floor your room is on, Fine, but my friend was given a room on a different floor, and it was annoying not to be able to visit each other's rooms without meeting in the lobby first. Not a huge problem, but a minor annoyance. So these niggles are a shame, because the rooms themselves were really very nice, especially for the price we paid. The casino was fine, and the hotel is in a great location for Fremont Street (I've stayed on the main strip several times before so thought I'd try this neighbourhood this time around). So if it weren't for the penny-pinching adherence to the cancelation policy (which i think THEY should acknowledge some fault over, considering they didn't send email confirmation for one room!) I'd have a pretty good perception of the place, and likely come back. As it is, I was left resenting the El Cortez, and will stay elsewhere in future. Meh.

Let me be blunt: El Cortez is a complete disgrace. Yes, the building is historic and the architecture is charming — but everything else about this hotel is a nightmare and a rip-off. I’ve stayed in a lot of places in Vegas over the years, and this was, without a doubt, the worst experience I’ve ever had. Upon check-in, the staff was cold, dismissive, and unhelpful. Instead of a warm welcome, we were hit with an aggressive upsell. I had already prepaid $164 a night, but the woman at the desk pushed an “upgrade” for $45 more per night — totaling $467 for three nights. On top of that, I was forced to pay a $150 incidental deposit and $29 a day in resort fees. Spoiler alert: there was nothing resort-like about this place. The upgraded room? A total joke. We were promised “mountain views” but ended up staring at a disgusting alley filled with overflowing dumpsters. Not a mountain in sight. The elevator made terrifying popping noises that made you genuinely wonder if you’d plummet to your death each time you used it. We tried Siegel’s restaurant because of its reputation — huge mistake. Cold, low-quality food served with all the grace of a fast food drive-thru. Staff were literally sweeping under our feet while we ate. Not only was the food awful, but it was outrageously overpriced, and the tip was added automatically — even though the service was non-existent. And here’s the kicker: El Cortez charged us nearly $980 for the stay. I’m not a math expert, but even with all the added fees, our total should’ve been in the $600 range — especially since I had already prepaid one night. When we brought it up, we were told to “wait until checkout.” At checkout, they gave us the runaround again, blamed us for booking it “wrong,” even though we booked through their own website, and only refunded a measly $29. The arrogance and lack of accountability from management was beyond belief. I recorded the entire exchange for social media, because people need to see how bad this place has become. And to make matters worse, I want to call out Vegas Matt, the influencer who promotes this dump and has merch sold in their casino. I don’t know what they’re paying him, but he should be ashamed of backing this place. During our stay, we heard constant complaints from other guests: no towels, filthy rooms, pathetic views, tight slot machines, and miserable staff. The tower rooms they promote as “upgraded” are filled with cheap, shoddy craftsmanship and bargain-bin linens. Calling it “luxury” is an insult. El Cortez is a fraud. A rundown, dishonest, ghetto casino clinging to its historic charm while treating guests like garbage. It is NOT the hotel it used to be. The original owners would roll over in their graves if they saw how it’s run today. Do yourself a favor: STAY ANYWHERE ELSE. Don’t fall for the fake hype. This place is a total scam.

The El cortez was an easy choice for us to stay downtown. We have gambled there multiple times, but first time staying. The check in process was fairly quick. We were staying at a strip property, and I called to see if rooms were ready and waiting for us..they were. We arrived and were greeted with a friendly face only to be told only 1 room was ready. We requested same floor, the second room assigned was on the next floor up. Not a deal breaker at all, but we expected to be close to the other party. The wrist bands as room keys with elevator access are ok, I think there could be a better way. We witnessed a man be tackled in the casino after trying to rob someone, another gentleman escorted out who claimed to have a room but no wrist band, and a shady couple follow my sister and wife to a floor, we quickly contacted security since they had no wristband. Other than that drama, the rooms were clean, open, and bright. The bathrooms were clean, though our shower drain backed up a bit if the water ran for too long. Housekeeping was prompt and friendly. Despite a few hiccups would likely stay again.

Poor service and attitude. Just checked in at 5:30 pm on April 11. Waited fifteen minutes, supervisor was rude when she finally came out to help. Didn't offer any upgrades of just blew us off. Didn't even tell us how to get to the room. I mean, I stay here often and this was the poorest experience I've had here. I've stayed here several times, but this lowers my view of the hotel and might not allow me to return due to their supervisory attitude and lack of empathy. Just flat out rudeness. Didn't catch her name because she didn't wear a name tag, but was night shift and from Philippines.