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- As more opinions, notes and reviews of the hotels, and what is going on prior to the Olympia, this section will be updated. Here are a few notes and reviews...
- The Fun Book: When you check in, you get a complimentary Fun Book (or two if you ask nicely). There are lots of good stuff in the book, including a free souvenir from the gift shop, %20 off in the gift shop on a gift purchase, one free bowling game, one free cocktail in any casino bar, 1 free forezen margarita at Don Miguel's, 15% off Subway sanwich, 20% off Sazio Italian dining, free access for one day at the Spa & Fitness Center, free desert with any entree at Canal Street, free beers at Brendan's Irish pub, free hot dog & popcorn & soda at the Arleans Arena, and more...
- Shuttle: For hotel guests, there is a free shuttle from the Orleans to the Barbary Coast, which is located on the strip, and across from some of the biggest resorts in Las Vegas. Take advantage of it.
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Orleans Review by Dan Armentrout: Traversing the asphalt path toward the Orleans Hotel does little to ease your initial fear that moving the 2005 Olympia from the strip was a bad idea. As if meandering off the I-15 away from the hustle and bustle of the heart of "Sin City" isn't upsetting enough - then the final two blocks will seal the deal for you. Aside the two really big porno joints and a couple fast food shacks, there's little else in the close proximity to the hotel itself. Stagger outta' this place after a night of serious indulgence in adult beverages and you're likely to think you landed in Las Vegas New Mexico.
Upon entering the less than grandiose lobby, more like an upscale Motel 6, you'll notice an expansive casino. While the initial appearance upon entering will be devoid of anything like that you'll find on the strip - upon further review you'll find some good places to chow down. The hotel features an Oyster Bar and Asian restaurant along with the traditional "buffet" style eatery. I also noticed a more upscale sit down with a pretty decent menu. For those of you with "cankles" (generally from the mid west) - you'll be happy to note the hotel does have a bowling alley. Once you become tired of eating, betting and bowling you can make your way to the arena.
The hallway leading there is wide and long and features a couple of those rolling walk ways so you won't have to actually burn too many of your beer, bar-b-que or bowling food calories on the way to the pearl of the Orleans. The arena is a long escalator ride up from the end of the hallway. Once at the top - you'll be pleasantly surprised, like any water deprived mook stranded in the Sahara desert for 2 weeks, to see the site for the 2005 contest.
The Orleans arena itself is in my opinion a better venue all the way around than that of the Mandalay Bay. You'll find a 9,000 (or so) seat arena that doesn't have a bad seat in the house. Unlike the Mandalay the Orleans is "U" shaped and provides a better field of view from all vantage points. There are more luxury sky boxes for the big corporate throw downs so there are more chances for you to crash one. The seats are wide and comfortable and there's plenty of room on the floor for you to roll out a sleeping bag until it's time for Ronnie to pick up his cash and medallion.
After the show and your all night binge drinking (no doubt a $10 cab ride away back on the strip) you'll want to retire to your room for that all important 2 hour power nap before awaking once again to hit the pool and booze. You'll be pleased to note that the rooms at the Orleans are actually nice. Not as splendorous as those at Mandalay Bay but not as expensive either. Some of you may actually have bedrooms in your house nicer than those at the Orleans unlike the opposite when staying at Mandalay Bay.
In all the Orleans is a venue where you'll find average everyday folk having fun in a hotel casino that is clean and up to par with most in Vegas, off the strip. The rooms are much less expensive but you're not going to be in there much anyway and the arena is better. I'd give the arena an "A", the rooms a "B", the food choices within the hotel a "C" the neighborhood a "D" and the guy who decided to have the expo on the other side of town an "F".
- Notes by Tre: Their valet parking service is the best in town. Big Al's Oyster Bar isn't as good as the name might indicate. The best restaurant in the entire hotel is the Prime Rib Loft. Note: The prime rib at the all-night place on the main floor below is NOT the same as at Prime Rib Loft, regardless of what the downstairs staff tries to tell you. Orleans has one of the best poker rooms in Vegas.
Every Friday (and this will bear repeating), many locals come there to cash their paychecks. The length of this line might possibly hinder your trip from the door to the elevators, so just a little heads up about that. Overall, the Orleans isn't fancy, but it's filled with good people, good food, and good fun. Oh, and having some of the hottest cocktail waittresses around is certainly a plus for them, too.
- Orleans Review by TC: The Orleans is a great hotel - lots of places to eat - great swimming pool - 18 screen cenima, 70 lane bowling alley - and a place for the kids to have fun at on the second floor. Best of all - the rooms are a lot cheaper than the mega-resorts on the strip - and if I needed to go there - I just took a free shuttle which runs every 15 minutes.
The room was bigger than the average Las Vegas room - and it had Internet connections too. The food at the restaurants (I ate at three of them) was good, and much more reasoably priced than other hotels. Here, you don't overpay for everything like other places - especially in room service too!
- From eopinions: Regarding the rooms: Nice clean QUIET rooms. King beds face The Strip, queen beds face the mountains to the west. The view at night facing the Strip is spectacular, however ask for a room above the 12th floor as the outside lights on the building will blind you. You can see all the way from the Stratosphere to the Airport and in my opinion is one of the best views in Las Vegas. Rooms are nicely appointed with alarm clock, ironing board and iron, hair dryer and even a telephone in the bathroom. The rooms are comparable to a petite suite at other hotels: full size Victorian sofa, upholstered chair, coffee table, 25" TV, full size dresser, dressing table with chair. The bathroom was sectioned off, so that 2 people can get ready at the same time, tub and toilet being in one section, and the sink in the other, both with doors. The bathroom had a small window you could crank open. One thing I found odd was the lamps are glued to the nightstands. Like I'd really want to steal a lamp - how would I sneak it out? They also have a security guard at the entrance to the elevators in which you must show your room key/card.
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