Not just any hotel, mind you. I'm staying at THEhotel, the casino-free high rise adjacent to Mandalay Bay where everything is black and cream and smells like vanilla. My room is very luxurious. Three sinks (not including the bar), two toilets, a glassed in shower stall and a tub big enough for a dolphin. But the fancier the hotel room, the fewer the freebies. An internet connection costs $14.99 a day and there's no in-room coffee maker or hair dryer. There are, however, three flat screen TVs, so I can lounge in the tub and watch MTV if I so desired.Here's the view from my window. Parking lots and the airport. And no, that's not a ghost stadium hovering over the concrete; it's a reflection from a lamp in my room.
I hoofed it north this morning and had a buffet breakfast at the Luxor hotel--mainly because at $12.99 it was cheaper than a bowl of cereal from room service. I loaded up on fruit, granola and eggs with chorizo, but couldn't shake the feeling that the place smelled more like latent B.O. than freshly brewed coffee. And yes, in case you were wondering, the casinos were fully operational at 7am. I even saw a man in shorts and a polo shirt sipping a Heineken while feeding the one-armed bandit.
