Red Rock tries to portray itself as an upscale, sleek, luxury hotel and resort, but my experience was frustrating, at best. I had several issues with my hotel room and hidden charges:

Room:

The rooms were nice, but not $300/night nice. Additionally, the rooms have an electronic sensor on the snacks tray, so that if you lift up a package of nuts to examine it and it's off the tray for more than 45 seconds, you get charged for it. For Christ's sake! Does the hotel mistrust its supposedly upscale guests so much that it has to install electronic sensors to ensure that they don't steal the 45 cent package of nuts that the hotel has marked up to $9? Give me a break. This sort of behavior -- treating guests as if they were poorly behaved small children -- is ridiculous, and left a very bad taste in my mouth towards the hotel. And why are the pistachios marked up to $9, anyway? Isn't the hotel making enough money at $300/night, plus whatever guests spend in the casinos, bars, and restaurants, to cover its expenses without the ridiculously overpriced nuts and sodas in the room? This really steams my clams.

Hidden charges:

But what REALLY steamed my clams was the $20 fee the hotel adds to your bill to cover "concierge services and shuttles to the strip." What?? Are you joking? What kind of hotel marks up your bill for concierge services, especially if you don't even use them? I am a Las Vegas local, and I stayed in the hotel after seeing a concert at the pool area. I had my own car and didn't need shuttle services to the strip (besides, I stayed on the hotel property the whole night). I also didn't use any concierge services whatsoever. When I called the front desk to ask about this charge, I was informed that it was a surcharge that was added to all guest room bills, regardless of whether the guest used the concierge or the shuttle. I was also told that it could not be removed from my bill. This was enraging! When I booked the trip on Orbitz, and when I checked in, I was not informed of this hidden charge. I would have cancelled my reservation out of principle and driven home after the concert if I had known about this absurd ripoff. Why is Red Rock Resort nickeling and diming its guests? Are they actually TRYING to destroy any goodwill they may otherwise have generated? Red Rock did such a great job of pissing me off that I will never stay here again, nor will I recommend them to my out of town guests. Nice going on the goodwill front, Red Rock!


Elevators:

Look out for the Olympic-length walk to your room! The hotel is crescent-shaped, and unfortunately, some genius decided to place the elevators at one end of the crescent, while the rooms extend along the crescent beginning at the elevators. I'm a healthy, in-shape male, but I had to walk about 500 feet to get to my room from the elevator -- and I was only about halfway down the crescent! I pity those who were at the very end. This is a very tiresome walk, especially with luggage. There's not much the hotel can do about it, but my advice is to get a bellhop to deliver your luggage to your room, instead of carrying or wheeling it yourself.

Restaurants and Pools:

This was perhaps the highlight of my visit. The Salt Lick, a BBQ joint on the premises, is outstanding. And the pool area is gorgeous and a great place to see a summer night concert.

I have stayed at the Red Rock five times in the past two years and each time was a wonderful experience. Red Rock Canyon itself is (of course) beautiful, and is a great change of pace from the usual Vegas strip view. The hotel itself is within five minutes of several of the best golf courses in Vegas. There is an excellent mix of tables in the casino that range from low stakes to high rollers. Plus - poolside blackjack in the summer! The hotel itself is gorgeous and the pool is in the top three in all of Vegas (recently featured in the movie "21"). The rooms are modern, clean, and beautiful, and the bed is extremely comfortable. My first visit I actually bought the pillows off my bed and now sleep on them every night. Yes, the Red Rock is very far from the strip, but if you're looking for a relaxing resort vacation this is actually a plus. Summerlin is a beautiful neighborhood with excellent dining options. If you plan on going to the strip, the best option is to rent a car at the airport. It's much cheaper than cabs and more convenient than shuttles. If you have kids there is a great deal for them to do at the Red Rock as well. In addition to the pool there is a bowling alley, food court, movie theater, arcade, and a Kids Quest. The hotel also has a number of family friendly restaurants (I particularly recommend the rock shrimp burritos at the Mexican restaurant). The staff at the Red Rock are very helpful and courteous. I have had two visits where I actually got to the hotel early and was given an early check in. I have always felt very welcome and appreciated by the staff. I have never had a major issue at the hotel and the minor ones have been handled perfectly. Bottom line - this is the best hotel in Vegas if you're traveling with your family. If you want a strip vacation there are a number of perfectly good hotels on Las Vegas Boulevard. If you're looking for a relaxing resort vacation (spa, dining, pool, golf, outdoor activities at Red Rock Canyon, and perhaps a little gambling) this is THE place to stay.

First time at this property. Extremely nice hotel from a physical standpoint. Great architecture, nice rooms - size, amenities and decor. It is a long way from anything else, however, if you are planning on visiting the strip or other area attractions. The strip view is like looking though the wrong end of a pair of binoculars.

We had problems with noisy neighbors who were having a block party at midnight one evening. This was multiple people on floor all congregating in our delightfil neighbor's room. Called to front desk to see if they could intervene and they said security would be right up. No security and party continued for additional 1.5 hours.

Other than that, service was great at bars and restaurants as well as maid service.

If our neighbors had stayed home and we didn't mind the seclusion this would be a home run property.

My first time stay at the Red Rock Resort for two nights was awesome. Modern and tastefully designed property with all of the amenities you could ask for at this chic off strip hotel & spa. The place is huge, a world within itself without the cheesiness that permeates Las Vegas.

The room was super clean and quiet, beds comfortable and the views of the strip were amazing. I requested a quiet room and was promptly accommodated on the 17th floor (did I mention that the view was fantastic through an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows? The spacious room included a a large flat screen TV, deep soaking tub with a second, smaller flat screen in the marbled bathroom. Service is there when you need them to be and respectful when you want privacy. Food options abound, ranging from an inexpensive food court, two buffets and high end sushi and steak house. Several stylish bars, a night club and of course, the casino were all equally welcoming.

If gambling is not your focus, the Red Rock offers a 14-plex movie theater, bowling lanes and an arcade for the younger family members. I was incredibly impressed with the pool scene. Good music, colorful towels, lounge chairs and cabanas were all arranged in a circle around the main pool, sporting numerous additional pools throughout. The spa has its own pool and lough area, which makes it nice for those who want a little distance from families with children. There is a bar complete with misting to keep you hydrated while sipping a wide variety of cocktails offered on the menu. The casino and hotel are both easily accessed from the centrally located pool area.

The hotel spa was impressive and you automatically gain access through your resort fee of $20 a day, which gives you the opportunity to not schedule a treatment but still use the spa.

Red Rock Resort offers free, prompt shuttle service (it's actually a small bus) to and from the Airport every two hours. A cab will cost you $55, depending on time of day and traffic. My wake up call was right on time and the bellhop, front desk and concierge staff were all friendly and helpful. You can arrange to go for hikes, bike rides and kayaking a short distance away in the Red Rock National Park area. I didn't get to take advantage of this so I can't review the activities.

You can't go wrong staying here. A few things to keep in mind though: The pool closes at 7 or 8 PM and staffs security who will oust you from the area if you are there after hours. I would like to see the resort offer an area where you can sit outside and chill, AWAY from the casino in the evening. Also, the mini bar and snack tray have electronic sensors. As is typical in Vegas, you touch, you pay.

Red Rock Resort is a fantastic alternative to saying on the strip!
Go Rock it!