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Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino
Rating Details »
3535 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-3311
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-3311
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- No
242 reviews for Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino
Hell yeah it's a dive - what do you expect for $35 a night? Water pressure? Hot water? Comfortable bed? Hell no!
Location! Free parking! Lockable door. That's all we wanted and that's what we got.
Yes, everything written in all the reviews is true. But you do get what you pay for. I will stay here again for a pass-through to another location. Never for more than 1 night. It allowed us to have some extra cash to go see Love which was right across the street. Nice.
The cheapest reliably safe and sane place to stay on the strip. If you just want somewhere to leave your bags and take a shower, fine. If you're getting the room comp'ed through your Total Rewards account, fine.
But seriously, just use http://betterbidding.com to get a room at PH for 20 bucks more.
You get what you pay for. Paid $32 on a Tuesday in November.
Long lines at check in.
First room on the the Strip side was above a music venue. Window does not stop noise which comes into room until 2 am.
Switched to another room on opposite side which was fine. At 9 am worker started sawing, scraping and pounding on room next door.
Restaurant was average. Pool/hot tub was closed for season!
If anything I've ever reviewed deserved a 0-star it would be Imperial Palace. One of the oldest hotels on the strip. Our room was straight out of Miami Vice circa 1980s with white bamboo furniture and laminated dressers. Our experience was so horrific we checked out 1 hr after checking in! When we needed to go downstairs, the extremely slow elevators (which for some reason are back to back and not front to front making the openings on two separate hallways) were packed each time a car reached our floor. After 20 minutes (I'm not joking) a security guard patrolling the floors had to take the 15 of us waiting for an open car down via the service elevator!
DO NOT STAY HERE!!! They should demolish this hotel!!!
Its a good place to stay if you're cash strapped and need to be on the strip. The personnel is nice, the room was basic but clean and they actually have windows that open. The location is key - right next to O'Shea's where the locals like to hang and not to far from Margaritaville.
Nothing to impress a girlfriend - but a solid place to hang if you are there to party.
Dealertainers are the best reason to stop into this casino, in my opinion. I have seen Michael Jackson, Cher, and a number of other celebrity impersonators dealing cards to the general public. Classic! One star for dealertainers!
However, I am not sure I would want to stay here. This property is pretty old and run-down, from what I can see. I have also heard that the rooms are not very desirable from a friend who got stuck here during a conference. The one plus is that the location is very central on the Strip.
The car exhibit is interesting, but don't pay for it. There are free coupons in every taxi in the city, as well as other places.
I once saw a pimp fighting with his lady at the bar. That was entertaining for a minute, but quickly turned to disturbing and uncomfortable. I left shortly after security came. I got the feeling this was an everyday occurence the way the bartenders were acting.
We spent the night at this place with friends from out of town, I thought for a moment I was in downtown by the old stinch of the place, however they stayed there for the price of the room, so can't complain there.
What gets us, is that we tried to get some real food delivered, but securtiy would not let the delivery guy into the hotel, so we had to go down there, then they would not let us bring outside food into the hotel, yes us the guest of the hotel is not allowed to bring food into the Imperial Palace hotel. Correct me if I'm wrong but we live in the USA right not USSR, or the peoples republic of china. We ended up walking out of the property and sat at a nearby blocked wall and ate our lunch there instead. So Stay but you can't eat.
Great Place for the Price!
I was scared to stay here after i read all the reviews on it ... but once i got there i was surpised at how great it was!
I've been to vegas numerous times and have stayed at TI , Mirage, New York New York, Luxor, Flamingo and this time we stayed at Imperial. We were looking for a cheap cheap cheap hotel so we would be able to rent a car! Imperial Palace was great!
Great view of the strip with a balcony! Music from the bar played to 3 in the morn which is extactly what you want when your in vegas! i felt like I was at the party even when i wasnt!
Service was great, everyone was super nice!
The actual casino was really really smoky but what do you expect!
This hotel is great if you dont plan to hang out in it alot!
I would totally stay there again!
I hate it here, smell, feel, parking, rooms, casino it all sucks ass, so bad.
Two stars because it is, after all, in a great location on the Strip.
Oh, good ole IP... .How I do not miss you one bit since we last departed a lil over a year ago. Let me stress that the only reason why I wanted to review this place is because I think a lot of people share my same thoughts on this hotel, which is a cheap stay at a great LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
My fiance, at the time, and I decided to stay here given the location and the ridiculously low rate we received at about $35/night for a Tuesday - Saturday stay! We decided we could try and suck it up for 4 nights in order to spend more money on the tables. Also, the location of IP is very very ideal...as it is basically located at the heart of the strip making it accessible to pretty much everything.
I think after first walking in and seeing the cheesy-themed casino, and shortly after seeing our room I knew we were in for the life of luxury, hahaha. I can say after our stay at IP I will always fork out more money now to stay at other great location casinos, such as the Bellagio.
At the time of our stay, I absolutely dreaded coming back even for just a cat nap to our room. The room was so rundown, maid service was a hit or miss, and the towels made me feel like I just couldn't keep clean! I can laugh about it now fortunately.
You may wonder why 2 stars....well if you are looking for a cheap stay(one star) and literally just a place to sleep at a great location on the strip (the other star) then IP might not be such a bad stay.
Some call it ghetto. I call it a great, centrally located hotel that always has affordable rates.
If you stay here you needn't worry about taking taxis everywhere unless you're too drunk to walk. I didn't check out their illusive kareoke because I had better partying to do.
I saw an asian J.Lo and other incredibly off-looking "celebrity look-a-likes." I guess when they hire their "look-a-likes" they go off of very vague similarities. Who am I to complain though? It was entertaining to say the least.
If you are cheap like myself and looking for a decently priced hotel centrally located, I.P. is the place for you!!!
...boo to all the haters! HA HA HA!
This place was a dump. Stayed here for a bachelor party. It was cheap for the group but:
1) They never cleaned our room...what kind of hotel doesn't bother to clean your room when you're out and about for the day. The entire two days we were there they never cleaned it at all. It probably didn't help that some of the guys ate room service and plates with leftover food laying around the room for two days either.
2) It was dirty...excuse me, but having blood splotches on the walls of the room doesn't quite sit too well with me (it was already there when we checked in).
3) There was literally a maze to get from the lobby to the rooms. You had to go downstairs, follow a hidden staircase back upstairs, and hang a few lefts to get back to the path that led back to the rooms. Seriously...whoever built that place must have been a bit tipsy at the time.
I can honestly say I won't be going back here. Ever.
Ugh! I used to stay here about 4-5 years ago before it was acquired by Harrahs. It was an okay place back then. I've got about a 2,000 word rant I could go into, but I won't be staying here ever again, so I don't want to waste the time for a detailed disaster report. I paid a bargain rate of $25 for a one night stay and I even at that cheap price, I didn't get my money's worth...
It takes a lot for me to give something only one star.
Did you know hotels have lower levels? Most probably don't, but the Imperial does. We had to wander through labyrinthine hallways and take _two_ elevators (traveling in opposite directions!) only to arrive at a semi-flooded military barracks-looking structure. Here we found our room, which conveniently opened directly into a parking ramp.
You have to view this place in context. Within walking distance is a hotel that has a fucking Eiffel Tower _built into it._ The only way to get into the Imperial is by walking through a barely-marked cement galley , squeezing past the guests streaming from the hotel into a windowless vomit pit called the "Rockhouse Bar." If you're coming to Vegas, stay in a nice place. Almost any other hotel on the strip will do. If the only other choice were a hotel that charged me $250 per night for a double bed, I'd still not pick the Imperial.
The Imperial is simply a terrible experience; you'll like Vegas less if you stay here.
Most hotels in Vegas do not have windows that open, let alone balconies, due to the very likely possibility that one might splatter themselves all over Las Vegas Blvd after throwing their life savings down the craps table. No respectable hotel owner wants to squeegee innards off their sliding glass doors. It's just not classy.
Does the elusive Imperial Palace abide by these depressing superstitions? HAYL NAW, GOOD SIR. (Exhibit A: My lady friend and I gettin' our dance on outside our room last summer.)
This fact, coupled with the INSANELY low room rate considering its location on the strip, is a formula that gives this place an A in my book.
ALSO, one time I saw this manatee-sized woman sit on, and then SHATTER, a table at the prestigious "Rock House" bar downstairs. (Exhibit B: The man friend gettin' HIS dance on with Frau Michelin two Summers ago)
If my annual Imperial Palace photos don't explain well enough, let me clarify:
I LOVE this hotel for being hilariously awesome in every way. Stay here for the laughs, if anything. Or else, stay here cause it's cheap as hell and centrally located.
Also it's the greenest hotel on the strip cause they won't EVER CLEAN YOUR ROOM.
My past precedes me: I love a good old fashioned seedy Vegas hotel. The. End.
If I could give zero stars I would. I'll start from the beginning...We opted to self-park and save a couple bucks, first mistake. The parking garage is about a mile from the actual front desk, through the casino, past all the rude people who don't notice or don't care that you're wheeling luggage behind you. Once in line we waited 30 minutes before checking in. We paid $15 extra for each day we stayed, to upgrade from a non-refurbished room to a "newly" refurbished room. I also requested a balcony. The lady at the desk was pleasant enough, though I had to repeat everything I said because of the language barrier. We were given our room key and told to go the 12th floor. The elevators took FOREVER to come and when they did people cut in front of us and crammed in before we could get our luggage situated. After 3 tries we finally made it on, and up to the 12th floor. Once there I realized that our room was NOT on the 12th floor, but on the 2nd. Again, the language barrier? I'm not sure. Once we found our room we were accosted by the stench of stale cigarette smoke. I expect it a bit, being in Vegas, but this was ridiculous. There were stains on the carpet, and somehow on the back of the door. I immediately went to open the sliding glass door that led to the balcony and was surprised to find myself staring out at a concrete slab that was actually the pool deck. It's November so the pool is closed, but our "balcony" wasn't even private, or secure. It was literally the concrete that surrounds the pool area, to the left was a pile of trash and discarded chairs and god-knows-what, and down below were the trash bins (which was lovely from 10pm to midnight when the trash trucks bang around for hours!!). Also, the bed was incredibly uncomfortable, and squeaky. The TV was one of those old school tube TV's, maybe 19inches. Basic cable, and a Nintendo 64 (for rent). Movies were $15 and most of their "Still In Theatre" selection was actually on DVD already. They charge $11 per day for internet access. We were going to order room service, but the wait was an hour and 45 minutes. So we went to the 24 hour burger joint inside the hotel. The woman behind the counter was rude, and refused to give me ranch for my onion rings, because I didn't order chicken strips. Had the brunch buffet the next day for $14 a person, not the best, but not the worst either. All in all I would say DO NOT STAY HERE. For $20 or $30 more stay at the Flamingo.
I dig the Ip!!! I've been comin' here since I was a wee lad and they have never done me wrong. Sure it's not as flashy or new as the other hotels on the strip but damnnit it's right next door. The people treat you well, the roulette table didn't let me down and I didn't get ripped off on the room rate! So much Passion for this place....
I just got back today and I have memories man. Roller con weekend with a bunch of crazy girls...drunkenness....500 bucks won on an amazing heater at the roulette table...It's all there you just gotta look on the bright side of things and the Ip is shinin'!!!
Thanks Ms. Martin!!!
SBC VEGAS SERIES: 16 of many reviews
So I figure that if Rockhouse was good.. then IP must be better...
Ok, maybe better was too strong a word. But it was definitely something interesting after stumbling through Rockhouse. Again not quite the best place on the strip... yeah, on the STRIP. Go figure. Yes, I don't think I would stay here with the tackier than normal tacky Vegas kitsch that can be found everywhere else. But they do have some interesting table side performances that apparently the typical IP clientele enjoy every enthusiastically.
Ok, truth be told I had come here for a couple of drinks.. couple of very stuff drinks and a lot of people watching. And by people I mean to say the waitresses. And by waitresses I mean to say waitresses that do porn on the side. And by porn on the side, I mean that they probably could be very successful at doing porn on the side. I only wish that they would serve me while I sat at the bar instead of at the tables. What can I say.. I got my eye on the prize.
;D
Ok, this place looks like nothing has been done here since the 80's, and it is a dump, BUT it is practically free to stay there! Also it is in a very good location. I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish with their theming.
But as other users have said, who cares! If you are young, and you like to party, you are not going to be in your hotel room more than 3 hrs a night anyhow. and paying $25 a night is awesome. The casino is not bad, the place is pretty clean, and like I said it is cheap and right in the middle of it all. You can walk across the street to ceasars palace, walk 2 doors down for $1 drinks at casino royale, you name it.
I would not recommend this place for families or anyone looking for a resort like stay. I would not recommend vegas at all for families despite their efforts to make it a family destination! It gets ROWDY on the weekend with people from cali etc partying. This place is unapologetically cheap and dated. So why criticize it on something it is not supposed to be. If you want to stay at the bellagio, you will pay 8x more the price.
Won't be coming back here anytime soon. 1) craps dealers were so rude and treated me like I didn't know a thing...not a fan of that. Sure, I'm not the best craps player but I do know how to earn a few bucks and have fun with the game. 2) it took FOREVER for any waitress to come by and offer anything. 3) the worst "dirty" players ever are here.
I did give one more start for the impersonator dealers. Some were spot on and I found the routines funny,.
Holy Ghetto-ness!
First off there is nothing Imperial or effin Palace like about this hotel/casino at all! How dare the owners to call it such a name! I mean the balls they had to do so.
It is rundown and there is absolutely nothing special about this hotel at all. When I stayed here they were doing construction. We had to walk through the damn construction and we can hear the construction workers from our room and all the work. For real? Dont you shut down the side of the hotel where construction is taken place out of courtesy for your paying guests?! I called front desk to complain and asked if we can be moved to another side of the hotel and I was told there is no other side and was hung up on!!!! Went downstairs to the front desk to speak to the manager and I was given food coupons...lol. hmmmmk
The room is a basic room. Beds, tv, bathroom. No ambience at all.
Pro:
Cheapest hotel you can find smack in the middle of the strip!!
I doubt you can beat the deals you will find at the IP. You get what you pay for.
Never ever ever again!
The rooms here are pretty crappy. I would probably have given it 1 star if it weren't in such a central part of the LV strip, gotten the room for free and have actually stayed in the room for more than 5 hours in the first three days here. LOL! I didn't stick around in this Casino, that's for sure. There was only 2 elevators in operation out of 8 that they had going up to my room. LOL! I guess Harrah's is only really concentrating on the Rio and Caesar's Palace as far upkeep on their casinos.
I had rooms here from Thursday until Sunday but was rarely here and only stayed in the room 2 nights at 2 hours each night. I did play some poker here for an hour or so though and did manage to win some money here. It was a small poker room and was pretty hideous looking as well.
If a cheap room with a good spot on the strip is what you are looking for then I guess Imperial is the place for you.
Sahara is the worst hotel I've stayed at on the Las Vegas Strip. It is pretty rundown, and even worse, it is so far away from everywhere else so you forced to take the Monorail to get to the main action.
At least, the Imperial Palace is conveniently located near Caesar's, Bellagio, and many of the other popular Las Vegas hotels. The entrance is a little odd. Even though the hotel is located right on the strip, you have to walk through an "alley-like area" entrance to get to the hotel. The front of the hotel feels more like the back.
For me, hotels on short trips are all about room temperature, comfortable beds, clean linens, and good showers/bathrooms. The room temperature was fine, and the bed was comfortable. It definitely wasn't the cleanest room I've been in; also, it was a little run-down. While the shower was good, the tub floor was pretty cracked and was definitely due for a replacement (but I'm not sure if management truly cares based on customer service at the front desk).
As we were leaving for the night, we got in the elevator. It took forever to get one. We were on the 16th floor. There were several of us getting into the elevator on 16th so the elevator was pretty jam packed. I'm not sure if anyone wanted to wait for the next one. And because the other elevators were so slow (Who knows? Maybe they weren't even operational), we stopped at each floor. Several guests just laughed and said they would catch the next one. But since we were in Las Vegas, several guests also said "screw it," hopped in, and made it even more uncomfortable.
The elevator represented a pretty decent cross-section of America (many age groups, hometowns, ethnicities), and there was quite a sense of camaderie and even laughter over the "misery" of the heat, sweat, and claustrophobia. Definitely a Las Vegas moment.
Thanks IP I love you!! Was supposed to go to Tokyo(been psyching up for weeks, not a good flyer). Checked the flight an hour before we left for LAX. Everything fine. Got there, flight canceled. By the time we got to the counter, all flights to Narita from United canceled for two days(Typhoon). Our window of opportunity shut at that point. So cuz of almost full refund from AMX, what do we do..... VEGAS OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!
Four days at the IP 15$.(at the last minute)left the next day. Jet Blue, Long Beach, couldn't ask for more. Get your Rewards card!!!!
Who stays in their room that long anyway. Oh ya and your sober, right.....
You can catch so many free shuttles right next door at the Harrahs all over town. YES, The Palms and Rio too.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/24/2009
My fav casino to stay. Really inexpensive( get rewards card and stay free) Right in the middle of… Read more »
I've stayed here twice now, and it's definitely an experience for the books. I mean....you get what you pay for. Our rooms were basically free, so there's really no room to complain. But really, there should be some standards.
The elevators definitely SUCK geisha balls. Seriously. You wait for hours for an elevator, and when the elevator finally gets to you, 9 times out of 10, it's full.
The casino is really tiny, and there were no open slots that even looked worth playing.
The hotel hosted a "pool party" on Saturday, and it's definitely a college pool party. There were NO families to be seen....except for mine. LOL. Complete with beer pong, a DJ, and some really bad contests such as arm wrestling...this is a college student's spring break dream.
Except this was August.
The only thing missing was the wet t-shirt contest.
Trashy trashy trashy.
Go for it geishas!
Now, the only plus, is it's location. It makes everything on the strip semi-walkable.
IP is pretty much one of the worst places you can stay on the strip which is unfortunate because its right in the center of the strip.
They buffet is pretty gross and will most likely make you sick.
The rooms are definitely get what you pay for, you will have a cheap room and if that's all you need is a place to crash you will do fine here. Id just rather pay a few bucks more and stay at the harrahs which is a little bit more expensive and way nicer.
The poker room has some shady guys working there, I have seen multiple winning hands mucked that cost someone over 50 dollars due to a dealer mistake. Even when the mistake was admitted and a request was asked to check the cameras they don't use them for that. Pretty ridiculous.
You can stay and gamble here if you want a sub par vegas trip but I wont be back and I look forward to the day this hotel is demolished.
Yes, it old.....but you're in your hotel room in Vegas just to sleep and shower and for the price of a room at the IP, it serves the purpose just fine.
The shower and beds rock. I had no problem with the room itself. We stayed in the furthest back building you could possibly get, so it was a journey from our room to the strip and pretty much anywhere else in the hotel, except for the parking garage.
Overall, it serves the purpose and you save money so you can spend your money on the better things in life -- i.e. food & booze!
This place is awesome, and you know it! Ok fine, I know the issues. It's by far not a sexy place to stay. Kinda run down, kinda early 1980s feel going on. But listen you get what you pay for, and I paid very little (which makes me happy).
The benefits totally outweigh the negatives here. IP is very inexpensive even for nigh last minute reservations. It's also got a great location on the strip. It's right in the middle of all the action. Mirage and Caesar's Palace across the street, The Venetian and Treasure Island a stone's throw away, and The Wynn and Encore on the next block. That's a serious money saver on cab fare or renting a car.
The rooms aren't THAT bad. Ok, so the first room I got here had a pretty bad unwashed fat-guy smell going on. But whatevs, that comes with the territory of trying to get a deal. You'll have some occasional setbacks. I just went down, got another room, and presto, fat-guy stench no more. The room was decently cleaned and pretty spacious too. Also, the water pressure from the shower was strong, so thumbs up.
One thing though, if you're bothered by loud music that could be a problem. We had an amazing strip view room, but it overlooked this live band that pretty much played until 4am. So, it's a trade off. But overall, I'd definitely come back if I couldn't afford anything better.
Disclaimer: This review is only for the casino.
Hate. Hate. Hate. The craps tables here. I was excited to finally have the chance to play here because I am by no means an expert at craps so the smaller the min bet the better. Well, the ladies who worked our table were total snots. They treated me and my friend like we were idiots and had no idea what we were doing. Just because I'm not an expert doesnt mean I dont know how to hold my own. I lost a lot of money at the table and I blame them and the stupid people who were playing at our table. It's rude to throw down a chip when I'm in the middle of a roll and then your chip hits my die and look, I rolled a 7. Thanks jerk. And if the stickman or shall I say stickwomen chucked the dice at me one more time I was going to scream. Just take your stick and push it to me. I'm glad I left when I did and went back to NYNY and won all my money back and then some.
I will give credit to the Dealertainers though. They were funny and pretty amusing. It's too bad I don't play poker or blackjack otherwise my experience may have been a little bit better having them as my dealer.
If you are going to Vegas to party, and aren't fussy about the rooms, this is the place to stay. It is right in the middle of the action, and our room wasnt even as bad as most people are making out. If you compare it to 4 star/5 star hotels, then yes I see. But when you are in Las Vegas and you won't be spending all your time in your hotel room, its perfect!
There is a 24 hour restaurant which is great and the dealertainers are kinda lame but funny at the same time so you just have to laugh! It is all part of the fun.
For $39 a night during the week, you can't go wrong.
Went to the Luau here which was over $100 for two people. We got the deluxe package but I didn't have a deluxe experience. It was OK but I can think of better ways to spend $100+. Much older crowd here and the place is saturated with cigarette smoke.
The hotel itself is decent, better than Tropicana and The Last Frontier. Parking garage has a frustrating set up and I felt like I was trapped in the Twilight Zone trying to exit. The designer should be flogged in public.
Every time I've gone to the car museum it's closed.
I see a lot of good reviews for the IP and I have received PM's asking me for my opinion. The IP is scheduled to be demolished and replaced and would have been already but for the recession that has hit Vegas extremely hard. I can say three good things about the IP.
1. Great Location in the center of the Strip ( it is also a Mono-Rail stop ).
2. If you are comped in like Sir Nicholas they have a seasoned Casino Marketing Department that will take very good care of you.
3. It is going to be torned down in the near future and replaced!
I can't find one thing wrong with this hotel. My 3rd stay here. $30 a night, our room and bathroom were spotless, we had a balcony on the 4th floor, quiet room, great maid service, great towels, large room.
I had great elevator service, I think it helps to stay on a lower floor, sometimes we just walked down the stairs, $5 card tables, shows, day and night, dealer tainers. Nice pool, barbecue and drinks. Did I mention $30 a night? Our deluxe room looked just like the pictures in their website. The only fault I could find was the TV was probably a 19". Great free coupon book with check in, half price buffets at harrah properties and free eiffel tower ride.
Nick says we're going to Vegas and he says we're staying in the Imperial Palace. Who am I to argue with a man with a plan that sounds fun to me? Then he also says people often make fun of him for this. Now, I'm curious. But, after our 3 days in Vegas I can imagine that Nick likes the IP for all the reasons I do and here they are.
1. Nick has been gambling in Vegas for nearly a decade now and he always stays at the Imperial Palace. This means he has some sort of credit built up with them, which translates to free rooms for our entire stay. Are these the nicest rooms in Vegas? No. But, I'm not going to Vegas to be a high-roller in a fancy hotel. Most of the time I'm in the room I'm sleeping so it doesn't really matter to me what the decor looks like, as long as it's clean.
2. Sure, cool, free rooms, whatever. BUT! These aren't just any rooms. They have what is called a "lovetub." Yes, lovetub. (Isn't that fun to say? Try it out loud.) This is a bathtub bigger than most Jacuzzis I've seen. I'm fairly certain it seats at least 10 people, 12 if you're friendly. And it's not in a bathroom. No, no, my friends it's a hop, skip and a jump from the bed right in the main room. Additionally, it is mirrored on 2 sides as well as the ceiling, one side is glass, and the remaining side is just open to the room, with a curtain if you choose to close it. It has three steps to get up to it for crying out loud and once in a mimosa fueled near-accident I almost fell over the side and broke something.
3. Location, location, location. It is right in the middle of everywhere you're going to go.
4. Dealertainers. If you haven't been to see these please for the love of all things holy go and do so. They are the card pit of celebrity look-a-likes. I saw Michael Jackson, Little Richard, Ricky Martin, Alice Cooper, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Fergie, Christina Aguilara, Freddie Mercury and so many more there. These are your dealers. But, as they rotate one of their stations is a stage, where they get up there and perform a song by the famous person. Sometimes, it's real and sometimes it's lip singing, but it is always entertaining. I'm fairly certain that I lost more money here than anywhere else because I never paid attention to my cards. (Imagine the dealer saying to me, are you sure you want to hit? That's a 21.)
5. When I walked into the IP at 8 am on a Sunday morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted from the LimoVan party the night before the first thing my eyes saw was the "Champagne Pit." Here you play Black Jack and, yes, drink glasses upon glasses of the sweet, sweet bubbly. It was then that I knew Sir Nicholas and I (and the Imperial Palace) were a match made in heaven.
Ok, so everyone knows that the IP is gross. However, it's cheap and in a great location. I much prefer Bally's, which is a little more expensive, but much cleaner. If you are really on a budget, though, and don't care about your room, then stay at IP.
My in-laws stayed there recently, and the shower drain was plugged. The water never really went down in the tub during their stay, and they were pretty horrified abou that.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that she was pissed because she and her husband could not get a room at IP (?? i smell a lie) and that they would have to stay at the Luxor. I laughed out loud because I thought that she was being sarcastic (obviously) and that was a funny joke. Turns out she was serious. I think her hubbie just wanted a cleaner room.
Anyway, if you want a decent room at a reasonable price in the middle of the strip, then try Bally's. I have stayed at 5 or 6 different hotels in Vegas, and Bally's is def the best bang for your buck.
The only thing you'll get outta this is a cheap as fuck hotel room right in the middle of Vegas. That is it. And that's fine if that's what you're going for. Trust me, I don't mind bumming it at all. I'll sleep where ever. And this place is basically where ever.
The first (and last) time I came here, I couldn't even find the damn room. They stuck us in the basement somewhere. We literally had to take an elevator one floor up, cross over, then take it two floors down to find our room. Definitely not a good thing to do when you're slammered.
So if you wanna do Vegas on a penny-pinching budget, and have no qualms about where you sleep, by all means, cruise on into this depressing toilet.
I LOVED the Imperial Palace! I have heard so many bad things about this place, I just had to see it for myself! And for three nights no less. How's that for a gamble? Hey, when in Rome... Wait; that's across the street. And for a lot more money.
It was delightfully kitchy, which to me is what Las Vegas is all about! I like the older hotels because they have sliding glass doors and balconies to hang out on.
We even lived dangerously and tried out the buffet which did not disappoint. It had a "vintage" island themed avocado green decor made to look like we were sitting in a grass hut in Tahiti somewhere. Awesome. But the food was good! The prime rib in particular, believe it or not. And much like the hotel rooms... inexpensive!
I also should add... I collect casino pens and wanted one from here. They don't have pens. Golf pencils, folks! It is a welcome addition to my collection.
It's not as nice as the Bellagio, yet it's a clean place to stay on the Strip. The decor is just older, that's all. But I like that stuff. It's location can't be beat and I would stay here again in a heartbeat. It's sorta my new fave place to stay in Sin City. Long live the IP! :)
I like this place for every reason other people hate it.
-It's kind of old. Perfect! I think Vegas is supposed to be old. And almost smokey.
-It doesn't have fancy fine dining or crazy bars called Tryst. Good! I like my casino no frills and full of gamblers. Real gamblers.
-The Dealertainers are kind of crappy. No DUH! It's supposed to be that way, it's funnier when they look almost nothing like the celebrity.
-The place is lowbrow enough that my free room here deluxe (with giant jacuzzi , etc.), compared to boring and standard at another hotel (like Bally's for instance)
-I'm right in the middle of the strip! This means nothing is too far to walk. And I can go to Ceaser's Palace in the middle of the night, drunk, and gamble to my heart's content. Then stumble home with ease.
-Finally, they serve champagne to my Ladyhawke at 8 am. See her review for more info.
So in summary, The IP is the quintessential old-school Vegas casino resort, and it's right in the middle of everything. If you want to play laser tag with your 9 year old, watch IMAX and take pictures, go to the Luxor. If you want to gamble and really enjoy it, stay with me at the IP.
Considering I didn't have to pay for this room (my friend's mom did), it was cool. But... definitely not one of the nicest hotels in Vegas. Walking into the Casino, it kind of smelled like fish or seafood, which is weird considering there's no seafood restaurant of any kind in the casino. There are some rooms that are not actually in the hotel, but you have to walk on an outdoor walkway to get to, and those would totally suck to be in, considering the heat you have to go thru to walk to your room. Luckily our room was in the hotel, but you still had to ride a special elevator to get to it, because some hotels went on floors 1-7 and the other elevators only went on floors 8 and above, so it was quite frustrating in that sense.
The room itself was also pretty crappy. There was no mini fridge, and there was minimal art on the wall, which led to a pretty dismal feeling upon entering the room. The beds were pretty comfortable though, although I would have like to have more pillows, rather than two tiny pillows that squished flat when you lay on them (and no, I'm not fat).
Something that I did like about the hotel were the card dealers and the free shows on the casino. They were all very nice, and it was the only place I actually won some money on the black jack tables in Vegas!
IP also prides itself on the classic automobile show. They don't advertise that they cost money though, so my group was pretty disappointed when we went up and found out it costs admission to get in.
As others have said, this is a cheap stay and that's what you should expect. The benefit is the location - right smack in the middle of the strip. Even the penthouse didn't impress me here. I have seen better. One really fun thing is the dealer-impersonators. That was a treat, until I noticed that they just repeat the same performers a couple times per night. Still cool, though.
