Palms Has Reopened After 2 Years! We Took A Peek Inside Opening Weekend

Palms Las Vegas Reopening

The Palms Las Vegas Reopening was on Wednesday, April 27, but I visited the Saturday after.  This was also my first time visiting the property, so I had no expectations. Overall, I could describe the entire property using one word: Excellent. I thought that there were plenty of dining options, the casino seemed great and in excellent shape, and the service was probably the best I’ve ever had in Vegas. Let’s look into the hotel, restaurants, amenities, and service.

Background:

Palms first opened in November in 2001, but this is the first time it has been open in over two years. The property went through a $600 million dollar renovation, but since it has been closed for two years, it feels like new. This is also the first time it has opened being owned by the San Manuel tribe, as it was previously owned by the Maloof brothers and Station Casinos. There are a couple of restaurants that have changed names since it was sold to San Manuel, as well as a new rewards program, but that is all that changed. The property was in such good condition before closing down that it is actually good that not much has changed.

Disclosure:

Before I get into the article, I do want to disclose one thing. My mom and I noticed that there was no line at the front desk, and so we told them that I was going to write a blog post on the reopening of Palms. The agent was super friendly, and she did give me a room key to use to check out the pool. Other than that, she did tell me the changes that were happening. She did not give me anything else, whether it be rooms, or free food at any restaurants. I definitely wanted to mention this, as this is part of why I think there is such good service. Outside of the pool visit everything else on this post was not influenced by this front desk agent as I checked out everything else prior to discussing it with it.

Location:

One disadvantage of Palms is its location. It is not located on the strip, and it is instead located on Flamingo Road and Valley View Boulevard. This means it is quite a long walk to the Strip, and it involves crossing Interstate 15, something I would definitely not recommend. However, Palms is right across the street from the Gold Coast, which has some great deals as far as dining goes. The Rio is also located about 10 minutes away by foot, so that is also close as well. There are not many restaurants there, but it is still a close casino and is great for any Caesars gamblers.

Hotel:

Palms has two different hotel towers: the Fantasy Tower and Ivory tower. Both towers were renovated in 2019, and since the hotel was only open for about a year after the rooms were remodeled, the rooms are going to be in excellent shape. The hallways in the Fantasy Tower were also in immaculate condition, so this property is almost brand new. I hope to stay at this property soon, as the rooms look incredible.

There is also a second tower known as Palms Place, but that property has its own amenities. It also has its own bar and is connected to the main Palms casino through a tunnel, but it otherwise has its own pool and fitness center.

Restaurants:

Palms has a large number of restaurants, ranging from a food court to a steakhouse. There is also something that has become super rare in Vegas; a buffet! The AYCE buffet is now open and was the most crowded restaurant there. The pricing was very high in my opinion, and the seafood on Wednesdays rivals the pricing of Bacchanal Buffet. There are discounts for rewards club members, but there is no locals discounts. The pricing is available here.

As for the other restaurants, there is a BBQ restaurant, known as Mabel’s, which had excellent reviews. There is also a Noodles restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a cafe, and a steakhouse, as well as two bars. Kaos nightclub is also returning, although there is no date at the time of writing. There is also a pizza place that reminded me of Secret Pizza, and it costs $5 per slice. There is also a food court, which had a Mcdonalds, Chronic Tacos, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Panda Express, and Earl of Sandwich.

Although most of those restaurants are staying the same, there are a couple of changes. First of all, Apex Bar, located on the 55th floor, has permanently closed and will be reopening in the coming months as Ghost Bar. Secondly, the Shark Bar is becoming the Unknown Bar. This bar is located right next to the front desk, and the changes have already been made.

Pool:

Upon entering the Palms pool, I was blown away. The pool area was super shady, not crowded, and best of all, had multiple hot tubs. But, after going on the Sunday after it opened, I actually walked away quite underwhelmed. To me, the most important pool amenity is a jacuzzi. Even though Palms has multiple, they are for cabana rentals only. My dad and I went into one of the hot tubs and we were told we had to leave a couple minutes later. I asked if there were any jacuuzis for hotel guests and was told there wasn’t. That’s pretty bad for a 700+ room hotel, and plus, what is that resort fee for again?

I did call to ask if Palms guests get access to the Palms Place pool, and vice versa, and I was told that you do. The Palms Place pool is nothing super exciting, but I do like the fact that there is a jacuzzi, and it was also not crowded.

Tier Matching:

Unfortunately, when I went to ask about if they match other casino status, the employee told me since I was under 21, I needed to leave. However, I did call to see what MGM Gold and Caesars diamond matches to, and they said both statuses match to Emerald. The status benefits are available here, but the benefits are not very good. They are matching you to their lowest elite status, and the best benefits that this status gives are VIP check in lines, access to show presales, and discounted show tickets at the movie theater.

Casino:

Overall, I really enjoyed the Palms casino. The variety of games was excellent in my opinion, and there was also plenty of tables. They were mostly empty, but the blackjack minimums were $15 throughout the casino. I also noticed that there was also a large high limit room. That area featured a large variety of table games and slot machines. The casino also had very wide walkways, and best of all, it did not smell of smoke.

Crowds:

On the Saturday after reopening, I was surprised by how empty the casino floor was. I saw some live streams on the reopening that showed a bustling crowd, but when I was there it was super empty. This was also the weekend of the NFL draft, so I was expecting higher crowds cause of that. The room rates were quite pricey for a Saturday night, which likely played a role. I wouldn’t be surprised if it became busier later in the day as the draft festivities wrapped up. We were there at around 1 PM.

Service:

The service at the Palms was amazing. Amazing. My mom and I asked an employee on the casino floor where one of the restaurants was, and she walked us over there. Although the restaurant was closed and very close, she could have just pointed to us where the restaurant was, and that would have been acceptable. This, plus our front desk encounter, shows that the employees are really engaged during the opening.

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed the Palms. While the pool left a lot to be desired, the fact that the buffet has reopened is an excellent addition, even if the prices have been increased. The service was excellent across the board, which is rare at many Vegas casinos, and I even recognized some employees I saw the previous day. Finally, the rooms are also excellent in both towers, and the room renovations are the icing on the cake.

What are your thoughts on the Palms? Let me know in the comments!