text: Trying to do more with less. That sums up the SLS. The whole experience feels contrived. I was in town for 3 weeks for various expo events. My girlfriend decided to visit me over Halloween weekend. We stayed at Mandalay Bay on Friday and the SLS Saturday. Our experience at Mandalay was great as always but for some reason rates were insane for the night after Halloween, not the actual holiday. I was able to book a \"suite\" at the SLS for the cost of a king at Mandalay. SLS is at the Northernmost part of the strip. Casino enters from Las Vegas blvd. and main entrance is in the back off of Paradise. Past Circus Circus, Riviera and opposite Stratosphere. SLS is the old Sahara property. It is not walking distance from anything other than the Convention Center and Westgate (Las Vegas Hilton).\n\nCheck in:\nValet is a mess. Half of the garage is for valet and the other is for self park. But there are 2 valet in and 1valet out with no one directing traffic or telling other vehicles how far to move. Valet pick up area is narrow and awkward. Two benches and the area is cluttered with trash cans. Obnoxious if there is 15+ people waiting for their cars. There are several guest registration desks with dividers to funnel the guests to their respective counter. It didn't happen to me but I noticed a few times that the staff wouldn't immediately take the next person in their line. Rather, they'd take the next person from any of the lines that they thought was waiting the longest. It was frustrating to those next in their line. This is a poor system because it irritates guests and levies no accountability for the employees to work at a more efficient pace. But we were registered in a timely manner.\n\nRoom:\nRate was reasonable for a \"suite.\" This will probably change after they've promoted for a bit. Bathroom is nice; dual head shower was relaxing and the bath products were fantastic. Lots of storage space and private restroom. The 60\" TV was nice and their cable system is better than most. But as far as the living space? Meh. Standard King rooms at Mandalay, Cosmo and PH are all just as large without the suite premium. \n\nHotel:\nPlenty to do. I didn't feel like I overpaid for anything at Perq, the coffee house or Monkey Bar. The noodle place looked good and there are the obligatory designer shops that all of the new Vegas resorts want to shove down our throats. I like the design of the elevators and the concept of different themed rooms for each of the three towers is pretty cool. We were in the Lux tower. \nThe whole place smells like new carpet and laminating chemicals though. That goes for the hallways leading to the rooms, the main lobby, the upper level with the buffet. I liked the FedEx center that is open to hotel guests 24/7. The gym is excellent. I was very impressed. Brand new equipment, very clean, fresh ice water. The buffet is great but that's a separate review. The hotel uses the old Sahara infrastructure though. Nothing was done to repurpose the square footage. Some areas of the hotel feel cluttered and others feel barren. The upper lobby is just the buffet and FedEx center. Talk about wasted space. They have someone at the escalator to signal the buffet is upstairs and that no, you're not lost. And the old red branded Sahara carpet is still everywhere in the lobby and casino. \n\nThe casino:\nI actually really like the casino theme. The lighting is perfect and contrasts the bright lights of the slots exceptionally well. They have a wide variety of games but a modest quantity. They've moved away from the worn out video poker and diamond style slots and have more of the engaging arcade style. Obviously trying to appeal to a younger crowd. The table dealers are all dressed in suits cohering to the hotel scheme. \n\nThe BAD:\nThe gym and spa share the same level in the Lux tower. We had our workout and walked in the restroom to clean up. Went into the steam room for one minute and a spa employee comes and rips me out yelling how it was for spa customers only. Most gyms have steam rooms so how am I to know? It's patronizing to the person and frustrating to the people paying the $ being disturbed.\nThe nail in the coffin for me was the sports book. What a F'ing disaster. This is where management really needs to take notice. We checked out and rushed downstairs to place bets before Kickoff. I shell out $1000 on bets. I try to sit and see that every table has a reserved tag. I ask the host and she says there is a $50 food/drink minimum for 3 hours and another $50 for the next 3 hours. $100 just to watch even though I have bets? I ask her about comp drinks and she looks at me like I'm crazy. $1000 to the house and no comp drinks? Inexcusable. For that reason alone I'll never stay here again until they figure that out. Don't force a restaurant on betters. With Westgate across the street, best sports book in town, be on notice. You're hemorrhaging money treating your players like that when a better product is 5 minutes away.