The Golden Nugget's New Rush Tower

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The Golden Nugget's New Rush Tower

November 24, 2009

Last night was the Grand Opening of the Golden Nugget’s new “Rush Tower” which adds nearly 500 guest rooms to what is already the largest hotel in Downtown Las Vegas.

In honor of the opening, the Nugget held a Grand Opening cocktail party at the base of the tower, and Oscar “I like ceremonies better than running cities” Goodman was present … as if there was any doubt that he would be.

Golden Nugget's Rush Tower Grand Opening

In addition to the town drunk, there was a wide variety of other Vegas “personalities” in attendance, such as Miss Nevada and the odd newscaster here and there. The turnout was quite impressive.

Upon arriving, I was pleased to see that the blocks along First Street and Carson Ave. have been dramatically improved to provide a much more attractive entry/exit pathway for motorists.

Once inside, a Mirage-esque aquarium greets visitors from behind the check-in desk, along with an adjacent gaming pit. The lobby is otherwise a typical “chandelier-in-a-box” layout.

Golden Nugget's Rush Tower Grand Opening

As I was talking with the Blackjack DILFS (dealers I’d like to …), I felt a tug on my sleeve and I turned around to find a large gentleman with an in-ear monitor and a Nugget badge.

“Why don’t you check out our rooms”, he said, “they’re really nice and we have an open house on the 20th floor.”

Well played.

First impressions are important, and courtesy and enthusiasm on the part of staff goes a long way.

I walked over to the elevator bank and ascended two hundred feet with about a dozen of my closest friends.

Upon arrival at the top, I was directed by yet another excited employee to the end of the hall where three rooms were available for viewing … a “Deluxe” room which will normally run $69 per night, a large suite (price variable), and a larger suite (again, price variable).

Golden Nugget's Rush Tower Grand Opening

Ironically, all of the rooms are non-smoking. Make of that what you will.

Now, before I go any further, I will concede that I am not a huge interior design aficionado and you’d be hard pressed to have me “review” a room in detail. It’s just not my thing.

As of 2005, I have personally stayed in a room in every property on the Vegas Strip at least once. Although not pulling sleepovers, I have spent a great deal of time in newer properties such as Palazzo, Wynn, and Encore in the last five years.

I probably have a decent handle on what Las Vegas has to offer with regards to accommodations, and with the exception of the New Frontier (which I now wish remained instead of making way for a dirt farm) … I can’t think of any hotel rooms which I really think are terrible. My “favorites” are actually in scoffed-at properties, such as Sahara Balcony Rooms and Luxor Pyramid Rooms.

Personally, I prefer unique accommodations over McSuites, but I can live with one or the other.

I never came to Las Vegas to stay in my room or watch TV, and I don’t particularly care what the thread count on a sheet is or whether a monitor is LCD or Plasma. I do appreciate a good view from the window, but after that, my preferences diminish.

Golden Nugget's Rush Tower Grand Opening - Downtown View from Suite

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to stay in a dump, but I could not care less about color coordination in a place where I will be unconscious 90% of the time.

The other reason I don’t particularly get off on overly-nice rooms is because I don’t want to stay in a place significantly better than my own home. It’s just going to be that much more depressing when I get kicked out at 11am. I’d rather spend the money to upgrade the place in which I have to spend the other 362 days out of the year.

I happen to like my ten year-old comforter with holes and my haphazard living room with shit laying everywhere in disarray. When I am on the road, give me a clean room with a good location and a working toilet, and I’m gold.

This being the case, I simply cannot describe amazing sink fixtures in a convincing manner. It would be like John Madden doing color-commentary for the New York City Ballet.

Instead, I’ll give you my casual impressions and let the photographs speak for the rest.

Golden Nugget's Rush Tower Grand Opening

The rooms are definitely McSuites, but this is the type of accommodation that Vegas 3.0 will be offering for the foreseeable future. “Themes” and “fun” were abandoned by Las Vegas long ago, and the new trend is toward Feng Shui, color scheming, and giving the guest an illusion of financial success.

I believe that the Golden Nugget has nailed this genre almost perfectly.

I would be more than satisfied to stay in one of the Deluxe rooms for $69, and at this point, I might opine that these rooms may be the biggest bang for the buck in all of Las Vegas right now.

The location is excellent, the views from the upper floors are great, and the quarters have a decidedly “upscale” feel to them.

I might even be inclined to call the Rush Tower “Encore North”.

Now, I don’t want to overstate things too much. Las Vegas is a town built on hype, and it’s populated by phony, easily-amused, wannabe social-climbers who perpetuate that hype.

While the Nug is getting a wave of well-deserved publicity over this addition … it must be kept in mind that we are talking about the opening of a new rooming tower, and not a new property, or even a dramatic change to the Golden Nugget itself.

Obviously, simply adding a new tower does not change the look and feel of a hotel terribly much, and aside from the addition of a gaming pit at the base of the Rush Tower, the Golden Nugget Casino remains otherwise unchanged.

I say this as a positive thing.

I have always viewed the Golden Nugget as a property which has pathologically under-promised and over-delivered, and I believe that the Rush Tower continues this tradition. It exceeded expectations. If I booked a seventy dollar room anywhere, I would not expect this level of quality.

Throw in a world-class pool, favorable gaming odds, and quick access to the Fremont canopy … and you have one hell of a combination.

If you’ve never stayed on Fremont Street because you were wary of a “smoky Downtown room”, I believe that the Rush Tower provides a compelling reason to re-evaluate that position.

If you’ve been looking for an above-average room in an above-average location for a below-average price, this property should be on your short list … assuming you aren’t a Strip snob, and at this point, there is really no valid reason why you should be.

Congratulations to the Golden Nugget, and congratulations to Fremont Street for yet another job well done.

Share and Enjoy:

Author: Rex
Date: 10:42 am
Posted in: Downtown, Gambling

15 Comments »

Written by DR on November 24, 2009 at 11:42 am

I was fortunate enough to eat at the Chart House restaurant in the Rush tower on opening night. It is a very simple but well design restaurant atmosphere. I was worried that with the big fish tank they would try to theme the restaurant, but they didn’t. It was very nice and comfortable.

Almost all of the food my party has was very good and I would recommend. The lone exception was the desert souffle. We ordered the Gran Marnier souffle and it was DISGUSTING. I’m pretty sure ours must have been some kind of mistake because it tasted like we were eating marshmallow creme.

The service was FANTASTIC for the whole meal.

The meal was a little pricey, but not any more than similar restaurants. This is a place I will definitely be going back to, and I will give them another chance at the souffle.
Written by thomas coe on November 24, 2009 at 12:27 pm

when you talk of a gaming pit at the base of the tower, is that just a couple of bj and craps tables and a bank or two of slots or much more?

also, is there a bar in the gaming pit area, kind of a RUSH bar?
Written by BigRedDogATL on November 24, 2009 at 1:41 pm

Rex:

Are the room photos in your blog post of the $69 room or of one of the two higher end rooms?

It would have been nice if you had captioned the room photos with what room category they were.
Written by Rex on November 24, 2009 at 2:58 pm

Rex:

Are the room photos in your blog post of the $69 room or of one of the two higher end rooms?

It would have been nice if you had captioned the room photos with what room category they were.

Cliff, the photos are from all three rooms. Deluxe rooms and Suites look the same with the exception of the size.

The suites have larger bathrooms, larger tubs, sitting areas, and are in the corners.

Extra money buys square footage, but you would be hard-pressed to tell one from the other by decor.
Written by blueboar on November 24, 2009 at 3:33 pm

Nice. The decor seems to look a lot like their Gold Club rooms. And I really like what the GN had already done with their public areas.

Combo bath/shower or separate?
Written by briguyx on November 24, 2009 at 3:48 pm

Rex, do you happen to know if they added any additional parking facilities on the property? An additional tower could mean a lot more cars on busy weekends.
Written by FleaStiff on November 24, 2009 at 4:11 pm

>favorable gaming odds…
Now THAT is significant but I fear that any establishment that spent millions on a shark tank is not the place I care to visit.
Written by Rex on November 24, 2009 at 4:16 pm

Rex, do you happen to know if they added any additional parking facilities on the property? An additional tower could mean a lot more cars on busy weekends.

They have a dedicated valet, but I didn’t see additional self- parking. Since the Nug parking garage is already fairly crowded, I don’t use it.

They will have to address this if the rooms ever book full with with guests who drive themselves.

Combo bath/shower or separate?

Combo in deluxe room and smaller suite, separate in the larger suite.
Written by Greg on November 25, 2009 at 12:14 am

I’ve always been impressed by the Golden Nugget, and when I was in town last May we had a lot of fun downtown. Sure, there were a few more downtrodden characters out on the street, but the vibe was more laid back and what I would call “vintage Vegas.” I thought all the casinos were clean and looked like a good bargain. I was never much of a hipster, so I will seriously consider the GN next time I’m in town. And hey, the Strip is just a Deuce ride away, right?
Written by tully on November 25, 2009 at 3:28 am

Actually, starting in January, there will be another option to get to the Strip. RTC is starting the Ace Gold Line serving DT and the Strip.

Ace is kind of a “poor man’s” light rail. It’s a bus with multiple entrance’exits, level boarding, fares paid/tickets purchased prior to boarding, and it’s own dedicated lane through downtown. It will run right through the FSE, stopping at Casino Center Dr. and Fremont. This will eliminate the walk away from the canopy to catch the bus.

The downside is that once on the Strip, it is at the mercy of traffic. On very busy weekends/holidays it will be slow. It does, however, stop at the monorail stations at Sahara and the Convention Center. You could switch to the monorail if you wanted to go to the south Strip. Getting to the stop at Spring Mountain and LVB should be doable most of the time, however; and that stop gets you to Wynncore, V/P, and TI.

The info is at the RTC Nevada site if anyone wants to check it out.

Nice to hear that GN understands good customer service is still important. Don’t think anyone ever really expects totally “glitch free” on an opening night. As long as the service is friendly and welcoming, that’s what counts the most.
Written by loftypines on November 25, 2009 at 9:11 am

my god the blonde looking at the asian dealer is GORGEOUS!!!!
more pics please!
Written by Tom on November 25, 2009 at 9:52 am

How much did that radio political talk guy give to get his name on the tower ?
Written by Ron from MI on November 25, 2009 at 8:49 pm

$69?

Cool!

That’s how much I payed for a room at any Super 8 Motel!

As far as the rooms are concerned, not bad. As far as the curtains are concerned, most/some people may find them either gaudy, or (let’s just say) at little to “metro.”

Me, I would be proud. Orange, Yellow and Green (….and with a little white added to the mix…) my official colors!

(yea, yea, yea, I’m getting a little carried away with…..)
Written by KarenTN on November 26, 2009 at 2:57 am

Blueboar, thanks for asking about the tub/shower setup, AKA the “would karenTN even think about staying here?” question. How very disappointing that even the smaller suites have the tub/shower combo
Written by Stacey on December 1, 2009 at 10:29 am

I’m wondering how this is going to effect the pool scenario. Adding that many rooms mean that many more people in an already snug pool area. The pool is one of the main reasons I stay at the Nugget, but if it gets super crowded I may have to go elsewhere. Same with the parking which as others mentioned was already an issue at times before this tower opened.

The rooms look nice though!