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I actually felt a little bit guilty about my last pseudo-review of the M Resort.

It was opening night, and the M had asses to kiss.  It’s part of the business.  You aren’t going to get positive mainstream reviews unless you caress the hairy beanbags and egos of the self-important … so you can almost forgive these guys for the opening night fiasco.  Almost.

There for but the grace of Jesus (the Mexican baseball player) go I.

What if I was judged on my worst day?  What if a business were judged on its most difficult day?

It seemed a little unfair to judge a property on an anomaly.  And make no mistake about it, opening nights are definitely anomalies.  On average, they occur only once during the lifespan of a property.

Some people think I’m an asshole, but I like to think that I am a fair asshole.

I will admit that I was pissed as a Frenchman in a deodorant factory on Sunday night, so having had four days to calm down … I decided to go back to hit the M Resort again.  I figured mid-day during the week would give me the most private time with the new casino, and I was right.  I spent about three hours in the property, and this time, I enjoyed it.

The floor crowds were thin, and I got to actually see the casino instead of getting bumped around like a pinball all night.

The experience was quite different.

First and foremost, Blackjack was spread far more favorably.  There were still 6:5 games, but those games were not populated.  Far more common was 3:2 which I found anywhere between $10 to $100 limits.

Shortly after I sat down to play the $10 game, a $5 3:2 table opened up and I moved to that one.

My initial interaction with the $5 dealer was slightly amusing.  When I sat down, I decided to confirm the table rules just to make sure.

“This is three two, right?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” he replied.
“Blackjack pays three to two and not six to five.” I said.
“Oh, uh, I don’t know, let me ask.” he said.

He summoned the pit boss who came over and said “This is three two.  All of these games here are three two except for single deck which is six to five”.

That clarified that … I’m just not sure why the dealer was confused. Maybe he thought it was ridiculous to even ask if Blackjack paid 6:5 … which would actually be a good thing.   Even though I received only two BJ’s, they were paid at 3:2, so he did know the math.  All of the tables were hit soft 17 and 2:1 Insurance.

They have little electronic signs that now inform you if a game is 6:5.  I learned that if signs only says “Welcome to the M Resort”, then that game is 3:2.

Without a thousand people walking in front of me, I was also able to appreciate the design of the place a little more.

Don’t get me wrong.  I still have external gonads and I didn’t knock my johnson to and fro while staring at the fabulous carpet, but I was able to get a feel for the casino and move around completely at my own pace.   The lobby and the Poker Room basically anchor the casino, and once I got oriented as to where those two things were,  I knew the place like the back of my hand inside of an hour.  The more I walked around, the more it reminded me of Red Rock.  That’s a positive thing.

Oddly enough, I noticed while sitting down in the lobby that the plants/flowers were artificial.  I’m not sure whether or not this is normal, but there was also a strong fragrance like perfume being dispensed into the air that gave the impression that the flowers were real.

One thing stood out above all others, though.  The staff.  The employees were incredibly nice.  Possibly nicer than any staff I have ever encountered in a Las Vegas casino.  Even though I look like a smack addicted wino (yeah “look like”), everyone smiled and addressed me with “Yes, sir”, “Can I help you, sir”, etc.  It was fairly impressive.

These days when I ask a casino employee for anything, I feel as if I am grossly imposing on them.  This place is the exact opposite.  Most of the personnel actively tried to engage me to see if I needed anything. They treated me like a leper on opening night, but I was feeling a little more like a “VIP” on this trip.

Even when I was being scolded, they did so nicely.  I wandered into the pool construction area, and an employee walked up to me and said “Welcome, sir!  Thanks for coming.  Just for future reference, this is a construction area so you may want to avoid it in the future.”

I’ve never been yelled at so nicely in my life.  I thought the guy might actually propose marriage to me.

Unfortunately, even during this off-peak time, lines to particular venues were still pretty long.  The line for the Loyalty Club was about 50 people deep, and the Buffet line was pretty long as well.  I didn’t actually dine in the Studio Show Kitchen Buffet, but I was able to go in to take a few photos.  The place strongly reminds me of the Cravings Buffet at the Mirage.  Similar layout and similar food selection.  It’s certainly on the upper-end when it comes to locals feedbags.

The lounge next to the bar is also a great place to take some time out.  Many casinos lack sitting areas where you can just chill out for a bit, and this area is a favorite spot in the property for me.  I also sat outside the bar terrace for awhile overlooking the pool and was able to relax while doing some live web updates from my BlackBerry.  Cell service varied from 2-5 (out of 5) bars, which was wholly sufficient to achieve broadband data speeds.

I went down into the pool area itself (where I received my pleasant reprimand), but it still is not opened to the public.  I asked one of the workers, and he told me that the pool will be opening on April 1st.  Unless he is setting me up for an April Fool’s joke, we can look forward to the pool in a couple of weeks.

Despite its far more positive feel this time, I still probably won’t be a frequent visitor.  The 20 minute drive each way is kind of a buzzkill, and I ran smack into gridlock on the I-15 on my way home.  I dislike sitting in traffic.  Especially when I don’t have to.

That being said, I will probably be a slightly more frequent visitor than I had initially intended to be.  Probably on the order of once a month.  Especially after the pool opens.  I’ve already scouted a prime spot at the bar terrace near the pool where I can check out the view of The Strip during the scorching summers.  Yeah, The Strip.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The casino itself is still nice, but isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

The service definitely is, however.

I’m glad I went back.  The place redeemed itself for me.

I still hate the resort fee, though. That has to go.

There is probably a lesson to be learned about being too critical and judgmental when a property is under pressure, but I leave “learning” to people with a far higher intellect than I.

My only hope is that some of that service will rub off on a Strip or Downtown hotel so I don’t have to travel quite so far to be treated like a human being.

As unlikely as that is, I remain cautiously optimistic.

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