Imperial Palace Hotel Las Vegas

This past week me and a buddy flew to Las Vegas for a week and stayed at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino. The trip was awesome but 1 week is more than enough to stay in Vegas at 1 time.

First off, when we arrived I had never been to Vegas before so I didn't know what to expect. When we got off the plane I called the hotel to ask if there was a shuttle heading to the hotel, they told me there was but it was 7 dollars per person, thinking this was a bad deal I choose to get a cab since it was only a few miles away. Wrong choice there, the cab got stuck in late night traffic and was over 25 dollars. Shuttle service is the way to go here, we choose to use it on the way back and was well worth it.

As we arrived at the hotel I was first amazed by the strip but than was brought back to life with the wait to check inn. We arrived at around 8, although I think in Vegas every hour is a peak hour, and took about 45 minutes to check in since they only had 2 people working and about 20 people checking in. Once we checked in though we headed up to the room to drop off our bags and head back down.

The rooms were exactly what I expected, which is a basic hotel room nothing flashy but a place to sleep with a tv for downtime. The one thing that did catch my eye was there was a balcony outside of our room, the only problem was you had to climb through the window to get out there and then it was only 3 feet wide by 10 feet long. Not sure if this is meant to be used but since my buddy smoked he stayed out there instead of smoking in the room.

Heading down to the casino we ran into the only thing I had a problem with all week and that was the elevators. It took forever for the elevators to get anywhere. We decided to take the stairs since we were only on the 10th floor but as we headed back up that same night we found that the doors are locked on one side so you can't use the stairs to come up to your room which sucked since we than had to walk all the way back down and take the elevator back up. So all week we would walk down the stairs than take the elevator back up when we were ready to go to the room. In the hotel they do have a pool area which was nice but I was more about walking the strip than hanging around the pool.

The Casino was pretty cool, they have a section dedicated to dealers who dress up as their favorites singers and every once in a while they would get up on stage and sing for all the people playing and watching which was pretty cool. My buddy is a huge poker fan and his comment was "if your looking for a nice poker room, the imperial is not that place. They only had about 4 or 5 tables and usually only 2 were full so go next door to Ceaser's or the Flamingo and play."

The best thing I liked about the Imperial though was the location. It is smack dab in the middle of everything. Ceaser's, Flamingo, Mirage, Treasure Island, Belgio, Venetian, Bally's, and many more are all right with a block or 2 off the Imperial so you can easily walk and see some of the best hotels around the area without having to stay in them. Also in the back of the Imperial is the Monorail which can take you anywhere you want to go on the strip for a reasonable price, alot better than taking cabs in Vegas. Also if you are into the nightclub scene, there is the Rockhouse which is right in front of the entrance too the casino, we never went in there as we were to busy spending our money elsewhere but it seemed there was always a party going on in there.

The whole trip we were there the people of the Imperial treated us really well and I had no complaints about any of the staff and the rooms were pretty decent and for $60 dollars a night you can't beat that. I fully intend to stay there again when I go back.

Just back from our 4th visit to Las Vegas and the 4th time to the Imperial Palace (Oct 2008). I will say straight away that this place is worn, the décor, the fixtures and fittings, all worn, but not worn out as some may suggest.
If you want glitz and glamour, then take your pick of the more illustrious establishments close by to the Imperial, Venetian, Palazzo, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, all have the panache lacking in the Imperial.

What the Imperial does have is a decent, clean, reasonably priced, for us anyway, establishment, right in the heart of the Strip. It also has a certain charm, having being 4 times its like coming home for us. The rooms are fine, cleaned everyday with clean towels left everyday as well.
Can't say we've had trouble with the lifts, but it can get crowded in the main lift area sometimes. We have faced the front, the back and the swimming pool varying from the 10th to the 16th floor.

We have experienced both quick and slow check ins, it seems to be pot luck as to whether you get served straight away or you have to join a long winding queue, just a matter of when you actually arrive.
We have eaten at the Emperors Buffet, and like the rest of the place, its decent fare for a decent price. Breakfast was fine, but I wasn't too keen on the evening buffet, but the choice of other places to eat is overwhelming.

Then there is a little place called Betty's Diner, a gem for me, a cafe, that's all, a cafe. But a place with character, juke box, internet if you want, old fashioned maybe but I loved it. Just for a light snack and a non alcoholic drink. I'm English, so the high tea was most welcome.
There are bars where you can watch the action in the casino or play video poker, you can also see the Dealertainers. A kind of karaoke if you like where the men and women who deal at the tables, then get up on a small stage and imitate pop stars of today and yesterday. They dress up for the part and they do actually sing, although I have found that one or two now seem to mime. They sing one song then go back to dealing the cards.

We have seen the likes of Michael Jackson, Tony Orlando, Alice Cooper and of course, Elvis. Late at night the atmosphere is electric as some people dance and sing along to the acts, great stuff. Whilst in the casino you can set up a safety deposit box so that you can leave all the stuff you would rather not carry around with you. It doesn't cost a cent and takes about 10 minutes to set up.

And if you like cars then you are in for a treat, for on the 5th floor of this hotel is the Auto Museum. A huge floor space dedicated to cars, motor accessories, even kids cars, and everyone one of the items has a price tag. Some are mind boggling and run into millions, yes millions of dollars, worth 2hrs, at least, of anyone's time.
The pool area is just that, a pool area, we have seen some other hotel pool areas and they are mini oasis, complete with lavish fixtures and fittings.
Not the Imperial, its a place to lay in the sun, swim in the pool and just relax. But boy does it get hot during September/October when we have been.

Because the pool area is surrounded by 3 sides of the building its like a sun trap, far too hot for this guy, so only short stays in the shade for me, so when the shade goes, so do I. Free towels on entry, to be placed in the wash basket on exit, sorted.
There are places that we still haven't tried in the Imperial, the many restaurants for a start, so no comment on those from me. Gambling is not really my strong point, I lost, so I can take it or leave it.

But I can say that this place is a basic, clean, from what we have experienced, decent priced, unglamorous, fantastic location type hotel that is not worth a visit, if all you want is a base to stay whilst in Las Vegas. It is in easy walking distance to all the places that all the other people rave about with their fancy surroundings.
The Imperial is there, right along side of them but at a much lower cost. Have a nice day.

I stayed at Imperial Palace in August of 2006. This hotel has been reviewed many times. Even though so many people go to Las Vegas I will still give you a review of this hotel.

It is located in the middle of the strip, so you are close to good areas. Many good casinos are all within walking distance. The monorail station is located at the back of this hotel.

Checking in was very fast and its right in the casino but not far from entrance. Rooms were basic, but big and clean. Beds were very comfortable and big. Service at the hotel, by staff were all friendly.

In the casino, you can find a better one elsewhere, but the Dealertainers were very entertaining and quite real. The guy who did Tobey Keith and Elvis was totally amazing. Something you have to see in the casino.

The only problems I found with this hotel, were the elevators were very slow. You would wait for a long time to get an elevator. AS well the pool area was ok, not bad, nothing special.
If you were sitting in the shade in pool area, I found it to be very cold for some strange reason.

Overall I enjoyed my stay here and would recommend this as a good place to stay.

The Imperial Palace was not as poor as reviews I read before coming made it out to be. Many people mentioned problems with the elevators - I only had problems during the high traffic times (like the half hour prior to checkout). The first night my room was facing the Harrah's outdoor bar, and they played music until 3 AM, but they were willing to move my room to a quieter location. The room itself was nice - it was clean and smelled fine. The bathroom showed some signs of wear, but I was happy with it.
I read a warning beforehand and forgot, but I do advise everyone to watch out for the timeshare ladies right by the rear elevators - they will snag you and hawk you their wares.

Imperial Palace is the best value in Vegas, the city where they only safe machine to put your money in is an ATM. The prices are excellent for the location - $50/night weekdays, $100/night on weekends, and right in the center of the strip. IP is right across the street from Caesar's Palace and the Mirage, so you're walking distance from classier digs if you feel like taking a stroll and checking them out. Cab fare can slowly drain you, so being near to other casinos than your own is actually a pretty nice advantage.

The place itself falls just short of charming. It has none of the breathtaking decorations or Disneyland-for-adults feeling of some of the larger casinos - I'm thinking of Luxor, Bellagio, the Venetian - but it does hold its own. There are plenty of places to eat, a sizeable casino, a car museum, and their very own Dealertainers. Dealertainers are just what the name implies - game table dealers who dress up like celebrities and do surprisingly good impressions during their periodic karaoke sessions. It's just about the only thing to see on the lobby floor, but it is worth a look.

In terms of value for location, IP wins hands-down. But if you're looking to splurge on a Vegas vacation, this might not be the place.

 

My first time in Las Vegas and this hotel made me NOT want to go back. The whole atmosphere was differnt from what I had expected and experianced at other hotel/casinos. The turn down service was worse then some of the Best Western Hotels that I've staied at. they do not offer a full lay out of the hotel ie pools and dining areas that is clear enough to find sober let alone after you've been on the strip all night. One of the few good things is that there was a Denny's VERY close and the Shops in the Shops at the Venetian were only two blocks away. Over all I was not impressed and I'm not staying there again.

My first time in Vegas I stayed at the Imperial Palace. I got a great deal. 5 nights for under $300. The location was perfect. I couldn't have asked for any better. The rooms were fine, nothing fancy at all. They were clean and everything was in working order. They definitely could use more lighting in the room though. The restaurants were decent, again, nothing fancy or to die for. The pool was a little lacking but it did it's job. Overall my stay was excellent. Everyone was so nice and the Dealertainers were so much fun. My favorite was Freddy Mercury. Rhianna was also a lot of fun. Never saw the car museum they had there. Didn't interest me much. The casino was a little on the smaller side for strip hotels, but it is older.

It is not the worst hotel I have stayed in but.... Lets start with the good stuff.

It was cheap for a full service hotel. The location was also right in the middle of the Strip so going any place in Vegas was made easy. There is even a monorail station at the back of the hotel.

The rooms are basic but clean. Been a very long time a saw such a small cheap tv in a hotel. Other people have written about the elevators and I can say it is weird how there was 5 lifts near my room but I always seemed to have to wait a long time.

Try not to check in late here as the lines can be huge and slow. However the workers are helpful and always friendly. Too bad it took 4 days for them to replace a light bulb in one of my lights.