Living in a Casino Hotel

[DougJ]

This is a mini trip report, of sorts.

Due to a job transfer, my spouse and I relocated to an area that has a LOT of tribal casinos.
Without boring you all with details of the relocation package with my employer, it is enough to know that the employer paid full "settling in" costs for several months, which included hotel and all meals. After that "settling in" period, we were on our own to either buy a home, rent an apartment, or continue living in a hotel.

We lived in a casino hotel for nearly one full year.

All of our household goods/furniture were in storage by the employer hired national van lines company.
We lived in a very nice junior suite at this hotel, which included a sofa, dining area, fireplace, and an enormous balcony with unbelievably gorgeous views.

The downside: living in a hotel for almost a year with a casino just an elevator ride down from our suite.

I used to joke with my casino host at the M Resort in Vegas that I am a "gambling degenerate." I absolutely love playing blackjack and video poker.
So, you would think that we set ourselves up on this move, by choosing this particular casino hotel.

It became an exercise in discipline, first, and then eventually devolved into maximizing our comps just to see what we can gain from this little adventure.

At the end of it all, here are my conclusions:

(1) You are not going to win a fortune in a large tribal owned casino.

(2) You are going to doubt the honesty and integrity of the video poker machines.

(3) You CAN maximize comps, and live in a casino hotel for a very long time. Even factoring in our losses in the casino, we actually lived very well, cheaper than had we rented an apartment, plus we had virtually free meals all month long. Moreover, our lovely suite came with free internet, free housekeeping service whenever we wanted (this was a full service hotel), absolutely nothing to maintain or fix, AND free breakfast guaranteed, that wasn't part of "comps."

(4) You WILL get tired of gambling. Again, as a self-professed gambling degenerate, having a casino just below the hotel seemed like fun at first, but it gradually turned into boredom. It reached the point where my spouse and I debated whether it was worth riding the elevator downstairs just to pick up our free play. Yeah, it got that bad. Plus, read conclusion #2 above.

(5) Repeat. Read conclusion #2 above.

Incidentally, the hotel staff were outstanding and we would have a "do over" of the year, if we could.

[billryan]

Nevada law doesn't allow anyone to live in a casino resort here.State max is 29 nights, but most casinos max you out at 22. Among other reasons, resort fees only apply to hotel guests, not to lodgers or tenants, and a tenant has many more rights than a hotel guest. Otherwise, I'd be tempted.

[DougJ]

Nevada law doesn't allow anyone to live in a casino resort here.State max is 29 nights, but most casinos max you out at 22. Among other reasons, resort fees only apply to hotel guests, not to lodgers or tenants, and a tenant has many more rights than a hotel guest. Otherwise, I'd be tempted.

I recall reading elsewhere in this forum that you live in an apartment in Vegas right now.

I know nothing about Nevada law. But, here is what surprised us during our year in a different state:
(1) That normally taxes are "forgiven" on paid rooms, if you live in a hotel for a month or more. NOT true if you are living in a tribal owned casino hotel on their pueblo land. We paid room taxes every night, except on casino comped room nights. We were never classified as anything besides hotel guest, as far as paying taxes on the suite.

(2) Because we were always deemed "hotel guest", it probably was advantageous from the standpoint of enjoying all the amenities of any weekending guest.

[billryan]

I know nothing about the laws there.
A few years back, we tried to cut a deal with the El Cortez for a three month stay and were told about the residency laws.
Yes, I live in an apartment,but in Henderson.
The back end of my complex is the border between Paradise( Vegas) and Henderson.

[alpax]

Thanks for sharing this Doug.

You essentially pulled off a Jean Scott and Mickey Crimm (did it for 4 years in Laughlin).

I just would not personally like the exposure to cigar smoke filled atmosphere on a daily basis, good health is something you cannot buy with money. I admit it would get boring having to play so much to get a free stay for a year, but with the motivation to live makes it doable.

Most people like to do various hobbies at their home, but in a casino room, you are just limited to TV and the computer indoors.

[FloridaPhil]

This is an interesting story.  Thanks for posting it.  The closest casino to our home in Florida is about an 1 1/2 hours away.  Our summer home is in North Georgia, but it's still a long way from Murphy or Cherokee. 

We stay in casino resorts at least 2-3 full weeks a year, but I have always wondered what it would be like to have a casino down the street much less in the same building.   I find it interesting that you became bored with VP.  I play on this website at least 2-3 hours every day and I'm never bored with it.  Maybe if I was playing for money it would be a different story?One question I have.  Was living in the casino hotel noisy?  We always book our rooms during the week so we don't have drunks running up and down the hall.  We like high floors far away from the elevator.   If we lived in a casino it would have to be in Colorado. All casinos in that state are non smoking.

[DougJ]

A little more information:

(1) The hotel itself, a luxury branded property, was entirely non smoking. Of course, some guests smoked out on their balcony.

(2) We are lifelong non-smokers. So, since the casino was smoking, that was a constant issue. But, this casino had a separate, glassed in, non smoking room. It had six video poker machines total. Since people walked between the main casino, and that room, of course smoke came in through the doors.

(3) Living in the hotel was seldom noisy. We had a junior suite at the end of the hallway, long way from the elevators. This hotel was a popular destination for tourists (not gamblers) and for golfers, as the property had a fabulous course. (we don't golf) We loved the hotel more during the weekdays, as it was rarely busy. Weekends, we dreaded, the parking lots were full, and there was tons of families with kids.

(4) My spouse missed certain things about living year-round in a casino hotel, such as limited options for meals. The suite came with a refrigerator, and we also had a microwave. Even though meals were virtually all free, it was challenging to accept eating a tuna sandwich from the deli, or a hamburger from the Casino Grill, most nights. We ate a LOT of pizza from the casino main restaurant. A LOT.
The buffet was only open on weekends for lunch/dinner.

(5) In the suite, you are correct, we were limited to basically just TV and the internet on our computers. But, this casino hotel is on a pueblo, fabulously sited near lots of outdoor activities, and art shows.

[billryan]

I have met a few people here who live in Extended Stay places. They seem to enjoy it. Seems the biggest difference between one of those and an apartment is having your own furniture and a full kitchen in an apartment.
I know one guy, a performer at various Cirque shows who has been in an Extended Stay residence for five years, at a minimum.

[DougJ]

I have met a few people here who live in Extended Stay places. They seem to enjoy it. Seems the biggest difference between one of those and an apartment is having your own furniture and a full kitchen in an apartment.
I know one guy, a performer at various Cirque shows who has been in an Extended Stay residence for five years, at a minimum.

I assume the extended stay places have housekeeping, weekly, perhaps?

Just curious, Nevada law allows stays of over 29 days in these extended stay places, but exempts casino hotels?

[FloridaPhil]

I'm curious, why doesn't Nevada allow casino resort stays longer than 29 days?