Tips for hotel fire safety

by Catherine Bodry on

My mom was a flight attendant and spent a lot of time in hotels. On one such stay, a fire broke out where she was staying and ever since then she’s been very aware of evacuation routes in hotels. When I left for my round-the-world trip, her advice to me was to make sure that my guesthouses, many of which weren’t likely held to any fire codes and/or didn’t have smoke detectors, had more than one way out. She also suggested getting rooms on floors near the ground so I could escape through a window on my own. I had never even considered fire safety before, but her advice made sense and I think it was sound information to send me on my way with.

I thought of her advice in a hotel on Phuket, Thailand. I stayed on the top floor, the 6th, and my room had tiny slits for windows up near the ceiling. I laughed to my friend, “My mom would kill me if she saw this room.” Days later the tsunami hit and although I had left by then, had I stayed it’s possible that being on the 6th floor would’ve saved my life. Nevertheless, fires are much more common than tsunamis, and with the Vegas Monte Carlo fire yesterday, now is a good time for travelers to look around and check out their hotels’ escape routes. Here are some more tips from the L.A. Times:

  • Make sure your room’s smoke detector is working.
  • If a fire breaks out outside your room, feel your door before opening it to make sure it isn’t warm.
  • If you can’t leave your room, call the hotel operator or fire department (this works better if you’re in a room with phones!)
  • Wet sheets and towels and place them under your door to keep smoke out.
  • Hang a sheet from your window to alert rescuers where you are.

Do you have any tips to share?

Things named after Las Vegas casinos

by Justin Glow on

When I was in Vienna, Austria this past October, I made the trek out to the riesenrad, or giant ferriss wheel, with the idea that it might be fun to see the city from way up high. Unfortunately they were charging something like EUR10 for a ride, and I was on a budget. So instead, I elected to browse around the shoddy amusement park next door, and was tickled to run across this architectural homage to Las Vegas (above) crammed in between the bumper cars and tilt-o-whirl.

The amusement park turned out to be a real treat. It was nearly empty, and overweight men with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths sat around waiting for someone to ride the rusty ride they were operating. It reminded me of the type of place you’d meet someone to discuss a murder. They even had a carousel with real, live horses that walked in a circle! The icing on the cake, however, was a young boy riding the bumper cars by himself. The poor chap had nobody to bump into.

Anyway, I ran across this link called “Things named after Las Vegas casinos” that reminded me of the photo above. Check it out. (Via Neatorama)

5 reasons why the Motel 6 on Tropicana is the best deal in Vegas

by Justin Glow on

I’m writing this from the confines of my motel room in chilly Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m in town for CES, because I love technology and gadgets, and I love walking around large convention centers and seeing the latest and greatest. Above all, I love doing it drunk. On a Tuesday afternoon. But right now I’m holed up in my favorite place to sleep in Vegas: the luxurious Motel 6 Tropicana — largest of its brand in all of the United States. Sure, the room is tiny; a faint smell of stale cigarettes lingers in the air, and every thirty seconds, my chest rumbles from the sound of a jumbo jet taking off. Really, I could go on and on about the negative qualities of this motel. In comparison to any other place in any other city, it’s a dump.

But we’re not in any other city, we’re in Vegas — the land of $600 hotel rooms; a place with over 130,000 beds in 10-mile radius. So why, you’re probably thinking, do I repeatedly choose to stay in the Motel 6? Good question!

1. Close proximity to the strip. For being an off-strip establishment, the Motel 6 is as close to the strip as you can get without being accosted by flier-snapping porn peddlers. It’s located off the south end, at the corner of Tropicana and Koval, next to the Hooters Casino (conveniently, some might say), and directly across Tropicana from the MGM Grand. In about 5 minutes walk time, I can be across the street, through MGM’s south entrance, and onto the Las Vegas Monorail heading practically anywhere on the strip. Five minutes in the other direction puts me at the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard.

2. Price. This is one of the strongest qualities the Motel 6 has going for it. For three nights in a double, I’m paying $287.97 USD, or roughly $95 per night. This is during CES, mind you — the largest trade show in Las Vegas, with over 150,000 attendees. During this week, at any other place on the strip, you can expect to pay more per night than I am for three. It’s even cheaper if you’re splitting the room with someone else, as I am. This brings the total cost per person, per night, to under $50. And I didn’t have to book 8 months in advance; these reservations were made in early December. But get this: a quick search of the reservation database reveals that not only are rooms still available this week, they’re cheaper than what I paid last month! Unbeatable. (And I’m on my way down to the desk to get a refund!)

3. Convenience store. One of my favorite things about the Motel 6 is the convenience store located on-site. The Eagle Mini-Mart, open 24/7, is filled with just about anything you’d ever need during your average stay in Vegas. They’ve got beer and liquor, smokes, sunglasses, medicine, toiletries — everything you’d expect to find in your neighborhood 7-11 back home, save for the blinking slot machines in the back corner. It’s priced for convenience, of course, but then again, isn’t everything in Vegas priced for convenience? My first stop upon arriving is at the store to pick up a big box of beer. Then it’s off to the room, where I dump it in the bathroom sink and fill it up with ice from the machine. Anything that doesn’t fit in the sink is placed in the next-best makeshift cooler: the trash can. (Tip: place the included plastic liner in the trash can first!) Classy, I know. After a long, hard night of debauchery, stop back by the Eagle for free coffee (guests only) in the morning.

4. CoCo’s. Directly west of the Motel 6 is CoCo’s, a greasy-spoon, Denny’s-like restaurant open 24/7. Forget the $20-plus buffets on the strip, CoCo’s is cheap, fast, and delicious. There’s absolutely, without a doubt, no better way to sop up a hangover then a tall stack of flapjacks and a side of fries. Plus it’s the only place in Vegas where you can dine with both vacationing families and pimps at the same time. And unlike most places in town, it’s 100% smoke free. Get there early on the weekends, or expect to wait for a table (unless you’re a pimp).

5. No-frills, but clean and safe. If you’re staying at the Motel 6 in Vegas, you have to be in the right frame of mind. I admit, it’s not for everyone — nor is it for every situation. If you’re on your honeymoon, for instance, or trying to impress someone, you’d be better off splurging for something a little more lavish. The Motel 6 doesn’t have butler service or elegant linens. Nor do they have a flat screen television or his-and-her Italian marble baths. If these things are important to you, go elsewhere. But if you need a clean, safe place to lay your weary head, the “6” passes with flying colors.

And sorry to burst your bubble, but they won’t leave the light on for you. You know, the whole global warming thing.

***

Motel 6 Las Vegas – Tropicana #67
195 E Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV, 89109
Phone: (702) 798-0728 | Fax: (702) 798-5657
www.motel6.com

Why does Allegiant Air need two hours of my life?

by Justin Glow on

Today I’m flying to Las Vegas out of our small, national airport in Springfield, Missouri on low-fair airline Allegiant Air.

Allegiant, like most other budget airlines, charges extra for virtually everything beyond the ticket price, including (for two passengers) a $44 “seat selection fee,” and a $17 “convenience fee” for booking online. I feel convenienced already. Even with all the extra fees, the round trip tickets to Las Vegas are still very much affordable and on par with other carriers. But one thing that’s really got my goat is their check-in policy.

You see, Allegiant doesn’t offer the ability to check-in online. (Tell me, what’s my “convenience fee” going towards again?) Further, the confirmation email they sent says one “must check in 2 hours prior to departure, [and] be in the gate area 30 minutes prior to departure to avoid forfeiting their reservation and all associated amenities.” This means that if I don’t show up at the airport two hours before departure, the $44 I spent guaranteeing my seat goes down the drain, and I may be bumped off the flight entirely.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Shouldn’t you be at the airport two hours before departing anyway?” In most airports, you would be correct. But, like I said earlier, Springfield’s airport (SGF) is tiny, and showing up anything more than 45 minutes before departure ensures that you’ll be doing a lot of standing around, or — in my case — drinking overpriced beers in the bar.

The airport’s minimal load means check-in and security lines are never long, and I can walk from one end of the solo concourse to the other in a few minutes. Plus, the airport’s policy says you can’t even pass security and enter the concourse until an hour before your departure. This means I’ll be spending at least an hour waiting in the check-in area, and then another hour in the concourse at my gate. So why make me show up two hours in advance?

Allegiant: get rid of this policy in smaller airports, or get with the times and offer online check-in. Hell, charge me for the ability to check-in online if necessary; I’d rather spend a few bucks for the privilege of showing up when I want rather than sitting around the airport for two hours.

Oh well, at least I’m going to Vegas!

Twenty bucks could get you a sweet Vegas hotel upgrade

by Grant Martin on

We all know that hotels have various tiers of room quality; one can pay 50$ for that smoke stained single on the first floor or 1000$ for the honeymoon suite on the 60th. And for most of us, the cheap room is fine — we just need a place to stay for the night. But what if you could stay in a nicer room for at or near the price of the cheap one?

Upgrades aren’t all that uncommon; occasionally a hotel will sell out of a particular tier of a room and bump any latecomers into the next tier up (car rental companies do the same thing). But usually upgrades only come if you’re an elite hotel club member or the hotel is overbooked.

Suppose then, that you were to subtly increase the chances of obtaining an upgrade when you got to the desk to check in. Suppose, say, that a twenty dollar bill found its way under your credit card when you handed it to the clerk and you asked politely if there were any upgrades available. Would that help the cause?

Apparently it could.

Fatwallet.com actually has a thread on the topic centered around Las Vegas that I’ve been following for the last couple of years (yes, years) with an astonishing success rate of over 74%.

Forum members are split on how exactly this works. Some think that the desk agent is actually just giving you a room that’s 20$ higher in the fare bracket. But most have reported getting significant upgrades, from beautiful rooms with views, to concierge service to other goodies, all for the extra twenty bucks.

Of course, I’ve never been brave enough to try this myself (I also never visit Vegas). The whole awkwardness of potentially being turned down is too much for me. But for those of you brave souls out there willing to give it a try, you’ve got a good chance of being upgraded. Check out the tread for some tips.