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This review will be even shorter than my stay at Excalibur.
25 stays in one year is a tall order to hit, but that’s the requirement to earn top-tier status with Hyatt moving forward. With a huge adventure planned for next year – and plenty of additional trips liable to be planned going forward – there’s no question that the benefits top-tier status (now called Diamond, but soon to be called Globalist) affords at Hyatt are well worth the effort. Between suite upgrades, free breakfasts, club access and more, I’ll easily save more on trips next year than it cost to put any extra effort in this year to make the cut.
That said, Las Vegas offers one of the easiest ways to earn status through stays or nights with Hyatt quickly, thanks to their partnership with MGM Resorts. That led me to stay at the Delano at Mandalay Bay before moving on to the MGM Grand, earning two stay credits in three nights.
Before heading home, though, I thought it might be prudent to take the opportunity to conduct a small mattress run. I booked the cheapest room available at Excalibur for about $20, knowing that after paying a resort fee and taxes, I’d still end up below $60. I decided that this would be a good way to pad my stays for the year, despite the fact I’d be flying out later that night. That’s right: the plan was to check into this room, get on a flight to Fort Lauderdale a few hours later, and check myself out remotely in the morning. Points and miles can lead one to do strange things, sometimes!
The “run of the house” room was in an unrenovated area of the hotel, and turned out to have two beds.
I sat down my things after check-in for a moment, hoping I might be able to use the Wi-Fi before heading to a show at The Mirage later that evening before my flight. Naturally, the Wi-Fi didn’t work. The chairs at the small, circular desk were also totally worn and sunken in, making for uncomfortable sitting.
Best of all was the urine on the toilet seat and the rattiness of the shower mat.
Hey, at least the view was…okay? It didn’t face the Strip, but you can see the pool, and an In-N-Out in the distance:
I was in this room for about ten minutes before I left. I checked out remotely with no issue the next morning, and I’d earned another notch toward 25 stays. That said, I will not book a room at Excalibur again, whether for a “stay” or a stay. The whole place was dingy and gross, to a level even my low expectations had not anticipated, and the fact that the bathroom hadn’t been cleaned really sealed the deal. Sure, it could’ve been grounds for a legitimate complaint, but with so many excellent options in Las Vegas, why would one possibly waste the time rather than just head elsewhere?