A recent business trip brought me back to the Green Valley Ranch, and while it was a good stay, it was not as great as it was in 2011. First off, I asked to change rooms because the east wing ground floor room smelled like stale cigarette smoke! (It is a non-smoking hotel)
My husband and I were moved to the 5th floor in the west wing. The group rate did not include a strip view room, but we surprisingly were given a room that faced the hills and had a large balcony! Very nice.
Not so nice for me is the contemporary decor of the west wing. I really loved the upscale elegant, hacienda style decor that the rooms in the east wing as well as throughout the hotel has! Oh well, I wasn't about to change rooms again just because of the decor.

The grounds of the hotel and the pool and spa area remain outstanding! My favorite pool is the tranquil one at the spa. One other special touch to this hotel is the small vineyard that you can stroll through on the way to the spa. Very unique for the desert!

Lastly, I really appreciate all the great amenities at the Green Valley Ranch. Excellent restaurants, gaming, movie theater and shopping make it a good choice when considering a Vegas hotel.

I love Las Vegas. The food, the shows, the Strip. But it can get a bit too boisterous and crazy. Green Valley is a great option. 10-15 minutes from the Strip with beautiful rooms, helpful staff, and a pool with great views down into Vegas. They have a Casino if you still want to gamble but the reason I like it here is the quiet. I can still get to the large Strip casinos and restaurants quickly, but come back to a peaceful vista, above average spa, and shop within walking distance (the District). Not bad.

The property is pretty as I would put it.

Bathroom: Old colonial looking bathrooms, with white tile/standalone sink, has the space wasting bathtub which is being removed from most properties and a stand-up shower. Big enough for one person on get ready at a time, as it has one sink and the space overall in the bathroom is limited.

Room: Once again a colonial look, with dark colored walls, blacked out lamp shades with a bronze lining on the interior to project a golden color light through-out room. They use low wattage CFL bulbs in the lamps, which do project a pretty light or hue throughout the room, but most will find it difficult to read or do work in such low light conditions. Flat screen TV with adequate number of channels. The mattress on the bed defiantly needs to be replaced as you could feel individual springs and it bounced like a trampoline.

Swimming Pools: Very pretty swimming area, one of the best looking in Vegas for architecture. The overall look, feel of the pool is relaxing, but definitely pretty to look at. The stand out feature of the pool the long bridge that goes over one of the pools. While it may not function as much, it certainly sets itself apart from other properties in terms of aesthetics. As for the pools themselves, all looked in pristine condition, as did the entire swimming area.

Gym: Wells stocked gym. Only issue is with maintenance of cardio equipment. You could feel the treadmill pause with each step, which is an indication the machine, is not being maintained.

Overall Property: When you walk around outside or even inside, you get the impression you’re at a resort in Scottsdale or Sedona, AZ.

The reason for my average rating instead of good/very good rating relates to the resort fee. While a select few actually offer you a value for what you’re paying, most hotels charge the resort fee for nothing more than profit. Which is why they wait until you check out to charge it. Since it’s a mandatory fee, it should be included in the room rate, but, its one way to make their room rates look low, by deferring a portion of the room charge until check out.

As I said, some resorts offer you enough for the fee to make it difficult to hate, unfortunately this hotel does not. At $28 (with tax), it is one of the most expensive fees anywhere in Vegas, including 5 Star resorts like Bellagio. What you get for the fee as shown on the pamphlet: Wired and Wireless High Speed in-Room Internet, Unlimited Local and 800 calls, Daily Local Newspaper, Fitness Center access, Shoe Shine Service, Airport Shuttle Service. As with any traveler, the only thing I care deeply about is internet access. I can tell you that of all the properties I have stayed at in Vegas, this property has the worst internet for speed. It clocked in at an average of 390Kbps during my stay. To put that into prospective, my old 3G iPhone averages 1,808kbps. I had to use my iPhone to send/receive emails through my stay. The internet included in the resort fee is useless in my opinion. Also, iMessage though your Apple iPad and iPhone will not work on their internet system. Now, when you activate your internet, they do give you the option to upgrade to a faster service, for an additional charge, I believe it was $12 or $14 per day. So, they charge you for a resort fee for internet access at “dial-up” speeds, and if you want the speeds your use to at other properties, it cost extra. Something to think about as these charges will add up quickly.

Enjoyed the spa and amenities. The spa pool was very relaxing and a welcome oasis. The rooms are nice and I really enjoyed the Drop Bar. Will definitely stay here again. Staff was very friendly and the gambling was good.