Originally Posted 6/16/03 – Golden Phoenix is worst of Reno

The Bear Growls: Golden Phoenix is worst of Reno

June 16, 2003

On a recent Reno trip, I had the misfortune to stay at the Golden Phoenix. The valet parking was understaffed, resulting in a long delay. The front desk had only one clerk on duty on Friday night, causing another long delay to check in. Supposedly, the hotel has been refurbished, from its previous life as the Reno Flamingo, but it wasn’t apparent. The carpet in the halls is threadbare and filthy. My room had an ancient thermostat that didn’t work. In fact, the air conditioning didn’t seem to work at all. The digital clock in the room showed the time incorrectly by a half-hour. I guess the maid doesn’t bother to check the clock.

The long corridor that used to connect the hotel to the storefront entrance on Virginia is closed, but there is no way to tell until you cross Sierra, and reach the fire door, which is chained shut. There is no sign to warn you that what appears to be a functioning corridor is not used anymore. It appears that the new owners didn’t purchase the little storefront building from Park Place Entertainment, since it’s boarded up, and has no Golden Phoenix sign on it..

The quality of the games in the casino was dealer-dependent, with some dealing a reasonable game, and some spending more time shuffling than dealing. One of the worthless-game dealers actually cursed at me after I colored up a small win and didn’t tip her. It appears that this place reopened on the cheap. It is poorly maintained. The employees don’t seem to care about the patrons. Management doesn’t seem to care about the patrons. I’m sorry to report that there is nothing good to say about the place. If my experience is typical, the place will have no repeat business.

I give it a year before it files for bankruptcy.