El Cortez Cabana Suites

The older lady with short curly hair would not let me up to my visit my friends room tonight. I had to wait in the lobby then she just refused me entry and went so far as to call security. Very bad experience. My friend and I will never stay here again. Also rooms are small.

We have never stayed here, wanted to stay here or stay downtown ever. Room was super affordable (a little over a bill for 2 nights). Rooms are decent, clean at least — I think the only thing we liked was experiencing something different downtown and the gambling the Cortez has to offer– but they have no coffee in the morning for even being the cabanas, and omg I thought it was so disturbing you could hear everything in every single room. I’m deciding to write this review while I hear all this going on.
It’s 5 am and I just wanna get out of my room the neighbor is doing his girl doggy style– Yes I said it… heard everything– I feel so violated I just wanna run out my room — aside from now needing PTSD therapy everything else was okay.
We are not one to stay at the same place, we eat at new places in the daily. The roulette table was our favorite, the only way I’m coming back is if the hotel comps our room and I bring earplugs with me so I can sleep– the gambling very fun tho.

We received and offer for 3 free nights in a Junior Suite from a flyer in the mail from our Player’s card. When we checked in, they upgraded us to a bigger suite. The Cabana Suites were quiet– we didn’t see many other people in that part of the hotel. There is an officer that stands out front and you have to have your room key to get in the building, so we felt safe walking back across the street late at night. The hotel room was decorated pretty crazy; the walls were painted lime green and it had some crazy furniture, but it was clean and upgraded. The bathroom was modern and very large. I would definitely stay there again.

Price wise, you cannot be the El Cortez. I have always enjoyed staying at this hotel as they didn’t charge a resort fee and its close to down town freemont. Plus its vegas, how much time do you really spend in a room anyway!
This was my first stay at the «Newly Renovated Cabana Suites.» I booked the suite mostly because it was only few bucks more than the tower suits. I knew going into it the room was bright green… I had no idea just how green! The wall is NEON green, very bright and it makes everything in the room tinted green. All of my pictures look like I’m inside sick. The lighting in the room is awful even with the shutter open.
The color in the bathroom and hallways were so much better. They really need to consider repainting the rooms, maybe a darker hunter green or light blue. Idk anything would be an improvement to the green!
The bed was very comfortable & huge! Pillows were a bit hard for my taste though I appreciated the mini fridge. I would have liked if the iPod dock was a more current model as it was pretty much useless for my iPhone 5. Didn’t even have an AUX cable so i could play music.
The Doormen/​security were amazing! Super friendly and polite, by the end of our 3 night stay I felt like we were pals!
The building of the Cabana suites is separate from the casino & a bit further from the main Downtown area. That being said if you’re in vegas eating & drinking like most of us do on vacation the extra walk is probably good for you!
Overall for the price, these rooms can be beat– though the color was a big turn off. 3.5 stars but rounding up for the friendly doormen & free parking.

The bad:
Beds are hard and uncomfortable with terrible pillows that are either cheap or well past needing replaced.
There is absolutely no sound proofing at all in these rooms. Some one walks down the hallway talking and it sounds like they are in your room.
The beds must share a common wall in two different rooms since I could clearly hear the couple in the other room having sex (thankfully the guy only lasted about five minutes, poor girl. But he did manage to give her another five about 15−20min later, well A for effort). They were not screaming or doing anything extreme. I could also hear their after sex chatter, which seriously if that’s getting through then anything will.
The good:
The room has a great retro look that defiantly swings above the asking price.
The hotel has a pretty good workout room and access to the pool in their other building (literally across the street).
The location is great if you want close (walking distance) access to restaurants/​bars/​nightlife. Also a straight shot down one road to the Vegas strip.
Conclusion:
Terrible room to sleep in unless you come prepared. You will need some sort of white noise/​box fan, pillows, and at least a 3−4in mattress topper (obviously check what size bed you will be getting before buying a topper). Otherwise the room is very stylish and looks good.

Lots of issues with this location:
1. The cabana rooms are half the size of el Cortez main rooms and yet they’re called «junior suites»
2. The bed feels like I’m laying on some cheap cushion put over wood.
3. The bathroom floor tile is nice but so uncomfortable. It’s hard and uneven.
4. FREMONT MUSIC BLASTS UNTIL 3am. We went to bed close to 2am and the music was still blasting and booming outside so it’s any wonder how I got to sleep.
5. Our bathroom sink is broken.
I wouldn’t stay here again. $ 35 a night really speaks for itself.

I am definitely a fan of the pricing. The location is perfect, next to Atomic, Container Park and Fremont Street. I don’t stay on the Strip anymore after discovering DT Vegas, so the Tez is worth it. My advice is to not book their «Vintage» room as it smells like cigarettes and is a piece of shit. The casino is fun, mostly filled with locals and, around 2 am gets really interesting with some odd fellows who make the gambling fun. Can’t go wrong with 25c Roulette, which apparently exists. The casino smells terrible, and anything that you wear will smell like cigarettes and ass. Still my favorite place, regardless.

3 and a half, but rounding up.
Yes, I live in Vegas, but stayed here after a night of celebratory drinking downtown amongst friends. When you can book a room for about $ 20 – 35 bucks in this area, then why not? Worth it sometimes to not have to worry about the logistics of getting home or having to exercise caution about taking «one more shot!» Knock out in a cheap hotel room instead! Go crazy. Everything’s walkable.
The Cabana Suites are located north of main El Cortez in a separate building. There’s a 24 hour security guard at the entrance which helps to alleviate the sketchiness factor that downtown sometimes still exudes in the after-​hours. The interior reminded me very much of Rumor Boutique Hotel on Harmon– old, but renovated, splashes of white furniture, chicly. The rooms follow the same style. The Deluxe room, Junior suite, and Super suite are only a couple dollars in difference, so we stayed in the Super suite.
Very roomy. Comes equipped with a flat-​screen, couch, mini fridge. Not much of a view outside: the windows were frosted in an attempt to hide the neighboring abandoned apartment complex next door, but hey, they tried! My only complaint really is the hideous neon green paint. Feels like you’re part of a green screen movie production. The bathroom was my favorite with its surprisingly modern fixtures, spacious shower, and its beautiful Tiffany blue paint. Why couldn’t they paint the rooms this color instead?
Overall, good stay! Fun fact: They have a huge bowl of free Starbursts at the reception desk.

I love this hotel with the old time «bugsy» style feel to it!
If you want to spend your time around Fremont street and the containerpark, this is the Place to stay. We spent a night here during International Fight Week in July and booked one of the Cabana Suites in the annex just across the street from the main buidling and hotel garage.
Rooms where superfresh but had a nice old school feel in the décor that we really liked. Refrigirator, large bathroom and a supercomfy bed just added to the experience.
Free wi-​fi and a lobby guard was great since «old» Vegas can be a bit rough during the night hours…
This Place is closed to tons of bars and restaurants and a stones throw away from the wonderful neon museum and interesting mob museum where you can learn lots about LV in the old Days.
Nearby Containerpark is a treat with its quirky design and has lots of nice causal eateries where we can recomend the Bbq Place as well as the superb but spicy authentic fish tacos.
Oh and Before i forget, the prices here are much better then the ones on the strip.

What a great deal! They are really nice rooms for great prices! I love the cabana suites. I love modern decorations and they really accomplished a nice, inviting atmosphere at this hotel. It’s separate from the main El Cortez but check in isn’t far from the cabana suites. Also, there is a parking garage that’s right across from the cabana suites that I found very convenient. Parking was free since I was a guest!

I usually stay at the Tower rooms at El Cortez, but twice this year I’ve spent the extra few bucks to stay at the Cabana Suites. The rooms are just nicer, and it feels like a bit more upscale of a stay, even at a price point that’s usually less than $ 50/​night. There’s nothing amazing about the room itself, but somehow I find myself wanting to stay there again. Worth the extra $ 10/​night or so, in my opinion.

Free parking in a secure, guest only parking garage. Elevator takes you right to casino floor. Checked in at front desk, no line whatsoever at 5:30 pm on a Tuesday. Front desk service was excellent, very friendly and helpful. Bellhop was conveniently located next to front desk. For a $ 3 tip, he assisted our bags to the room with us, and was knowledgeable about the area and places to check out on the cheap.
The cabana suites are right across the street, literally a 30 second walk outside. The entrance is locked and secured with a guard, meaning you need a room key to enter. The lobby has ample seating, is tastefully decorated in a vintage boutique style. There’s another front desk, mainly used for checkouts, and there is free fresh fruit set out a few times a day. A small gym, with free water but don’t expect a pool.
Our room was on the 5^th and highest floor. Everything was excellent. This is my 7^th trip to vegas, and I cant wait to come back. HERE! No reason to stay or play anywhere else. Great décor, clean. Excellent housekeeping and desk staff. Updated large junior suites and awesome bathrooms.

Nach vielen Las Vegas-​Besuchen war dies mein erster Hotel-​Aufenthalt in Downtown.
Da wir ziemlich gerne im El Cortez spielen und uns die vielen tollen Bilder der Cabana Suites gut gefallen, haben wir es einfach mal gewagt dort zu buchen.
Wir haben direkt über die Webseite gebucht und für zwei Übernachtungen in einer Super Suite knapp unter 100 $ (inkl. Steuern & Resort Fee) bezahlt. (Für die restliche Zeit waren wir — wie immer — am Strip eingebucht.)
Ganz wichtig: Grundsätzlich werden im El Cortez (egal ob im Hotel oder in den Cabana Suites) nur Kreditkarten für die Zimmerbezahlung akzeptiert — keine Barzahlung. Der Check-​in geht nur direkt im El Cortez, von dort geht man dann wenige Meter quer über die Straße zu den Cabana Suites.
Zur Suite: Eigentlich ist es keine Suite im Sinne des Wortes, sondern mehr ein schickes aber platzmäßig eher begrenztes Zimmer. Es gibt keinen Kleiderschrank, sondern nur eine Nische zum Kleider aufhängen und natürlich eine Kommode mit Schubladen zum Sachen verstauen.
Die Bilder, die man auf der Webseite findet, entsprechen so ziemlich der Realität. Auch wenn man sich die Lobby und auch die Suiten deutlich kleiner vorstellen muss. Das Bad ist aber tatsächlich ziemlich groß und vor allem schick. Leider nicht ganz so gepflegt — aber ehrlich gesagt haben wir damit gerechnet, denn selbst am Strip ist nicht immer alles top. Wir haben für solche Fälle immer eine Sprühflasche Sagrotan dabei. Insgesamt war das Zimmer aber sauber.
Bügeleisen & –brett sind auf dem Zimmer. Als Haartrockner steht so ein Mini-​Reisefön zur Verfügung. Die Beleuchtung im Spiegelbereich ist für «Feinarbeiten» eher ungeeignet (nicht gut ausgeleuchtet — kein zusätzlicher Kosmetikspiegel).
Die Zimmer liegen entweder raus zur Ogden Ave oder gehen in einem Hinterhof bzw. Schacht (?). Wer ein ruhiges Zimmer haben möchte, wählt den Hinterhof. Wir haben dies bei der Buchung angegeben und es wurde auch berücksichtigt.
Die Zimmer haben zwei Klimanlagen — eine ziemlich nah am Bett und eine ca. 1,5 m weiter entfernt (wie gesagt das Wort «Suite» ist hier fehl am Platz). Beim Schlafen schaltet man die am Bett am besten direkt aus.
In der Lobby sitzt rund um die Uhr eine Person, die einem bei Fragen usw. gerne weiterhilft. Jeden Morgen gibt es hier kostenlos frisches Obst und Süßigkeiten (täglich wechselnd). Außerdem liegen hier auch immer die aktuellen kostenlosen Las Vegas Magazine (zum Teil mit Rabattcoupons) aus. Weitere kostenlose Magazine findet man auch außen am Haupteingang zum El Cortez. Eis (Eiswürfel) und Verkaufsautomaten (Getränke & Snacks) gibt es nur in der Lobby — nicht auf den Etagen.
Die Cabana Suites werden rund um die Uhr von mindestens einer Sicherheitsperson bewacht. Zum Betreten des Gebäudes benötigt man auf jeden Fall eine gültige Zimmerkarte.
Parken kann man entweder direkt neben den Cabana Suites auf einem bewachten Parkplatz (Einlass nur mit Zimmerkarte) oder im Parkhaus des El Cortez (Einlass nur mit Zimmerkarte oder Players Club-​Karte oder vor dem Einchecken mit Buchungsbestätigung). Wir empfehlen das Parkhaus zu nutzen, da man so sein Auto im Schatten parken kann. Das Parkhaus liegt gegenüber der Cabana Suites — also keine große Entfernung und nicht zu verfehlen.
Das El Cortez hat keinen Pool, es gibt allerdings ein Gym (haben wir aber nicht genutzt).
Im El Cortez gibt es kein öffentliches Telefon. Das nächste öffentliche Telefon, das wir gefunden haben, befindet sich im Four Queens (neben dem Check-​in /​bei den Restrooms). Und natürlich gibt es auf den Zimmern auch Telefone.
Die Players Club Karte ist wirklich nur auf «Spieler» ausgelegt, man bekommt damit nicht automatisch Rabatte bei der Zimmerbuchung.
Sollten wir nochmal in Downtown wohnen wollen, käme eine Wiederholungsbuchung in den Cabana Suites in Frage. Insgesamt haben wir ziemlich genau das bekommen, was wir erwartet haben.
Ein Tipp am Rande: Schaut euch bei YouTube nach Videos zu den Cabana Suites um, da könnt ihr euch einen guten Eindruck von der Ausstattung von der Größe verschaffen. So waren wir z.B. nicht von der eher kleinen Zimmergröße der Super Suite überrascht.

The cabana suites are a great deal. They are in the former Ogden house which was renovated way back in 09. by the El Cortez. This is a quaint modern little addition to the El Cortez with an exclusive entrance. The rooms are unique also and very enjoyable. Ive stayed many times without a problem.
One thing that may bother some people is that there is only one elevator in this building. Vintage buildings are like that sometimes, but surprisingly it didnt affect anything on our visits ever.

Do not stay at this hotel if you want friends to come up to your hotel room. They charge $ 25 PER VISITOR if you want a guest to come up even if it’s just for a few minutes or an hour. To get this guest wrist band, you must cross the street and pay this fee to the front desk. To enforce this rule there is a security guard at the front door that checks all guests to ensure they are wearing the provided blue wrist band and a rude lady at the front desk.
This policy is not the same as any of the other hotels in the area. El Cortez could be implementing this policy because it wishes to prevent friends of guests from staying all night, however, this could be counteracted in other ways (ie taking ID cards). Instead, they simply charge you $ 25, implying that the hotel is just trying to squeeze more money out of it’s guests.
So, if you are trying to have fun in Vegas, pre game with a friends (or a few) or even hoping to hook up later in the night, avoid this hotel. It’s like staying in a strict boarding school rather than a Vegas hotel room.

Was going to do 3 stars, but 2 is fitting. First off upon checking in, I was greeted by a security guard that didnt know the difference between the front desk and parking garage. OK, find, I’m smart enough to figure it out. After checking into the hotel at the old hotel and walking across the street, I did not enjoy that. The staff at the Cabana Suites were friendly, accommodating, but walking across the street sucked. Its not far, but just the concept and when its 110 degrees, it will not be fun. The room was OK, smaller than I expected, you walk right into the open closet that doesnt have a door, all the tv channels were not clear and the chair was kinda useless. They advertise pillow top mattresses, which my mattress was not and the whole place seemed kinda like a cheaply done remodel. Last time I stayed in one of the regular rooms and it was just fine and enjoyed that I could eat, drink and gamble all in the same building.

For the first time in a long time I had an amazing experience in Vegas! The hotel is a gem, hidden away in downtown. It is right on Fremont Street. Your walking distance from all the excitement and activities you want to do when you come to Vegas. Eat, Drink, and Gamble. I will definitely come back and stay. The staff is friendly and always helpful. Dion our night receptionist is amazing. We had a great time conversing with her about all sorts of stuff. Our reservationist at check in was a doll.

I am a bit conflicted about this review. I like this place and will stay again. I did have one recent experience that threw me off a bit. When I found a hypodermic needle next to my be while getting ready to check out. I had been in the room 5 days and it was in a tough place to reach. I was not really at much danger here, just wished this would have been found before I had taken over the room. Everything else is pretty good. Love the retro vibe here. Depending on the room you get the size can be great or a bit small. I stayed here 8 out of 11 nights i was in town in two different rooms. I will say I don’t think these rooms air out well. After taking a shower and coming back hours later I always seems to get a muggy/​wet smell in the air.
On the overall i would stay here again and would recommend them for anyone looking for a nice cheap place to stay downtown that also seem fairly secure.

Having tried most of the hotels on Strip and Downtown, I thought I’d give the El Cortez a try. I had read a review on VegasTripping when the Cabana Suites first opened, and was intrigued by them. Booked on Expedia for a long weekend right after Labor Day.
Check in was in the main El Cortez hotel. At 2:00 on a Thursday afternoon, there were only a few people in line, and it moved fairly quickly. There they will swipe your credit card and authorize $ 50 and the room/​tax (in my case, since the room was prepaid, they held the amount of the estimated «resort» fees). The clerk was friendly and gave me a coupon to claim at Club Cortez for a Funbook and $ 5 free slot play.
I did like that the Cabana Suites are located in a separate building on Ogden Avenue, easily accessible from the main casino floor. I usually saw a security guard by the door most of the times I came in and out, and you also had to swipe your room key to gain access to the lobby. A receptionist was stationed in the lobby at all hours. It’s far enough from Fremont Street that it’s practically quiet most of the time, which I appreciated!
I was assigned room 6311, on the 3^rd floor. I liked the modern décor, as well as the comfortable bed. Room keys are of the fancy new RFID type… love these since most of the time I can leave the key in my wallet… I just have to hold my wallet to the sensor and the door will open… sesame!
42″ TV with HD channels, a mini fridge, mini bar with overpriced cookies/​snacks and bottles of water, a cute little ottoman/​chair, and a desk area. Not bad.
One complaint would have to be that there weren’t really any dresser drawers in the room. Sure, there’s a «closet» area which holds the iron, ironing board and safe, and there was room in the cabinet next to the mini fridge, but I think it would’ve been nice if they somehow worked that into two shelves or something… other than that… love it.
In Las Vegas, unfortunately, resort fees are slowly trickling into Downtown from the Strip… but on the bright side, El Cortez only charges $ 8.95 per night plus tax. They happen to call it an «Amenities Fee» and it covers two small bottles of water daily, parking, WiFi, daily slot tourney, and access to the fitness center.
I got a decent deal on this place on Expedia to begin with — the room was $ 240 including tax for four nights before I used a $ 150 loyalty coupon they gave me. So at $ 90 before the resort fee… it’s still one of the best values Downtown
I would definitely consider a stay here next time.

A suitable spot for a Downtown escapade. Cabana Suites is an affordable and updated hotel for the hip crowd. There were many poor reviews on here. I wouldn’t let those be a deciding factor. If you are choosing a hotel room from downtown your choices are basically from Old fashioned — outdated — old — run down — scary — all the way down to health hazardous. So it is nice that there seems to be a different option to choose now. Lets be honest beggars cant be choosers, but for the price and location I would still consider Cabana Suites. It has a well balance of vintage and modern.
It is apart from the original El Cortez and just across from the new parking garage. Kind of in its own little world. At night the security presence is always there and adds to the general safety of the property, so you don’t have to worry about creepers. A room card opens the front entrance and an attendant is always at the front desk. There is only one elevator for the 5 story property. There was only a slight indica/​sativa odor when exiting the elevator on the 4^th floor. Definitely just from one of the patrons. The room we had didn’t have any strong odors.
Our room was cute. The décor was passable for a south beach type of modern. The bathroom was rather neat and much nicer than you could expect from the location and price point. The bed was comfy and a mini fridge is included in the room. 42″ flatscreen tv and an Iphone clock radio were present. The size was roomy enough and I would say we enjoyed the overall ambiance. If anything was sub par it was the view of the El Cortez parking garage. Aside from that it was an enjoyable stay and we would definitely stay here again.

Vegas is almost like my home away from home. It’s where I’ve spent nearly every 3+ day weekend growing up but I’ve always stayed on the strip. I’ve heard that the downtown area is quite charming and that there is zip lining available but it was never enough to pull me away from the main strip. After much thought and consideration, I reluctantly moved my most recent stay from the strip to Fremont St.
I had EXTREMELY low expectations going in. I was expecting a no-​frills set up equivalent to a tiny motel you might find along a long freeway stretch between major cosmopolitans. When I pulled up to El Cortez, I saw it as a casino that was past it’s hey-​day and the décor looked heavily dated. Stepping inside, the place was dimly lit and I was hit with a pungent odor that I can only describe as depression and broken dreams; kind of a mix between stale cigarettes and an over-​perfumed, musty antique shop. My heart sank a little. I tried not to show my dismay while I wondered how I would survive the weekend in these conditions and tried to stay upbeat and laugh it off. It’ll be a experience and funny story to share later! The line was long and check in was taking a while. Since I was in a time crunch to meet people over at the Four Queens 2 blocks away, I left my belongings with my friend and ran off before I could even check out our room. I was even a bit envious at how much better the casino smelled and looked at Four Queens! But all that was about to change…
PLOT TWIST!!!
I hurried back to my hotel and noticed a text from my friend telling me to call when I came back because the room would be hard to find.
Say what?!? Pshhh! He gives me too little credit, I can totally find it!
Oh wait, never mind. He was right and wins.
I wave the little white flag and he comes down to fetch me and leads me out the back of the casino then across the street into a completely different looking minty-​green building. Huh, interesting… He’s gushing to me about how nice the hotel is and I’m just nodding along and not believing a word he says since I thought he was trying to be nice about the situation. Nope! Once I step into the lobby, it was completely different! The best way to sum up the description of the hotel and room is a very mod retro-​chic boutique hotel. It’s adorable, clean, comfortable, and spacious.
So what happened? Apparently, when I was booking our rooms, I had the option to upgrade to a larger suite (400 sqft vs 240 sqft) for about $ 5 more a night. Looking back, best decision I’ve ever made! By upgrading, that moved us from the regular El Cortez over to the El Cortez Cabana Suites. I was so comfy sleeping in our bed, everything was smoke free, clean smelling, and they had an extra fuzzy throw blanket (I love these!!). Did I mention they have a bowl of free candy every day? I mostly saw jelly beans, M&Ms, and starbursts (I may have hoarded the red ones…) — I appreciate that they had clean scoops and little containers to shovel candy into because my germaphobe side shudders at how many hands would have gone into that bowl. They also have platters of fresh fruit including apples, oranges, bananas, and pears.
I would definitely rebook here again for any future off-​strip Vegas trips and highly recommend them. The only reason why they lost a star from me were:
1. Most airport shuttles won’t take you here directly. Bell Trans is the only one that does for $ 8 – 9.
2. I was left on hold for nearly 30 minutes by the front desk while making airport shuttle reservations. I was then told by another staff this would be taken care of for me. I would find out 2 hours before my flight that the shuttles were all full and they decided to contact me with a note slipped under my door and leaving a message on my room phone instead of calling me directly.