The OYO Hotel is one of the most notorious hotels in Las Vegas, with dirty rooms and insufficient maintenance, but now is in hot water for creating fake alternatives.

OYO Hotel and Casino Las Vegas is one most avoid

The OYO Hotel in Las Vegas used to be the Hooters Casino but in 2019 it was sold to OYO Hotels & Homes and Highgate. Some might argue that was also the last time someone gave the property some TLC.

There are reports that:

• Only one elevator works in the property but it’s not a normal guest elevator. Instead, guests need to use the stairs to avoid using a packed service elevator.
• The hotel is home to plenty of bugs, ranging from bed bugs to cockroaches. And the hotel seems to deny there is any problem.
• Walls and hallways can have blood stains on them.
• Allegedly, people staying at the hotel may have died. However, that’s a dark secret of Las Vegas and not as uncommon as you might think.

I think it’s easier to describe the OYO hotel in this way. Las Vegas made a reputation for cheap hotels, good deals, free parking, and gambling. However, the on-strip properties have lost sight of that historical reputation. To attract business off-strip, some hotels focus on affordability more than anything else. In the case of OYO, the hotel still focuses on affordability (free parking), but doesn’t invest in itself. Thus, hotel conditions become worse over time, but some customers looking for a cheap stay might feel they have no other option.

Think of the OYO as less of a hotel and more of a motel. In fact, OYO has many properties globally that are generally centered around budget-friendly accommodations. Their OYO Las Vegas property might get outsized focus because it’s actually in a good location right next to the future home of the Las Vegas A’s. It’s walkable to the southern end of The Strip. And so many people stay there and find out there’s a problem when they get there.

Enter Palette and Collection O

Suddenly, two new Las Vegas hotels appeared at roughly the same physical address as OYO. These were the Palette and Collection O. For reference, the OYO’s address is 115 East Tropicana Avenue.

The Palette is listed as 117 East Tropicana Avenue.

The Collection O is listed as 119 East Tropicana Avenue.

Did you notice that all three hotels have the same exact design features as the OYO but the only difference appears to be the paint? That’s because, yes, the hotels are all the same. Sometimes there is a hotel-within-a-hotel concept (like the Nobu Hotel at Caesar’s) but that’s not this. Instead, it appears the name of the OYO on the building is covered up with some doctored images.

In fact, most of social media is blowing up after one viral post that states employees know they’re making up both Palette and Collection O to see which is more popular with prospective customers. When the customer says they know the OYO and want a refund, the customer is told to instead pound sand. The argument, per this interaction, was to see how popular the hotels are as an alternative to OYO.

This is clearly a legal issue. The hotel is promising one thing and not delivering. And when called out, you don’t get a refund or compensation.

Keep in mind that if you’re in this scenario, you could also do a chargeback on your credit card and you should prevail. It doesn’t help you get a room once you’re there, however.

And now the retraction begins

The Palette and Collection O Las Vegas properties used to be available to book on multiple websites. However, as of the time of posting, all reputable booking sites have taken the listings completely down.

It seems the hugely negative social media reaction has prompted swift action from OYO to take down listings of the property. Or perhaps OTAs didn’t want to risk the backlash from their own customers getting tricked.

To be fair, a property can certainly test branding to determine what gets the best reaction from customers. But in this case, the evidence points more towards deception rather than an honest attempt at testing.

Perhaps the most frustrating part is that the hotel clearly has problems, but rather than address those problems, the property instead worked on its swimming pool and put out doctored images to get people who are otherwise concerned about staying at the OYO.

There are other cheap properties in Las Vegas…

The sad part of Las Vegas is that unless you stay on The Strip or in Downtown, the odds are high that you’re not going to stay somewhere nice. Even if you’re staying on-strip, a great night’s sleep is not a sure thing.

Heck, Jenn and I have stayed in Las Vegas off the strip once when American Airlines had a plane that went mechanical and put us someplace where we did not feel safe. Next time, we will just book ourselves in a property that works best for us. You really need to trust the place if you stay in Las Vegas that’s off the beaten path.

But let’s say you do want a cheaper visit. What can you do?

• Gamble and get a free or discounted room. However, don’t gamble a small amount over a long period of time. Instead, gamble a high amount over a short period of time. Casinos will look at you as a higher value customer if you play a lot at once and you’ll get more freebies this way.
• Match your status from Celebrity Cruises or Royal Caribbean to MGM. You have been signing up for free webinars with Celebrity Cruises to get free status, right? Sometimes you can get discounted rates from just having status but how much you play matters more. Free parking does at least help though.
• Stay in trustworthy off-strip hotels. How do you know which ones are more trustworthy?
  • Look for hotels that locals frequent.
  • The property should have a casino attached. I wouldn’t touch any off-strip property that doesn’t have a casino because security could be more lacking.
  • Big chain hotels (like Marriott or Hilton) might offer good value even without a casino attached or offer up points redemptions.
• Try the north end of The Strip. Cheap Vegas still somewhat exists at the north end. Properties like Circus Circus, The Strat, or Sahara might not sound all that appealing for a luxurious stay, but they can offer a cheap night.
• Don’t venture far from Fremont Street if in Downtown. If Downtown Las Vegas is more your thing, do not stay anywhere more than a block or so away from Fremont Street. Think of Downtown as a little bubble of protection. Venture too far from it and things can get uncomfortable or unsafe. By that measure, don’t stay (or walk for that matter) between The Strat and Downtown. Trust me, it’s not safe.

Unfortunately, from its location alone, many people will still end up at the OYO. But you don’t have to feel like it’s your only option. Just promise me you won’t lose your shirt at the tables trying to earn a free night.