# At the Grand Chateau



## lostinjapan14 (Jan 3, 2007)

Using my ownership week for the first time at the Chateau.  (yay!) If you have any questions, please let me know.  

No loud construction today.  The note downstairs said something about pouring the foundation.  I will try and update with construction photos this week.


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## Cathy in Boston (Jan 3, 2007)

Looking forward to your photos!  We're booked there next fall!


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## VacaOnMyMind (Jan 3, 2007)

How crowded does the pool get?


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## Kola (Jan 3, 2007)

We are booked at the Grand Chateau for end of March. Please tell them to stop construction for that week !   :whoopie:  Look forward to your photos !

Kola


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## kapish (Jan 3, 2007)

*More info. on the indoor pool, please!*

There was talk of an indoor pool at the MGC (6th floor? 7th floor?) 

Is it completed?
How is it? (large/small/hot/cold/crowded/etc.)
Is there a hot tub by it?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 3, 2007)

VacaOnMyMind said:


> How crowded does the pool get?



At this time of year? My bet is not very crowded. I suspect you missed Fern's photo of snow on her yard frog ornament a few weeks back. Vegas doesn't really hit swimming weather until the end of March or April.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 3, 2007)

kapish said:


> There was talk of an indoor pool at the MGC (6th floor? 7th floor?)
> 
> Is it completed?
> How is it? (large/small/hot/cold/crowded/etc.)
> Is there a hot tub by it?



I don't think that will go in until completion of the second tower or later. Another outdoor pool is planned between the second and third tower that should be considerably larger than the roof top pool but, that won't be open unitl the completion of the third tower several years down the road.

Of note, the last I knew GC had only filed papers to build two towers even though four are planned. I have not heard it they've gone ahead with the paperwork for towers 3 and 4.


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## tatmtr7 (Jan 3, 2007)

We will be there in March and I have a couple of questions;
do we need a car?
how far is the resort from the new Wynn Hotel?
is the a grocery nearby?
Is there a car rental agency onsite?

We have been to Vegas before and have toured Hoover Dam and the canyon area, any other suggestions for sights other than the strip?  A week at the strip can be a long time for me. 

Thanks so much for taking your precious vacation time to answer questions.


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## myip (Jan 3, 2007)

Is there a computer to use for internet access?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 3, 2007)

tatmtr7 said:


> We will be there in March and I have a couple of questions;
> do we need a car?
> how far is the resort from the new Wynn Hotel?
> is the a grocery nearby?
> ...




We always get a car in Vegas but, no, you don't really need a car. Wynn is over a mile up the street. One could easily walk to the Duece bus stop and grab the bus. Another option would be the Trolley but, it stops almost everywhere on the strip and takes it's own sweet time getting from point A to Point B. I do not believe the Trolley has a stop at GC but it might have a stop at Polo Towers or some place very close to Polo Towers. You can also walk down to MGM Grand and catch the monorail which runs north to the Sahara with mult. stops along the way. I'm pretty certain there is no stop at Wynn.

GC has a shuttle run to the grocery but, I don't know how often or what days. There is a Walgreens and CVS pharmacy within walking distance but no grocery store within walking distance. We generally go to Von's on Tropicana although I believe there is also an Albertsons which is closer.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 4, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> At this time of year? My bet is not very crowded. I suspect you missed Fern's photo of snow on her yard frog ornament a few weeks back. Vegas doesn't really hit swimming weather until the end of March or April.



I saw Fern's photo and it made me feel like I would only use the jacuzzi while I was here...but then for the 2nd year in a row, we had really good weather   Yesterday it was 59 degrees, today it was warmer, and I have to say that swimming upstairs in the heated pool didn't feel cold to me.  It was the getting OUT of the pool that was cold!  I wouldn't go up there expecting it to be warm enough to lounge by the pool.

I don't know if swimming when it's around 60 degrees out is for everyone, but sitting in the jacuzzi first and then switching to the pool when you get hot feels really nice.  Also, there hasn't been any noticable wind up there this week.  I would bring a robe to wrap yourself up in as soon as you get out of the pool, though.

I am so happy that almost everyone else thinks it's too cold to swim.  my friends and I have had the pool completely to ourselves this week.  Yesterday there was a group of people drinking in the jacuzzi (college students I think), but they left soon after we got there.  Also a few people stop by to look at the pool sometimes, and about 4 different people went up there to smoke - is that okay?  

As for the other pools, I heard on the message board that another rooftop pool will be added as well as the larger pool doug was talking about.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 4, 2007)

tatmtr7 said:


> We will be there in March and I have a couple of questions;
> do we need a car?
> how far is the resort from the new Wynn Hotel?
> is the a grocery nearby?
> ...



Thanks to Doug for answering the questions.  I don't have much to add, but if you want to do things that are not on the Strip, you might want to get a car if you don't sign up for a tour.  If you do get a car, there is a Vons supermarket 2 miles away (the Vons info is in the Chateau Handbook in the Villa) as well as an Albertsons.  We rented a car, so we headed for the nearest Wal-Mart Supercenter.  I heard that there is also a shuttle on Sundays to a supermarket.  

Some car rental agencies are very close to the Chateau.  The company that seemed to have the cheapest rate - Advantage - is just a few blocks away.  I will check the handbook to see what your options are if you rent after arriving, but I would suggest renting at the airport if you know you'll need a car for the week.  

About the distance between the Wynn and the Grand Chateau, there was a recent thread about this that might be helpful.
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37589

http://www.lvmonorail.com/ride/route_map/ - las vegas monoral map.  
Grand Chateau is #14


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 4, 2007)

Kola said:


> We are booked at the Grand Chateau for end of March. Please tell them to stop construction for that week !   :whoopie:  Look forward to your photos !
> 
> Kola



Haha, well I don't think you would mind this construction much.  It's very quiet today.  If I didn't know about the construction, I wouldn't have noticed it!

We DID notice the construction in a big way once.  When we drove up to the Chateau for the first time and handed our keys to the valet, we happened to look up.  There, about 100 feet above us, was a HUGE piece of yellow wall being pulled up by a crane.  It was directly above our heads and the rental car.  I tipped the driver quickly and ran for the lobby 

And my friend screamed


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## dougp26364 (Jan 4, 2007)

lostinjapan14 said:


> Thanks to Doug for answering the questions.  I don't have much to add, but if you want to do things that are not on the Strip, you might want to get a car if you don't sign up for a tour.  If you do get a car, there is a Vons supermarket 2 miles away (the Vons info is in the Chateau Handbook in the Villa) as well as an Albertsons.  We rented a car, so we headed for the nearest Wal-Mart Supercenter.  I heard that there is also a shuttle on Sundays to a supermarket.
> 
> Some car rental agencies are very close to the Chateau.  The company that seemed to have the cheapest rate - Advantage - is just a few blocks away.  I will check the handbook to see what your options are if you rent after arriving, but I would suggest renting at the airport if you know you'll need a car for the week.
> 
> ...



I was secretly hoping the you'd come back and tell me things had changed and my information was out of date. Guess I'll just have to wait until they finish tower 2 and hope the indoor pool is bigger than the roof top pool on tower 1. I really don't think there will be anything of a decent pool until tower 3 is completed and the second outdoor pool is put in above the parking garage. Even then it won't compare to most Marriott resorts. There was also talk of putting an additional roof top pool in at some point but I have serious doubts that is even in the plans or that it will ever happen.


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## davemy (Jan 4, 2007)

*small pool*

If you go to vegas for seven days, you have to have a nice pool! Grand Chateau does not, It probably the worst pool marriott has.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 4, 2007)

davemy said:


> If you go to vegas for seven days, you have to have a nice pool! Grand Chateau does not, It probably the worst pool marriott has.



I don't. In fact the ONLY time I've used a pool since we started taking vactions to Vegas in '98 has been ONCE and that was when our daughter and neice were with us. They were 15 and 14 and wanted to swim. 

Otherwise, we're in Vegas for the show, shopping, sight seeing, dining out and a little gambling. If we want to swim, we'll go to the beach. For us there's to much else to do in Vegas than to hang out by the pool.

However, I will agree that it is (not probably) the worst pool Marriott has. BUT, it's the first of three pools this developement is suppose to have so it's going to get better. How much better I'm not certain but it will get better. 

Keep in mind this is still a very new resort with no place to put the amenities until the buildings are built. Not like other Marriott resorts where they can build the pools before the buildings (or as the buildings) go up. In Vegas, the building HAS to come first and then the pools can go in.


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## GaryDouglas (Jan 4, 2007)

*Pools, etc.*

I am aware of the pool that is planed for the roof at the fifth level between the 2nd and 3rd towers.  What's the scoop on the third pool?  (BTW, this new pool can not be used until the 3rd tower is completed, for safety reasons).

The last time I was at the GC I overheard a sales person say that the 3rd and 4th towers were going to be an additional 10 stories high.  I haven't heard anything more on this.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 4, 2007)

GaryDouglas said:


> I am aware of the pool that is planed for the roof at the fifth level between the 2nd and 3rd towers.  What's the scoop on the third pool?  (BTW, this new pool can not be used until the 3rd tower is completed, for safety reasons).
> 
> The last time I was at the GC I overheard a sales person say that the 3rd and 4th towers were going to be an additional 10 stories high.  I haven't heard anything more on this.



There is supposedly going to be an indoor pool placed in the second tower. I do not recall if this was official or if it was something we were told by a salesman. It would make sense to me since the second tower, if added without putting in some other pool, would REALLY make the roof top pool of tower 1 way to small.

There was also talk that another roof top pool would be added to one of the future towers but, that was nothing more than wild rumor as far as I was concerned. It would be logical since tower one has the roof top pool, tower 2 may end up with an indoor pool and there will be a larger outdoor pool between towers 2 and 3. A roof top pool for tower 4 would put four pools for four towers. 

Of course, then there is the question about a childrens splash pool area. As it stands now, I've heard nothing about putting in anything for the kiddies. Not that a lot of people would consider Vegas a family friendly destination for kids young enough for a splash pool but......timeshare exchangers aren't always your average Vegas tourist. Polo Towers ended up removing the tennis courts and putting in a childrens splash pool area because of owner demand (the third tower took out the family pool/hot tub). 

Who knows what will really end up happening. We won't really know until the resort reaches build out or we see what is put into the new towers as they open up. It is fun to discuss what might be and what rumor we've heard lately up until then.


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## taffy19 (Jan 5, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> Who knows what will really end up happening. We won't really know until the resort reaches build out or we see what is put into the new towers as they open up. It is fun to discuss what might be and what rumor we've heard lately up until then.


Do they have any idea how long this will take?  Do you know?  

I have read some projections for the NCVs and they seem to be ahead of schedule there.

We looked at the models some time ago but I don't remember the fancy entrance I see on the pictures now.  It may not have been there yet.  It sure looks nice and is so convenient to go to the strip and to the major casinos too.


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## bigfrank (Jan 5, 2007)

Is there Wi Fi in the room? I will be there next Friday arriving late. Will you still be there?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 5, 2007)

There was WiFi in our room that worked great. However, we were recently at our unit at Ocean Pointe and while the WiFi in the unit we had there didn't work well at all, other guests said the WiFi at OP worked great. So, while we had great WiFi at GC I can't say that I know it's that way for every unit at GC.

How long until build out? I don't really know. It seems as if it was at least 2 years from start to finish for tower 1. I believe they did start ahead of schedule on tower 2 but I'm pretty certain it will take at least 2 years for occupancy if not longer. IF each tower takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 years to complete after the last section was completed, then we're looking at another 8 to 12 years. Of course, that's just how I estimate it. I have not seen Marriott's time table. 

I do know that in my closing documents, it stated that Marriott only had the paperwork filed to build the first two towers and nothing but plans on paper for towers 3 & 4. It also stated that there was no guarentee they'd build anything past tower 2. Only time will tell but I'm assuming that towers 3 & 4 will be built. GC seems to be a pretty good seller right now.


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## mapper (Jan 6, 2007)

So glad you are enjoying your stay at the GC.  We spent Christmas week there and had a fabulous time.  Our 8 year old had such a ball that all of the activities we had planned went the wayside with the exception of the Tournament of Kings and the Lights at Opportunity Village.

The GC had so many activities going on in the MAZE that our little one didn' t want to leave and my older sister enjoyed all of it so much that she stayed down there with her!  Our little one insisted on using the pool, and after much searching we were able to buy a suit for her.  The temp outside was about 40 degrees and then it started to rain but she loved it, (heated).

We do not do the casinos so we are always doing things at our resorts or away from the strip although we had planned on seeing a magic show and KA over Christmas week.  We had also planned on going to Mount Charleston, the Magical Forest, and some other day trips too.  My hubby and I enjoyed our 3 bedroom/3 bathroom unit while my sister and daughter spent their days doing activities.

Wireless Internet is high speed, free and a great connection.  I worked on and off while there, flawlessly.  We took our own laptops but there are computers down in the owner' s lounge available for use.  The owner' s lounge has a nice massage chair, plasma tv, two or three computers, and some game tables.  There are adult activities throughout the week as well as activities for wee ones, and children my daughter' s age, and even teenager specific activities.

We own Monarch Grand Vacations and go to the Cancun and we own WorldMark TW and utilize the resort on Las Vegas Blvd when we want to enjoy warm weather and awesome pools.  The GC is a whole different kind of experience and we simply soaked up the luxury, the quiet...(no upstairs pitter/patter like the other timeshares), and the amenities it had to offer.

There are so many things within just a few miles of the GC too making it an ideal location for us during Christmas week to find our Christmas tree, decorations, presents, and groceries.  The valet parking is a real plus and everyone was so attentive and helpful getting our carts up to our room and back down at check out time.

Oh, there is a really nice excercise room for all of us to enjoy.  I liked the variety of machines and the cleanliness. While we do look forward to the other pools being completed, it has never been our greatest concern and that is not why we bought there.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation!  Bigfrank I am really envious that you are getting to go at this time and we now have another 11 1/2 months til we are there again!  

Diana


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## GaryDouglas (Jan 6, 2007)

Doug, they broke ground for the first tower in July and they opened their doors at the end of September the following year (We were one of the first through the door, actually second to register).  That's approximately 15 months to complete.  They did not break ground for the next tower until May-June of the next year.  I was there in mid-May and as I remember, they broke ground shortly thereafter.  So it takes a little more than one year to put up one tower, but it takes roughly 2 years to start the next building cycle, which is probably dependent on the rate of sales.  So we can safely say that the towers will be built as fast as their sales will allow, and I think two years is a best case scenario.

I would still like to hear something better than rumors about the future pool/s situation...


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## dougp26364 (Jan 6, 2007)

GaryDouglas said:


> I would still like to hear something better than rumors about the future pool/s situation...



Me too.  The only two planned for certain are the roof top on tower 1 and the 6th floor pool between towers 2 and 3. Assuming of course that they build tower 3.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 8, 2007)

bigfrank said:


> Is there Wi Fi in the room? I will be there next Friday arriving late. Will you still be there?



Oh man, the Wi Fi was really spotty the last time I logged onto TUG and I didn't look at this thread til now.  I hope you're having a great time at the Chateau and sorry I didn't get to meet up with you!


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 8, 2007)

mapper said:


> We took our own laptops but there are computers down in the owner' s lounge available for use.  The owner' s lounge has a nice massage chair, plasma tv, two or three computers, and some game tables.



Nice to see someone else mentioning this amenity as I found it completely by surprise.  There are two computers in the owner's lounge and you must swipe a credit card to get past the main screen.  It is 35 cents a minute.  I wish they had made their use free, but the free high-speed printing makes up for it.  There is also a plasma screen TV, a sofa bed, CD player, DVD player, a table and chairs, a massage chair and a backgammon set.  

I took a virtual reality panorama of the room, so I'll be sure to link to that when I finish editing pictures.


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## bigfrank (Jan 9, 2007)

lostinjapan14 said:


> Oh man, the Wi Fi was really spotty the last time I logged onto TUG and I didn't look at this thread til now.  I hope you're having a great time at the Chateau and sorry I didn't get to meet up with you!



 You Have not missed me yet, Are you still there? I am coming in this Friday night.


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## Cathy in Boston (Jan 9, 2007)

We're going to be at the MGC next fall, using the lockout unit from our Aruba timeshare.  Will we be able to use the owners lounge, or is it only for those who own at that resort?


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## mapper (Jan 10, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> We're going to be at the MGC next fall, using the lockout unit from our Aruba timeshare.  Will we be able to use the owners lounge, or is it only for those who own at that resort?



You should be able to use it.  We only had to use our room key to access it.

Have a great time!

Diana

*By the way, the wifi in the rooms is free for your use.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 11, 2007)

bigfrank said:


> You Have not missed me yet, Are you still there? I am coming in this Friday night.



Doh!  I already left last Sunday morning, so we were off by a week.  As I said before, I hope you have a great time.  It seems like the construction last week was mostly concrete pours, so I think you'll be able to get a good night's rest.

By the way, I heard from a local that City Center has 24-hour construction going.  That explains the jackhammers I heard at 2am once.  But the  noise was far enough away that I fell asleep after I noticed it.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 11, 2007)

*Pictures*

I haven't finished editing all my pictures, but I'm too impatient to wait another day, so I'll post the link and update more later.  

http://www.lostinjapan.com/grand_chateau.html

There are 3 pictures of the construction at the bottom of the page (sorry they're kind of close-up) and 3 low-quality VR panoramas up so far.  You'll need QuickTime to view them.  

I took the indoor panoramas on the last night with bad lighting and at high speed, so they're a little grainy.  I'm hoping to get the fullscreen panos up by this weekend so you can all feel like you went on vacation with me.  

enjoy! ^_^


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## davemy (Jan 11, 2007)

*Pictures*

WOW!!!!!!! Thanks Great Job!


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## taffy19 (Jan 11, 2007)

lostinjapan14 said:


> I'm hoping to get the fullscreen panos up by this weekend so you can all feel like you went on vacation with me.
> 
> enjoy! ^_^


Very nice.      What program do you use?


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## AnnieK (Jan 11, 2007)

I checked into the Grand Chateau on Jan. 5th and we were lucky to have a 3 bedroom unit facing the Aladdin and were never bothered by  construction noise. There are plenty of street sounds and sirens at all hours of the day and night,  as is typical of a Vegas, but our sleep was never interupted by intolerable noise. While checking in, the woman at the desk explained that we might be bothered by construction and if so, please come tell them and they would provide ear plugs if needed. She was very up front about what we might expects, so we were pleasantly surprised to have such peaceful days. We loved the Chateau facility and location. I may be the only person who doesn't care about the size of the pool because there is plenty to do in Vegas without it. I would stay here again anytime.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 11, 2007)

*Many programs!*



iconnections said:


> Very nice.      What program do you use?



Well, PTGui for stitching and Pano2QTVRgui for making tiles, then Photoshop for editing and then Pano2QTVRgui again to make the final quicktime movies.  

It seems complicated at first, but it's really fun 

I'm looking forward to taking pictures of Grande Vista this spring.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 11, 2007)

AnnieK said:


> I may be the only person who doesn't care about the size of the pool because there is plenty to do in Vegas without it. I would stay here again anytime.



I second that!  I come during cold weather every time, so it's like a private pool to me 

I really want to stay in a 3 bedroom someday.  What/when did you exchange to get a 3 bedroom?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 11, 2007)

I'm another one that just doesn't care about the size of the pool. Vegas is much more than a pool to us. I guess if we went to Vegas in the hot summer months it might be different but we vacation in mid March and mid October when it's still a little chilly to be out by the pool much.


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## 1sland (Jan 11, 2007)

very impressive!! thanks for sharing the photos and the links.


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## AnnieK (Jan 12, 2007)

I traded my 2 bedroom, weak season, at Tahoe's Marriott Timber Lodge for the 3 bedroom week which I spotted while browsing II about 6 months ago. 

I was actually a bit disappointed in the layout of the 3 bedroom, as it is not actually a 3 bedroom suite, but a 2 bedroom next to a one bedroom without adjoining doors. There is one door at the end of the hallway where you enter into a tiny........maybe 3 feet by 4 feet.......area with one door in front of you and one door to the left. The door in front unlocks to a full two bedroom suite with the master bedroom and fabulous bath, plus a second bedroom with two double beds. In order to access the other bedroom you have to use your key to open the door to a one bedroom suite complete with another kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. It was quite awkward to always have to use a key to go from one room to the other, since there was no way to leave the doors unlocked. We tried opening the security lock outward to keep the doors  open, but my kids kept allowing the doors to slam against the locks and I was worried the locks were going to break off the doors. There was no easy solution to making the unit feel like a single 3 bedroom unit, and it seemed so silly to have to carry your key with you at all times in order to enter the third bedroom. I suppose we could have used our suitcases or chairs to prop the doors open for the entire week, but because there was no security lock on the outside door leading to the hall, I wasn't comfortable with that. 

The upside is that that the 3 bedrooms are all at the end of the hall which meant we had views from all sides of the tower. We were lucky to be on the end adjacent to the Aladdin so the views were fabulous. 

The property was very quiet, and we seldom saw, and never heard, other people. The sales office is not on site, so all that activity is taking place at the Polo Suites which made it quieter, as well.

The only negative about this place was the difficulty getting a cab when we needed it. We heard from one taxi driver that  there is a light that is supposed to be turned on at the street to alert cabbies. However, the staff is notorious for forgetting to turn the light off, and cabbies were making endless turns into the property and met with "ooops", so they generally ignore the light at the Chateau. One day my girls requested a cab and waited more than 20 minutes. One of the girls went to double check and overhead the staff using obscenities while discussing the girls, essentially saying that their cab ride was not his problem. Whenever we waited more than 15 minutes for a cab, we walked over to the Aladdin to catch one immediately.


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## dhole (Jan 12, 2007)

*Chateau Three Bedroom*

We own a Chateau three bedroom and have found the floorplan mentioned above to be very workable with the acquisition of two large rubber doorstops. When we are using the whole three bedroom, we just prop the doors open.  We are going there for Thanksgiving and it was great to have access to two full kitchens and laundries for the group (Although I am not too impressed with the laundry equipment--Slow and NOT vented to the outside) ...........

The other advantage is when you lock-out, you get a full two bedroom and a full one bedroom, not an efficiency. 

We bought preconstruction, and have stayed there both in 2006 (split the week, March and September) and will be there in 2007.  Have yet to be in the pool, but that's not why we go to Vegas.  We go to Waiohai for sun and such........


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## mapper (Jan 14, 2007)

AnnieK said:


> I was actually a bit disappointed in the layout of the 3 bedroom, as it is not actually a 3 bedroom suite, but a 2 bedroom next to a one bedroom without adjoining doors. There is one door at the end of the hallway where you enter into a tiny........maybe 3 feet by 4 feet.......area with one door in front of you and one door to the left. The door in front unlocks to a full two bedroom suite with the master bedroom and fabulous bath, plus a second bedroom with two double beds. In order to access the other bedroom you have to use your key to open the door to a one bedroom suite complete with another kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. It was quite awkward to always have to use a key to go from one room to the other, since there was no way to leave the doors unlocked. We tried opening the security lock outward to keep the doors  open, but my kids kept allowing the doors to slam against the locks and I was worried the locks were going to break off the doors. There was no easy solution to making the unit feel like a single 3 bedroom unit, and it seemed so silly to have to carry your key with you at all times in order to enter the third bedroom. I suppose we could have used our suitcases or chairs to prop the doors open for the entire week, but because there was no security lock on the outside door leading to the hall, I wasn't comfortable with that.



AnnieK,

The front desk has what they call a door stop.  It fits over either the top or bottom hinge of the door which leaves the door wide open.  We got two of them and put them on each of the suites making them completely accessible at all times.  It is really simple and effective.

We love how the three bedrooms are set up and we will utilize the GC mostly during the winter so we will also enjoy the rooftop pool uncrowded.  The valet guys were always very respectful and quick to help us during our Christmas week stay.  I am so sorry your girls experienced less than stellar behavior and feel that the culprits should have been called out on the carpet immediately as it is completely unprofessional and down right rude to conduct in such behavior as you described.

Diana


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## dougp26364 (Jan 15, 2007)

Doors stops? What a simple solution to that problem. I'd never really considered the self contained LO unit as a problem as we generally plan on locking it off and either exchanging that section or using is for an additional week at GC. 

However, sometimes we travel with friends or family and having that seperation can make for a nicer stay, giving everyone their privacy when it's needed. I've never personally cared for the pass through door to the LO unit as it allows to much noise to pass between units. If you're occupying the entire unit, it's not an issue. However, if you LO that portion and it's occupied by someone else who is less than quite, it can be an issue. The set up of the 3 bedroom at GC all but eliminate the noisy neighbor problem.

So far, the ONLY view the 3 bedroom units have is the end facing the Aladdin. Tower two is not completed yet but should have magnificent views facing the MGM grand and NYNY hotels. There is very little blocking the view south as of yet. I can only think of Polo Towers and those towers shouldn't block much of the view. Especially if your on the 20th floor or above. 

Now towers 3 and 4 should have views facing the mountains, which isn't all that bad if you've been to Vegas quite a bit. We also own at the Villa's at Polo Towers and really do enjoy the view looking West. But, not everyone feels that way and, if I were to exchange into Vegas and visiting Vegas wasn't a regular yearly trip for us, I'd be dissapointed in not getting a decent view back toward the strip.


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## lostinjapan14 (Jan 15, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> However, sometimes we travel with friends or family and having that seperation can make for a nicer stay, giving everyone their privacy when it's needed. I've never personally cared for the pass through door to the LO unit as it allows to much noise to pass between units. If you're occupying the entire unit, it's not an issue. However, if you LO that portion and it's occupied by someone else who is less than quite, it can be an issue. The set up of the 3 bedroom at GC all but eliminate the noisy neighbor problem.


I thought we would hear more though the lockout doors than we did, but it was almost comical how well-insulated they were.  We knocked on our friends' door several times during the morning to see if they were awake, and they never heard us.  Then we all sat around until 12pm, awake on different sides of the lockout thinking the people on the other side were still asleep 

I have some kind of crazy obsession with purchasing a platinum 3 bedroom EY or EOY someday for the same reasons you mentioned.  And it would be nice to stay in the Chateau for 2-4 weeks at a time as well.


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## bigfrank (Jan 21, 2007)

Would you all like to see some Videos?


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## Cathy in Boston (Jan 22, 2007)

Those videos were great!!  

We have a one-bedroom booked for September (did the lockoff with our Aruba ts) and the set up looks almost identical to the Surf Club.  I couldn't tell from the video, but is there a washer/dryer unit?

And boy that pool really IS small, isn't it?


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## Spence (Jan 22, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Those videos were great!!    I couldn't tell from the video, but is there a washer/dryer unit?


Thanks to BF, I know that there is an apartment sized W/D stacked in a closet in the 1BR portion.


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## bigfrank (Jan 22, 2007)

Spence said:


> Thanks to BF, I know that there is an apartment sized W/D stacked in a closet in the 1BR portion.




I forgot to ask you or did I ask you, Was the Cigars still there that I left for you?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 22, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Those videos were great!!
> 
> We have a one-bedroom booked for September (did the lockoff with our Aruba ts) and the set up looks almost identical to the Surf Club.  I couldn't tell from the video, but is there a washer/dryer unit?
> 
> And boy that pool really IS small, isn't it?



Yes, the one bedroom units have w/d's in them but, they are not your typical stacked units we've seen in almost every timeshare we've ever stayed in. They are high effeciency models that take forever to get a very small load of laundry completed. While they are gentle on your clothes and probably keep the utility costs down, they are a major PIA IMO. Perhaps they'll change to a more standard w/d unit in tower 2 as I believe there have been many complaints about these high effeciency units.


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## lostinjapan14 (Feb 3, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> Perhaps they'll change to a more standard w/d unit in tower 2 as I believe there have been many complaints about these high effeciency units.



Not to mention the noise they create.  I always had to wash/dry clothes while we were out so I didn't annoy everyone else.  The fan above the stove also created an ungodly roar even at the lowest setting.  

But I love the MGC, you know I do


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## lostinjapan14 (Feb 3, 2007)

bigfrank said:


> Would you all like to see some Videos?



Big Frank, thanks for uploading the videos.  I watched them today and you took some nice footage of the construction.  Strange that the pool was closed when you were there.


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## lostinjapan14 (Feb 3, 2007)

*Pool Fullscreen*

Sorry about being such a slacker, but I got the fullscreen high res pool up at 

http://www.lostinjapan.com/panoramas/chateau/pool.html (requires quicktime)

Kind of cool if you maximize your browser.

I also made two low resolution (hence the grainy-ness) panoramas fullscreen because I know I'm too lazy to get the high-res ones up soon.

http://www.lostinjapan.com/panoramas/chateau/jacuzzi.html - Jacuzzi
http://www.lostinjapan.com/panoramas/chateau/master.html - Master Bedroom #2901

The kitchen/living panorams might happen today...but maybe not -_-

other pictures are at http://www.lostinjapan.com/grand_chateau.html

I'm very much looking forward to taking pictures of the Grande Vista this spring.  Oh please, please let me get a refurbished unit!...


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## bigfrank (Feb 13, 2007)

lostinjapan14 said:


> Big Frank, thanks for uploading the videos.  I watched them today and you took some nice footage of the construction.  Strange that the pool was closed when you were there.



It was open the day before but closed the day I went up to shoot the video.


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## JaviSRK (Mar 8, 2007)

I know this thread is a bit old; but I have a 2BR lockout with the Grand Chateau.
My wife and I stayed there around November 15th of last year, and construction was about to the 3rd floor.  We were facing the MGM side of the strip, which allowed us to see what was going on at Project City Center.  

I went back to Vegas in at the end of December, right about the time where lostinjapan took pictures.  About the same level of construction; give or take.  I do notice in Vegas, that things go up quickly.  I wouldn't be too surprised if construction reached the 30th floor already.


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## Emi (Mar 10, 2007)

We are at the Grand Chateau and having beautiful early spring weather. The construction is up to the 30th fl. We are on the 34th fl and not facing the construction so no noise issues. However, across the street on Harmon on the Aladin lot, they have started construction. There is a small sign with Westgate on it. Does anyone know if they are building a Westgate there? If it is a tall building, it will block the view on this side of the building facing the Stratesphere and the strip.


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## davemy (Mar 10, 2007)

If you can, take some pictures and post online? Also any update on second pool construction.


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## Kola (Mar 10, 2007)

Emi said:


> We are at the Grand Chateau and having beautiful early spring weather. The construction is up to the 30th fl. We are on the 34th fl and not facing the construction so no noise issues. However, across the street on Harmon on the Aladin lot, they have started construction. There is a small sign with Westgate on it. Does anyone know if they are building a Westgate there? If it is a tall building, it will block the view on this side of the building facing the Stratesphere and the strip.



Yes, it will be a tall 50 story glass building
Here is some info from Westgate website:
"Planet Hollywood Towers by Westgate Resorts, a 50-story glass marvel, will feature 1200 luxuriously appointed vacation villas and 28 exclusive penthouse suites. 3.2 million square feet of living space will be fully integrated with the all-new Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino for a complete Las Vegas vacation experience"
A lot of competition in LV, that's for sure.

Kola


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## bigfrank (Mar 10, 2007)

davemy said:


> If you can, take some pictures and post online? Also any update on second pool construction.



I posted this on PG 2


Would you all like to see some Videos?


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## Emi (Mar 21, 2007)

Here are some pictures of the Grand Chateau construction during our visit the first week of March.Hope it works since I have not tried attaching a link before.

www.konaemi.shutterfly.com

The eye level construction photos are from the model unit on the 30th fl.

We were in unit 3402 and the view is to upper Las Vegas Blvd (Wynn, Stratesphere) looking northwest. The construction site across the street is the Westgate Planet Hollywood timeshare. We thought the view from our unit was quite nice, especially the night lights. Once Westgate is completed, it will totally block whatever view it had on this side of the building.

We did a tour and the salesman said it is possible that they will build tower 3 and 4 at the same time. I'm not sure it is because it has been selling out fast. We attended a presentation in March 2005 and the 3BR was $32900 and cuurently it is $36200. The 2BR and 1BR only went up $2000 in 2 years. Many of the other Marriott resorts have had more dramatic price increases. Vegas is getting oversaturated with timeshares and dragging out the sales over 8 years may be too risky. Also the construction has been so disruptive, I'm sure they do not want to be apologizing for the next 8 years.


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## Emi (Mar 21, 2007)

The second pool is between the second tower(the one being built) and the future 3rd tower. They do not know when it will be built. They will probably not do it till the shell of the 3rd tower is completed. It seems to be too dangerous to have construction going on with the guest swimming below.


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## dougp26364 (Mar 21, 2007)

Emi said:


> The second pool is between the second tower(the one being built) and the future 3rd tower. They do not know when it will be built. They will probably not do it till the shell of the 3rd tower is completed. It seems to be too dangerous to have construction going on with the guest swimming below.




Tower 2 is to be completed in November of 2007. They have not even done the paperwork or paid the bonds et.... to build towers 3 and 4 yet. I was told that this was not going to be done until after tower 2's completion. 

Sales have been brisk enough that the build out plan has been accelerated from 16 years to 12 years and now down to 8 years. They are contemplating building both towers 3 and 4 at the same time rather than one at a time as they have done with tower's 1 and 2. When we did our owners update, we were told that there was only 80 3 bedroom units left to be sold and then they would be out of that inventory until tower 3's inventory was released.

I am certain that the pool to be built between towers 2 and 3 will not be opened until construction of tower 3 is completed. That would indicate to me that an additional pool will not be available to owners until sometime in 2009 or 2010.


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## tatmtr7 (Mar 21, 2007)

We too just did the tour for points and when we declined purchasing a second salesperson came to ask if all the incentives were offered to us and what would change our mind to purchase.  We were offered an 18 month extension of the price and incentives that were offered to us today thereby locking in the price and incentives.  I have never heard of this before and we have attended many Marriott tours and have owned since 1991.  It gave me the idea that they are really trying to hard to sell out quickly here.  And after calling and being assured that we would be on a high floor not facing the construction, we were assigned the 6 floor (almost the lowest floor for occupancy) though we are not bothered by construction.  So much for calling ahead.


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## pharmgirl (May 8, 2007)

here at the Grand Chateau for the first time on a marriott trade.  Unit is very nice, lobby elegant but I am very disappointed in the surroundings.  No landscaping and to get to the strip need to walk past parking lots, broken dirty sidewalk with chain link fencing - not  a nice location at all

The shuttle to tresure island is not available for 2 days so needed to walk which is ok but such a sleasy area i am disappointed and it also seems unsafe


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## dougp26364 (May 8, 2007)

pharmgirl said:


> here at the Grand Chateau for the first time on a marriott trade.  Unit is very nice, lobby elegant but I am very disappointed in the surroundings.  No landscaping and to get to the strip need to walk past parking lots, broken dirty sidewalk with chain link fencing - not  a nice location at all
> 
> The shuttle to tresure island is not available for 2 days so needed to walk which is ok but such a sleasy area i am disappointed and it also seems unsafe



You must be kidding? True there is a rental car lot between the MGC and the strip but, all one has to do is cross the street and enter the Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile Mall if seeing a car lot offends you. For that matter, I wouldn't call Budget's car lot (I think it's Budget, could be Thrifty now) sleazy. At least not sleazy by Vegas standards. 

To enter the Miracle Mile Mall just cross the street at the first stop light you encounter when walking out of MGC towards Harmon Ave. (or toward PH). 

One other question. Are you talking about walking up Harmon Ave. to the strip or are you talking about walking between the buildings of Polo Towers and the Travel Lodge Hotel? Even thought that area between the Travel Lodge and Polo Towers is well it, I think I'd choose to take the street instead. I don't care where you go, walking up an alley to get anywhere is always going to look a little sleazy.


As for the cheap Travel Lodge Hotel around and behind the Harley Davidson Cafe, something tells me it's days/years are numbered. A plan to renovate that area (Metroflag) is stalled at the moment but someone will come along and need that prime corner for something. But then you'll have MGC owners complaining that their view of the strip has been blocked. Less "sleazy" but less view. I guess everyone won't be pleased but others will. Personally, I understand that something WILL eventually happen and can live with it one way or the other. 

Vegas is Vegas. You either love it or you hate it. There seems to be very little in between.


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## pharmgirl (May 8, 2007)

Parking lot doesn't "offend" me but the broken sidewalk, pools of dirty water draining from somewhere,  does make an unpleasant experience.  surprised marriott didn't arrange with the city to put in a sidewalk.  No not walking through an alleyway by Polo towers

I will try walking through the store area across the street


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## timeos2 (May 8, 2007)

pharmgirl said:


> Parking lot doesn't "offend" me but the broken sidewalk, pools of dirty water draining from somewhere,  does make an unpleasant experience.  surprised marriott didn't arrange with the city to put in a sidewalk.  No not walking through an alleyway by Polo towers
> 
> I will try walking through the store area across the street



I preferred the alleyways as the sidewalk, if you can call it that, along Harmon on the Harley Davidson side is a mess. The same, stagnate, smelly, whitish water was there in 2006 when we stayed at the Grand Desert up two blocks and again this past April when we were at the Grand Chateau. Yuck.  We usually walk everyplace we can and quickly figured out that you do want to get into the Planet Hollywood (I liked the Dessert Passage - don't know if the new Miracle Mile is really an improvement on that)heading toward Paris and going toward MGM we would go up the also wet and usually odoriferous Polo Towers  alley, avoiding the sales weasel golf carts, and then cut through the largely abandoned interior of the Hawaiian Marketplace (another failed venture) and out to the strip. As I write that the area does sound rater decrepit but actually its not as bad as it sounds except for those specific and hard to avoid sections by the Harley and Polo Towers. The area directly around the Grand Chateau and heading up Harmon toward Grand Desert is fine with the new MGM Tower condos right there now.


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## Fern Modena (May 8, 2007)

If you want the city to put in a sidewalk, you're going to wait a long, long time.  Like never, most likely.  Improvements like that generally are made by the property owners in this area.  If there is no sidewalk by Marriott it might be because they wanted to capitalize on their use of the land.  If they have a sidewalk and it is broken, is it broken due to construction?  If so, at some time it will be repaired.  Like when the construction is done.  As was mentioned, cross the street and go thru Planet Hollywood when you can.

Fern



pharmgirl said:


> Parking lot doesn't "offend" me but the broken sidewalk, pools of dirty water draining from somewhere,  does make an unpleasant experience.  surprised marriott didn't arrange with the city to put in a sidewalk.  No not walking through an alleyway by Polo towers
> 
> I will try walking through the store area across the street


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## dougp26364 (May 9, 2007)

I don't recall a sidewalk from the Marriott entrance to Harmon Ave but, I don't recall being bothered by it, seeing stagnet water or broken bottles along the way either. I believe once towers 3 and 4 are fininished there will be an enterance/exit directly onto Harmon but, I could be wrong about that. If that's the plan then I see no reason why Marriott would want to put a sidewalk in from the enterance a few hundred feet to the street just for 4 to 6 years. 

That golf cart isn't a sales weasel golf cart. It's for owners to get around the property. Usually a dollar or two tip is appreciated for driving you around to the strip. One could also walk behind PT's and around the the enterance, which is better lighted and a little better maintained. 

As I recall there is a sidewalk on both sides of Harmon Ave. Neither of which I found offensive to walk. The side of the street with PH is more pleasant than the side with the chain link fence surrounding the rental car lot but either side wasn't what I would call Sleazy. Just a regular old city sidewalk. Lt's face it, Vegas sure isn't Mayberry RFD and it never will be. You're going to see trash on the street. Just walk down around MGM to see what the smutt peddlers throw on the sidewalk.


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## Cathy in Boston (May 9, 2007)

If you want to talk "sleazy," try taking a walk down any of the side streets up by the Stratosphere, or even the Sahara or Riviera!   

As for me, I can't wait to see the Grand Chateau.


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## dougp26364 (May 9, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> If you want to talk "sleazy," try taking a walk down any of the side streets up by the Stratosphere, or even the Sahara or Riviera!
> 
> As for me, I can't wait to see the Grand Chateau.



Come to think of it, the walk around the Quarter House in NOLA could be, shall we say, interesting. I'd still go to that resort in a heartbeat. It had a really nice location and a very nice unit. 

Most big city based resorts are going to be different than what many may expect in a TS. Often the accomadations are smaller, the grounds are much smaller limiting the amenities and there's always the issue of just dealing with the city. MGC is a very nice resort right next to all the action that is Las Vegas. You're not going to have a pristine walk to the strip like you might have walking to the beach. You will be walking on busy city streets heavily traveled by tourist and, in the case of Vegas, tourists that might have had a few drinks in them throughout the day and maybe only a couple of hours sleep after being out all night.


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## Cathy in Boston (May 9, 2007)

Doug - What can you tell me about the Quarter House?  We love NOLA and maybe we could swing an exhange there or maybe a long weekend.  It's not a Marriott property, is it?  Where is it located?


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## dougp26364 (May 9, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Doug - What can you tell me about the Quarter House?  We love NOLA and maybe we could swing an exhange there or maybe a long weekend.  It's not a Marriott property, is it?  Where is it located?



Quarter House is not a Marriott property. I believe it's an idenpendant but may have an affiliation with some other large group I'm unaware of.

It is located on the edge of the French Quarter about two or three blocks in from Canal Street. Everything in the Quarter was within walking distance. We enjoyed walking over to Pat Obriens in the evening for a drink before turning in even though that was more or less walking from one side of the Quarter to the other. Beniegts (SP?) at Cafe Le Mond were a morning ritual and again, we could walk there. Jackson Square, the Aquarium of the America's (are they rebuilding that?), the Harrah's casino......everything in the Quarter was within what I consider walking distance.

The rooms were very nice. I believe it's a historic building so there is only so much renovation one can do. It is somewhat cut up and disjointed but I really wasn't bothered by it. It has a small courtyard with what passes as a pool but, it's more decoration only. I can't believe anyone over the age of 13 would consider trying to swim in it due to how small it is. They also have a hot tub connected to the pool which is more passabe. Parking is two blocks away and was $15/night in a garage not owned by French Quarter. You're better off without a rental car for the week, renting only a couple of days if you want to get out of the Quarter to drive over to Biloxi, MS or maybe to see some of the plantations (Oak Alley is really pretty interesting). 

Basically, when we return to NOLA I will probably book at the Quarter House. 

That first morning was a little interesting. There's a few "adult" bars not to far from the Quarter House and when we stayed there, there was one pretty much next door. We were up early that first morning and there was a few "women" lingering on the sidewalk outside the bar. They were the most manly women I've ever seen if you know what I mean. Harmless but interesting just the same. 

As with any city timeshare, if a broken beer bottle or trash on the street offeneds then the entire French Quarter would be considered sleezy. Come to think of it, that's probably the term a lot of people might use to describe it. I, on the other hand, found it to be entertaining and fun. I really enjoyed my stay at the Quarter House and the French Quarter in NOLA.

I took very few pics of the Quarter House when we were there (digital photography was just really getting started) but here are a couple.


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## labguides (May 9, 2007)

We were told that Grand Chateau guests can use Polo pool. Show your key at Polo desk and they will give you a key to the pool. Didn't try it.. but that is what we were told in the owner's forum.


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## dougp26364 (May 10, 2007)

labguides said:


> We were told that Grand Chateau guests can use Polo pool. Show your key at Polo desk and they will give you a key to the pool. Didn't try it.. but that is what we were told in the owner's forum.



IMO, that's not a lot of improvement. It's a bigger pool but, you have to walk from MGC to PT's, show your key and then take the elevator up. Plus, if you competing with all the PT's owners to use their pool, I could see things getting crowded over there.


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## Cathy in Boston (May 10, 2007)

Doug - thanks for the NOLA info and sorry about the mini-hijack  !!

Back to the Grand Chateau - have not read each and every post on this thread so I apologize if this has been asked - is there a lounge in the building where you can have a cocktail?

Also is there a parking garage or is it all valet?  We'll be renting a car while there.


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## timeos2 (May 10, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Doug - thanks for the NOLA info and sorry about the mini-hijack  !!
> 
> Back to the Grand Chateau - have not read each and every post on this thread so I apologize if this has been asked - is there a lounge in the building where you can have a cocktail?
> 
> Also is there a parking garage or is it all valet?  We'll be renting a car while there.



The "lounge" is on the roof at the pool. It can be (and was while we were there 3 out of 7 days) closed due to high winds or other weather issues. Great views when its open.

It is strictly Valet. I don't know if they plan to have self park once the whole thing is built but right now you must use the valet on site.


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## Retired TSO (May 10, 2007)

timeos2 said:


> The "lounge" is on the roof at the pool. It can be (and was while we were there 3 out of 7 days) closed due to high winds or other weather issues. Great views when its open.



You can also take your own favourite beverage up to the roof top.....


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## dougp26364 (May 10, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> Doug - thanks for the NOLA info and sorry about the mini-hijack  !!
> 
> Back to the Grand Chateau - have not read each and every post on this thread so I apologize if this has been asked - is there a lounge in the building where you can have a cocktail?
> 
> Also is there a parking garage or is it all valet?  We'll be renting a car while there.



This fall there will be a new Lobby Bar and Lounge that will serve beverages and snacks added when tower 2 opens. It's expected to open Nov. 2007 with the expanded lobby and first 6 floors. It's expected to be completely open in early 2008. The MarketPlace will also be expanded to 4X it's present size and will offer the obligatory Pizza Hut Express and Starbucks coffee.

Presently, the only "lounge" that is open is the bar up by the roof top pool. It's a small bar but a decent seating area. As mentioned, high wind can close it down. Depending on what time of year you're there will depend on how often it's open. We typically go in March. March seems to have issues with high winds. The other issue I have with the roof top bar and pool is the heat. There's NO shade up there and when it warms up, it's a great place to overheat or get that blistering sunburn you've always wanted. We usually elect to enjoy the view from our room rather than venture up to the roof. 

Evening hours are another thing since it's cooler and you get a great view of the city lights. I also the view from the roof in the morning but, they don't open up as early as we tend to get up so, I haven't made it up there that often in the morning.


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