My wife, friends and I have been going to GSR for several years. It was our favorite casino until the other day. My friend and I frequented the Sports bar for hours, enjoying cigars, playing video poker and watching all the sports. Last week we were informed that cigars are no longer allowed in the sports bar. We did some checking with several employees and they told us the same story. Alex Meruelo (Meruelo Group), the new owner, was in the sports bar having a cigar when another cigar smoker sat near him. Apparently, he did not like the cigar the other patron was smoking so he has banned cigars in the sports bar, except for him. Cigarettes are still permitted. Apparently being of Cuban descent has made him an expert on cigars. Very childish! Oh and their poker does NOT pay 9/6 like Peppermill's does. And, Peppermill allows cigars in the sports bar.
This is a nice hotel that often offers great deals for a weekend stay. If you are traveling with non-gamblers, this may be a good place to stay because you can get from the lobby to the room without passing through the casino. It's a good place to stay with kids and there is a miniature golf course on the property. There is a resort fee that gets waived with some promotions. Rooms are nice and as good as any 4 star hotel. Restaurants are a bit on the expensive side, $10-20 per person in the coffee shop, no great specials that I have noticed. Specifically, no graveyard specials. Sports book is big and a good place to watch football, but a bit dark so watching the bright screens there can tire your eyes after several hours. I didn't do a lot of gambling (and played no slots) but had to submit a rating, so please disregard those ratings.
We just visited the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino and were shocked at first by the construction going on. They had half of the casino floor sectioned off for remodeling and painting. The entrance was already painted white and the horse statues were replaced with couches. They still send us free room offers so we will probably be back later this year. Just hope the painting is finished by then. The only reason we stopped by this time was because I had a free %25 e-cash offer on my account. Another thing we noticed was that the players club was closed and merged with the cashier's office.
The Grand Sierra Resort is becoming one of our favorite Reno casinos. The rooms are very nice and the player's club dining coupon makes the buffet very inexpensive. This year we have been getting free room offers in the mail which have also included
$50 ecash.
When it was the Reno Hilton, this was my Reno "home". Since it became the Grand Sierra, it seems to be a property searching for an identity. Do they want to emphasize the casino, or try to become a "family fun" resort? Neither works well now.
"Classy" must mean "dark". remodeled rooms are modern decor, heavy on dark browns and blacks. Food options have been changed. Carpeting on the casino floor is also dark and has changed the "feel" from bright and spacious to rather dreary. The modestly-priced "coffee shop" replacing Lindy's is second rate, both in menu and food quality. Worst of all, they have downgraded the video poker paytables throughout the huge casino.
