My wife and I have been going to Las Vegas for 20+ years and the Golden Nugget has been our hotel of choice for those many years. However, this past visit will be our last to stay at the Nugget. It was not anything in particular that lead us to this decision. It just doesn't feel like the Golden Nugget of old.
We always stayed downtown; because that was the Vegas we wanted to be a part of. I have heard many old timers state that Vegas went down when it became a family vacation destination. When we walked into the Nugget, it didn't "feel" like the Nugget we had come to love. Yes, they put in a new pool with a shark tank, and upgraded the casino.
We were looking forward to the Nugget like it was before the changes. The aura however, was not there. Having to get our parking ticket validated every time we left the hotel was a minor thing, but charging us $6.95 to print our boarding passes for our flight home was a bit our of line. In addition, charging $12.00 a day (I believe) for internet access was also out of line. I have been in lower grade hotels that had free internet.
Those things along would not make us not stay at the Nugget again, but as my loving wife put it, "It didn’t smell like the Nugget." No, there was not any strange smells, but the "feel", the "aura", and the "overall ambiance" was not there. On our next trip, we will stay at a Marriott property, where at least we get credit points on our Marriott account. What was interesting: as we were checking out, we were talking to another couple about their stay. They felt the same way as we did.
I understand the Nugget must try to compete with the hotels on the Strip, but they must remember the customers that stayed with them over the long haul. I guess their making money is the bottom line. But as a result for their changes, they will not be getting any of ours ever again.