PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

A few years ago, Fitzgeralds got a new owner, the first African-American man to own a Vegas casino, an interesting bit of trivia. Positive changes have come in his wake with total overhauls of the public areas and rooms. Largely gone is the luck-o'-the-Irish theme, which makes us sad when we think about Mr. O'Lucky, the hotel's longtime mascot, but not so much when it comes to all the rest of the leprechauns and shamrocks and other bits of Blarney nonsense. The casino has been brightened up, so it's now one of the nicer places to gamble Downtown; the hallways and check-in area have been redone, and a new outdoor pool -- a rare amenity for Downtown in general, and open until the unheard-of (in Vegas) hour of 9pm -- opened. Right now, you can expect a sort of Irish country-village walkway, complete with giant fake trees, leading to the room elevators. Fitzgeralds has the only balcony in Downtown from which you can watch the Fremont Street Experience. You can also sit in its McDonald's and gawk at the light show through the atrium windows.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, featuring standard hotel-room decor you will forget the moment you walk into the hallway. Because this is the tallest building Downtown (34 stories), you get excellent views: snowcapped mountains, Downtown lights, or the Strip. Whirlpool-tub rooms are $20 more and are slightly larger, offering wraparound windows.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Las Vegas 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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