Sheep in a Pen

The Paris is a big sprawling hotel in Las Vegas. it is more like a small town than a place to sleep. Hundreds of people mill around in the Casino area at  all times. In spite of all that it is an interesting place.

The Venetian in Las Vegas

One way these big hotels seem to zing you and create crowd control is to charge a resort fee, if you want to use their amenities. To work out, you pay. To swim, you pay. This morning I went to the gym and showed my room key, which is the protocol at the pool. Now I was told a picture ID is mandatory.I happened to have my wallet yesterday, and I did show my license. The day before no one had asked to see an ID. Today I told the desk woman I didn't have it, since there was no place secure to leave my stuff while I worked out. No ID, no workout. I could understand their reasoning in light of the size of the hotel and the scam atmosphere of Las Vegas, but I was annoyed. After all I was paying an extra $35.00 a day for the use of the gym!

What a difference from the small hotel where we stay in Cortina d'Ampezzo in Northern Italy. The staff all know us, and everyone works to make sure the guests are comfortable and enjoy themselves.