Before getting into the nitty-gritty of Bally's, it's worth noting that the corporate parent of this hotel, Harrah's Entertainment, has been dropping hints that they are planning something grand for the property. That may involve remodeling and renaming it (most likely the Horseshoe) and it may involve actually tearing it down entirely. Whichever option they choose will be a disappointment to me since I like this hotel just the way it is but I guess that's the nature of progress.

When the original MGM Grand opened in 1973 it was the largest and most luxurious hotel in the world. Two decades and a name change to Bally’s later, the hotel is no longer the biggest, boldest, or quite frankly “best” hotel in the city, much less the world. But really, that’s only because of comparisons to bigger, grander places like Bellagio just across the street. Remove those comparisons and you have a really nice hotel, often at a fraction of what you’d pay to stay at most of its neighbors.

For awhile, the former corporate parent behind Bally’s tried to go to great lengths to keep the hotel competitive in what is undeniably one of the most competitive corners in the world. With hotels like the aforementioned Bellagio plus Paris, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, and The Mirage within steps of Bally's front door, they would’ve had to make the building jump up and down and go "Hey, look at me!" just to get noticed.

But the building isn't bouncing and the "great lengths" included a fresh coat of paint on the outside and a remodeled casino and rooms on the inside, none of which did much to put it on par with the fancier neighbors. So now, Bally’s has settled into a comfortable groove as the quiet, stable, relatively inexpensive piece of the Center Strip puzzle. In a way it has become the "safe bet" of The Strip. It may not make your pulse race like you've just placed your entire life-savings on Black-17, but you can still have a good time playing odd or even, right?

They tried to brighten up the entryway by adding columns that slowly change colors and a moving sidewalk leading from the street into the casino. It isn't unpleasant but it sure isn't a pirate battle or replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then again maybe that's a good thing. Depends upon your point of view, I guess.

The casino/lobby/restaurant row is one large room done in muted earth tones, marble, and chandeliers. It's nice, but again it's nothing terribly special. I hate to use the word "unmemorable" but it seems to apply here. I've been to the Bally's casino many times but when asked to describe it, all I can say is, "it's nice". I can say that the spacing of the machines is good and the ceiling is high so there isn't a sense of claustrophobia that I feel in other places. The good news is all of their slots have been converted to the very popular ticket-in, ticket-out technology, making gambling life easier on just about everyone and the better news, at least for me, is that I seem to win here all the time. Like serious winnings. Like one night when I hit a $2,000 jackpot and about 20 minutes later hit a $2,800 jackpot. Who cares about decor, I like this place.

A high-limit area offers machines from $5 to “you’ve-got-to-be-kidding” levels while a short walkway connects the Bally’s casino to the shopping area at next-door neighbor and sister hotel Paris Las Vegas.

Which brings up a note. There is no parking garage for Bally's - you have to park next door at Paris Las Vegas and use the walkway to get to Bally's. It's a relatively short walk, and in fact getting to the front desk will take you about the same amount of time as getting to the front desk of Paris.

The rooms are quite lovely and larger than most of the cookie-cutter boxes on The Strip. Features include marble-topped tables and desks, armoires with giant TVs and wireless Internet, comfy and (dare I say) stylish furnishings, plus updated fixtures in the bathrooms. It's a welcome change from the older rooms, which were nice but starting to show their age.

Bally's is one of the many large resort style properties in town that feature a variety of restaurants and bars, a production show Jubilee (one of the few remaining topless revues in town), a very nice pool area, a health club/spa, tennis courts, and a shopping arcade.

The service has always been top-notch, with a friendly, attentive staff; short waits for check-in, valet, and room service; and plenty of casino personnel for change and drinks.

So a very good hotel that you will probably overlook for something to get your heart pounding. How about this? Rates here are usually substantially less than the hotels that surround it. I've seen rates as low as $59 during the week and $99 on weekends. To be fair it is usually much higher than that but you could double those rates and still come in less than what you'd pay at Bellagio, Paris, Caesars, and others nearby. I don't know about you, but saving money gets my heart pounding.

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