We loved TTR before the renovation and we still love it post- Reno. We do agree with most said on here regarding changes. But definitely a much needed renovation! And we’ll continue coming back to our favorite vacation place!!
We have been going for 10 years and we liked the old TTR! John & Stacie hit the nail completely on the head. The new TTR is still fun but we believe party was lot better before
For me, the trade-off from the old TTR and the New TTR is the food and selections. The current food offerings is missing the boat, to say the least. The new TTR is all about presentation. I wish they would bring back the old buffets, both breakfast and dinner offerings. The selection now is very limited. I did not mind going out to the dress up, sit down dinners with the wife because I always knew the dinner buffet would have foods that I would like and could hit it later. Not so now. The Paty-O grill buffet was also much better in selections. of course, just my humble opinion
I agree with almost everything said above. However, couple things come to mind that have not been mentioned. The new GYM is far better than the small sweat box they had before. The new GYM is top notch! The pool, the old pool was good for the most part, but remember old timers, what happened every day around 3:00 pm, the nasty brown colored foam started to develop in the pool. You never dared go near it. (suntan lotions from everyone) The cause, the filtering system was not good. The new pool filtering system is much better. Lastly, the new A/C systems in all of the rooms are far superior than the old TTR. (I've only stayed in the tower since opening)
We've been going for 10 years and have pre and post thoughts: Renovation: Incredibly needed, but a few changes are ill-conceived given the party atmosphere. As mentioned by others here, the pool depth (I am 5'1") is a problem and what is up with the disappearing stairs coming from the premier bar/hut? This is where we set up shop and we watch person after person fall into the pool here when the step they are walking down into the pool on - is suddenly gone. Rooftop pool/bar and food...the single greatest improvement on many levels. Raised Stage at Bash - we simply stay off of it. If it happens to be a small, misty rain or any moisture from someone's drink, and down you go. And after drinking, how many people have fallen of the edge? Rooms: Again, incredibly needed. Terrible lights in bathroom to do hair/make-up (clearly, a guy designed these bathrooms). A/C in old TTR was horrible. Now, it is nice to actually have cold air. Flooring again, very slippery if your feet are wet coming out of shower, etc. I like the power shades on the windows in that it stops the light from coming in at 7:00 AM. Food: Sucked before and sucks now.....no one goes here for the food. Atmosphere: The entire reason we all go, right? Those of us that went pre-reno miss the intimacy of the smaller Paty O's. You could interact with virtually everyone at this outdoor patio and it had cover for when it rained. The smaller venue made for a sexier vibe where more often than not, things could occur then that you cannot get away with now (as mentioned by others above). And the burgers at Paty O's ...they were absolutely delicious pre-reno. Dieted and worked out for months to get to enjoy those. I have no idea what it is they are serving as "meat" at the late-night grill now...what is that texture????
We only went once pre-reno, and it was the year before the Reno, so we didn't have much pre experience. So, I left in the stuff that I really agree with, and could relate to. Like many have said the Sports Bar is highly underused. Can't figure out why?!! Biggest downfall of Reno to me, is the pool size, and depth. Meri is barley over 5', and she has to sit on my hip in order for us to move around the pool. Sure that's fun, but seeing all the boobs out of the water was a big plus to the old set up.
Before the reno, the quality of the rooms started really going downhill. I'm guessing because with plans for a complete re-build, any non-essential maintenance just stopped. Furniture disappeared to bare essentials, mirrors weren't replaced, curtains left with mildew. Now it's back to a good standard. I'm not saying there's not still some niggles, but it's definitely an improvement. For the bigger issues, pre-reno 'Nice Shoes' was too hot and smelly to enjoy. Sports Bar almost the same. Now we have the amazing sports bar, and Bash actually has options for cover, unlike Paty O. When it rained at Paty O, you partied in the rain, until it got too much. One trip it rained for 5 days, and there was nowhere to hang out that didn't smell of damp. Now there's plenty of nice places to wait out the rain. Lobby is big enough for a big group, and close to a bar. Even at the sexy pool, there's the big canopy there to sit and wait it out. Downsides post-reno, I miss there being a night swim spot. We had some very drunken but fun parties out at the sports pool in middle of the night. They have the big jacuzzi next to Bash now, it's weird that it's not open until much later. That should be open until the bar closes down. I don't like that there's so many 'premiere only' areas now. That's always been around, but it feels like half the resort is now reserved for members (and that's coming from someone that is a member). The rooftop pool is an amazing space, it's sad that only premiere members and those with a tower room can use that space, unless you pay the hefty entrance fee.
We've seen plenty of "rain showers" in the lobby. Hoped they've now fixed all the leaks ..... never got a yellow or (thankfully) a red card pre-reno... now the possessor of a yellow card from security.. Badge of Honour (just upholding the old standards).....LOL
We loved that it wasn't high class, new everything with fine dining. Someone compared it to your favorite dive bar where everyone knows your name and that's what we loved about it. No matter what dates we picked, we always ran in to people we knew as soon as we showed up. It felt like a second home. We didn't mind the food or bottom shelf drink options. It was fun! That feeling of arriving, checking in and going straight to the pool to always find familiar faces.. there was nothing like it. TTR might have a new look and a new vibe.. targeting a younger spring break crowd most of the time and that's great for those that weren't there pre reno, but nothing will ever compare to the old TTR... in our opinion. All that said.. it was in desperate need of repairs just to maintain general functioning.. AC.. plumbing, etc. It 100% needed an overhaul but it didn't need to be replaced.
I guess we think we are lucky we had gone for so long that we have managed to hold on to a big group that always goes at the same time every year so even though the venue has changed our crazy people are there to keep the old party vibe going yes the reno was really needed I think though they tried to upscale way to much ..they wanted a higher class of people to be able to charge more .. but us old timers just won't give up lol so we trash the place up with our low class ways .. there is a really good reason why when they play friends in low places everyone in the sexy pool sings * yells * along lol
