I went to the CES Show in Las Vegas this week and except for 24 hours of food poisoning I had a great time. Here are my “Fail Awards” that almost ruined it and almost killed me. I can tell you I’ll never eat or stay at a Wynn owned property after this.
#1 Fail Award: Wynn Hotel. Five Star food poisoning.
See the picture above? Notice the red uncooked meat, its covered in gravy but the center was completely uncooked and evidently left out too long. After going to a ballroom media promotion at the Wynn I ended up eating at the end of the catered event. I jokingly took a pic of my food and posted it to Facebook saying “Press food.” I was starved and figured the Wynn would never be bad. 2-3 hours later I suffered all night long with food poisoning attacking my liver, kidneys all swelling up and throwing out my back. I thought a few times about going to the hospital but was so exhausted, on the road and just wanted to lay there and die or sleep. You dont think clearly when you’re alone and in pain. I was trying to sleep on the floor to get my back muscles to relax. Everytime it would calm down and I’d start to fall asleep another run would hit me. It was 24 hours of hell in my hotel room of trying to sleep and get my innards to stop hurting. Then I found out my friends at the event that had also eaten there, had spent the night throwing up and suffering also. It was the only place we’d eaten together at.
It slowed me down at CES and cost me a whole day of news reporting, pics and video at CES. Since I make money of this it costs me a lot of money. I contacted the Wynn complaint desk which takes about 3 people to get to and a passed around 30-45 minute call. The next day someone called to see if I was ok. When I filed my complaint they told me no one else had complained. How they get away with this stuff is most people on vacation arent going to go through a 45 minute call hassle and when they recover they are being the 8-ball on stuff they have to do to mess with it. They other way they likely get away with it is people afterwards go out drinking and partying so they have no idea where they got it from. For me I’d gone back to my hotel early for a big day walking CES.
In the end their bottom line answer was in essence “sorry tough luck.” Their response was even comical, they told me the next day when they got my complaint they’d gone back and checked the food. What did someone go back an eat the day old food to test it? What a bullshit answer. Like they didnt throw out old food and kept some for testing. The Wynn refused to make it up to me by comping a room or any olive branch at all, no even a cheap lousy meal. Zero. Nothing to repair the damage of losing a bunch of money for me or make me feel better about them. In old Vegas this wouldnt happen, a hotel would care about a customer, they were smart and knew bad stories about Vegas was bad business, but in Corporate Vegas you’re just another sucker to churn. They bet your dumb/drunk enough not to complain or do anything about it. Sorry Wynn, you lose this bet. In Old Las Vegas I dont think they even had complaint departments, someone just made the customer happy. When you almost kill me I tend to talk about stuff.
I lived in Vegas for 6 years and food poisoning is an big issue and you pay attention to the grades food places get. You hear stories of food poisoning a lot. The Casinos get delivered daily food for the size of a small city and food care must be a prerogative. I knew someone who ate at a food place once, went into the hospital and was dead in a week. I have another friend who was in the hospital for weeks, almost died and still years later feels the effects of the bad shellfish. Its scary to think if I had gone out drinking that night after the Wynn I might have blown out my kidney or liver.
I’ve learned several things from this experience: Never eat or stay at the Wynn properties. If you have a problem they wont fix it but they will tell you sorry. Whatever. Two: Never eat red uncooked meat at a catered event. Three: Dont eat catered food thats been sitting out at the end of the shift. Four: Always call the health department and complain about this stuff, its more rampant that you think. Five: Make sure you file your complaint on Yelp and every food review website and App, dont let these jokers get away with treating you like a number.
If you ever get food poisoning sick in Las Vegas call 702-759-1300 and talk to the Food Bourne Illness Dept. and file a complaint.
Oh man, when I was in Vegas in 2006 I did not have a reaction nearly as bad as you but I got really sick one night and I was sure it was from that. I had eaten at the Mirage buffet, and never touched that one again with a ten foot pole. Other places never had an issue.
Wait a sec. You clearly saw that the meat was very rare, yet didn’t say anything and still ate it? Not sure it’s entirely the Wynn’s fault. Sorry you had to deal with food poisoning though. Had it twice and is one of the worst things ever!
Come è buono e sano il pane condito con l’olio extravergine e un poco di sale.
I know Mike but the Wynn is a 5 Star hotel and I was dead hungry after walking the event for 4 hours talking to everyone. It was made worse since I was starved I had a couple plates.
Eww… Sorry that happened. I was there at CES. Luckily i did not eat at the Wynn! I have had food poisoning before though. Not fun at all!