Poker Writer
The OYO Hotel in Las Vegas has been accused of using alternate names and AI-generated photos to deceive travelers who book rooms in the city. OYO Hotel (an acronym that stands for On Your Own) is notorious for bad reviews online from Vegas visitors. In response, the hotel has attempted to cover it up by using made-up names and images.
The hotel has created two fake names, Collection O and Palette Las Vegas, neither of which actually exists. The real images of the OYO Hotel are doctored with AI to show the same resort but with different names.
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Jen G. of Vegas Starfish brought attention to this topic when she revealed that OYO was using the name Palette while keeping the hotel the exact same. Guest Ariana Patino was duped into booking a room at the fake hotel and was then subject to the poorly run OYO.
On Expedia, the Palette listing exists with one two-star review (out of 10) from Aug. 3. The review rips the experience and the deceptive listing:
First, the name of the hotel was incorrect. It was not the Palette, it was the OYO. Difficult to find. No signage about the name change. It was a 19-story building with one functioning elevator when we arrived. The next morning there no functioning elevators not even the service elevator. No signs on the elevators says they were not functioning.
After describing a dangerous situation involving the elevator the reviewer ends by saying “someone could have died.”
There is a response from the owner listed as “response from Palette,” but the response is signed “Team OYO” at the end. The response claims that they are working on fixing the issues, including apparently the issue of wrong identity:
We sincerely apologize for the distress and inconvenience you faced during your stay. The issues you encountered, including the incorrect hotel name, lack of signage, and non-functioning elevators, are serious concerns that we are addressing with urgency.
Meanwhile, Collection O is a more popular listing on Expedia with 15 reviews. The vast majority of those reviews are recent, from August, and many of them are also two-star ones. The reviews blast the facilities. Many of them do not even mention the identity mix-up, which makes OYO’s attempt to bypass bad reviews a failure.
PokerScout checked a popular hotel booking site, Booking.com, for listings of Palette and Collection O. Though search engine links come up, they redirect to a general Las Vegas search. A closer look at the map view confirms that Booking appears to have removed its Palette and Collection O listings.
It is unknown whether OYO is simply trying to distance its name from the bad reviews or if it’s actually attempting to rebrand. The hotel is likely safe from actual bait-and-switch legal trouble since it does provide hotel services as promised, even if it is under a different name.
OYO Hotel History
The OYO Hotel is near the strip, adjacent to the former site of the Tropicana Resort. It has been going by its current name, OYO, since 2019. Prior to that, it was the Hooters Casino Hotel from 2006 to 2019, and Hotel San Remo before that.
It has long been known for having some of the worst reviews and reputation of any resort in Vegas. A Reddit thread mentions a wide variety of issues with the hotel, from deceptive charging practices to bed bugs to failing bedroom furniture.
Image Credit: Nehrams2020/Wikimedia Commons (Image) (License)
