Las Vegas hotel with ‘human enthusiasm all over the walls’ accused of catfishing tourists

Talk about checking in under an alias.

A brutally reviewed Las Vegas casino resort has been accused of “catfishing” tourists by peddling rooms under two shiny “new” identities — complete with what one outlet branded as “fake-ass photos.”

OYO Hotel & Casino allegedly marketed rooms inside its off-Strip Tropicana Avenue property as two seemingly separate hotels, “Palette Las Vegas” and “Collection O Las Vegas,” according to a post from Las Vegas local blogger Vital Vegas.

The digital disguise apparently fooled at least one traveler.

Ariana Patiño said she booked a stay at Palette despite deliberately wanting to avoid the notoriously low-rated OYO, according to an account of her ordeal shared by Las Vegas travel influencer Jennifer Gay, who runs the @vegasstarfish social media pages.

Gay has long branded OYO the “worst hotel in Las Vegas,” claiming it was so gross that a blacklight once revealed “human enthusiasm” all over the walls, and a mattress that smelt terrible during her stay.

But when Patiño arrived and asked a front-desk worker where to find Palette, the employee allegedly replied: “That’s us. This is OYO.”

The worker allegedly claimed the alternate listing had been posted to determine which name would “gain more traction.”

The apparent hotel shell game becomes increasingly bizarre when its addresses are examined.

OYO Hotel & Casino is located at 115 E. Tropicana Ave., while OYO’s own website lists Palette Las Vegas at 117 E. Tropicana Ave. and Collection O Las Vegas at 119 E. Tropicana Ave.

However, descriptions for both supposed hotels say they are actually located at 115 E. Tropicana — the OYO’s exact address.

Both listings were marked “NEW” Thursday and advertised unmistakable OYO amenities, including its two outdoor pools, on-site Steak n’ Shake and late-night $1 chicken wings from midnight until 6 a.m.

Vital Vegas also accused the company of using AI to alter exterior photos of OYO, replacing the real hotel’s signage with Palette and Collection O branding to make them appear to be legitimate, standalone properties.

The alternate identities were confined to OYO’s own website either.

Palette and Collection O appeared on prominent travel platforms including Booking.com, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotels.com and Trip.com.

A Travelocity listing for Collection O claimed OYO Hotel & Casino was a three-minute walk away and featured it under “similar properties.” The page also told prospective guests that Collection O did not have a casino but that OYO’s casino was nearby.

The apparent makeover would also allow the alternate names to begin with fresh review pages instead of inheriting OYO’s considerable online baggage.

OYO ‘s online reputation was already circling the drain, with the hotel carrying a paltry 1.7-star rating on Yelp as of Thursday.

Guests have flooded the site with complaints about dirty rooms. broken elevators, malfunctioning air conditioners and other maintenance problems.

The supposed fresh identity has already begun collecting brutal reviews of its own.

Collection O had a 4-out-of-10 rating on Travelocity Thursday, with 10 of the 15 reviewers giving it the lowest possible score. The oldest review available on the site is from July 24.

One traveler who reviewed Collection O on Trip.com said the room had not been cleaned before check-in and complained of a broken elevator, cracked floors and a shuttered gift shop. The guest said they immediately left and scrambled to find another hotel.

The names themselves are not entirely fabricated. Palette is among the brands owned by OYO parent company Prism, while Collection O is offered through OYO’s booking network, according to Vital Vegas.

However, neither name appears on the physical Las Vegas hotel.

Vital Vegas suggested OYO could be quietly testing possible replacement brands as it considers shedding its battered name, but acknowledged that the company’s intent remains unknown.

The outlet also noted that the alleged scheme may not meet Nevada’s strict legal definition of bait-and-switch, and there has been no official finding that OYO committed fraud or violated state law.

Whatever OYO calls the maneuver, bewildered travelers may have another name for it: a Sin City shell game.

The California Post reached out to OYO Hotel & Casino for comment.

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