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The Case Grows To Stay Away From The Middle Of The Vegas Strip

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Grand Bazaar Shops Bally's Las Vegas
Grand Bazaar Shops

I love Vegas but I don’t love masses of humanity in my way. I’m a New Yorker and always in a rush even when I don’t have somewhere to be. The Vegas Strip is already too crowded with slow walkers and tourists just stopping for no reason. Blech.

As details about the Grand Bazaar Shops in front of Bally’s continue to emerge my desire NOT to be near that part of the strip grows too. You may know that from a blog post from last year about the Grand Bazaar Shops.

Vegas Chatter dug up some of the fancy flea market vendors that will be at the Grand Bazaar Shops and they’re exactly what you might expect from a flea market – jewelry, handbags, sunglasses and other stuff you’d find at a rest stop in New Jersey.

Check out these hideous renderings of the Grand Bazaar Shop.

On a side note, who let Caesars artists into a Bellagio to sketch that point of view?

While people stop on the, already crowded, Vegas Strip to look and decide whether or not to check out the “stores” they’ll just be in standing in the middle of the sidewalk clogging traffic. At least the Park area in between Monte Carlo and New York-New York and The Linq are designed to draw people away from the Vegas Stip.

The sidewalks can’t be widened because there’s already too much car traffic on the Vegas Strip so the human traffic will only get worse. The only way to avoid traffic in the middle of the strip is to avoid it.

Thankfully Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay will complete renovations soon. Some of the hotel rooms at Delano Las Vegas are already finished. We should expect the public spaces to be completed on time. SLS Las Vegas is working 24/7 to ensure that they will be opening at the end of summer. Both of these hotels on opposite ends of the Vegas Strip give a good excuse for someone like me to avoid the middle of the crush of people in the middle.

I understand that not everyone is like me. There are people who actually like to do things other than eat, drink and gamble when they’re in Vegas. GASP! I understand the Vegas Strip’s need to evolve but I’m happy that there will still be new hotels and casinos for people like me to enjoy.

Learn more about the Grand Bazaar Shops here.

Love The Cosmo Wrap Around Suites? Live There For $1.3 Million

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Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Suite
Cosmopolitan Suite

Love the wrap around suites at the Cosmopolitan? Well, you can buy one in the East Tower for a cool mil from Caldwell Banker.

THE ONLY EAST TOWER UNIT FOR SALE! Fabulous panoramic views from Corner Wrap Around Terrace Suite unit, Views Facing South & West. 456 s/f balcony overlooks The Cosmopolitan pools, City Center, Bellagio. Rental Program & Condo-Hotel. Enjoy a Las Vegas Blvd. address at The Cosmopolitan, Platinum status membership, VIP owner privileges.

Unfortunately this condo at the Cosmo faces south and west so you don’t get to see the fountains at Bellagio or anything on the Vegas Strip heading north. In my opinion facing north on the strip is much nicer.

In addition to the lesser view you are low enough where you may hear music from concerts at the Boulevard Pool. Of course, that might also be great. Here’s a tour a wrap around suite facing north.

If you’re looking to live in the middle of the action of the Vegas Strip you might get more bang for your buck at Veer Towers. Unlike a condo at Cosmo, you won’t have a casino right downstairs at Veer. You’ll have to put your shoes on and walk all the way to Aria.

H/T @Mac78130

Ranking MGM Las Vegas Hotels By Revenue

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Bellagio Las Vegas Hotel And Fountain Show at Night
Bellagio At Night

Ranking casinos owned by the same company comes in handy more often than you think. If you’re looking for cheaper rooms, just look to the bottom of the list. If you’re looking for the most players club comps, just look to the bottom of the list. If you’re looking for better gaming odds, you’ll typically look at the bottom (but not always) of the list . If you want to hang with the masses, look to the top of the list because that’s where the money is being spent.

Last week MGM Resorts International reported their quarterly earnings. As part of that information it was easy to pull out how the casino hotels in Las Vegas were doing. In fact, it was real easy since the awesome Stiffs & Georges blog already did it.

  1. Bellagio, $303M
  2. MGM Grand, $255M
  3. Mandalay Bay, $205M
  4. The Mirage, $142M
  5. Luxor, $83M
  6. Excalibur, $70
  7. New York-New York $69M
  8. Monte Carlo, $69M
  9. Circus Circus, $51M

The revenue is fairly in line with how Mlife has the properties ranked when you’re looking for players club comps. If you’re looking at Monte Carlo or New York-New York I recommend you making your plans sooner than later because they should climb the priority chart when the construction is completed next year.

The Mirage is also undergoing a few renovations to freshen it up but it shouldn’t climb much, if any, on the MGM Resorts hotel rankings.

My final thought is more about the revenue for the MGM Resorts hotels than the rankings. It looks like the kiddie corner of the Vegas Strip (Mandalay Bay through Excalibur) is going pretty well. The better the hotels on the south end of the Vegas Strip do the more families and kids it will attract and the less chances that they will have me return as a curious visitor.

If this kiddie corner is creating a niche for MGM Resorts to make more money then it’s a win-win for the company and for me.  It keeps kids away from the casinos I like in Las Vegas and makes MGM Resorts more money.

Photo: Wandermom 

Happy Birthday Caesars Palace

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Classic Photo Of Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Caesars Palace

Every day I wake up and check the tweets from overnight and early morning. It’s the most peaceful time of the day on twitter because there’s usually no breaking news at 6am in Las Vegas. It allows me to learn a little and catch up with people. This morning’s education came from Caesars Palace.

When I was growing up Caesars Palace always seemed like the most grand place I could stay in Las Vegas. I stayed at Caesars Palace once and realized that I didn’t like the layout and have only returned once. The hotel and casino have expanded and been renovated so much, and in such a mish mosh pattern, over the years it’s difficult to really get a good vibe.

I did enjoy my stay in the Augustus Tower but that’s because I felt like I wasn’t staying at Caesars Palace. The Augustus Tower almost feels closer to Bellagio, across the street, than to the Caesars Palace casino. That’s probably a good thing, but I digress.

Caesars Palace has stood the test of time and is still seen as one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. While I may not agree with the general opinion there’s something to be said for that kind of longevity in this fickle city.

I think I’ll celebrate Caesars Palace with some chicken parm at Carmine’s in the Forum Shops! HUZZAH!

Photo: Caesars Palace 

The Pirates Will Live At Treasure Island!

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Sirens of TI Boat at Treasure Island Las Vegas
Sirens of TI

A couple of weeks ago Eater Vegas reported that Treasure Island was planning to make changes to its strip frontage. My first thought was that the strip mallification was extending north. My second thought was that the TI Sirens Pirate Show would get axed. Well, it looks like Sirens of TI will remain!

If you’re worried that the addition will mean the end of Sirens, don’t be. Government filings specifically state that the project would be “compatible” with the “design and costumes associated with the pirate ship performance.”

I’ve never watched the entire Sirens of TI show in its entirety. It’s not very good but it’s one of the few remaining attractions that are still in tact from Las Vegas in the 90’s. I’m not very nostalgic of old Vegas (from the 50’s & 60’s) because I didn’t know it.

My memories of Vegas begin around the time of Vegas Vacation ($5 on DVD) and with the fountain show at Bellagio, The Mirage volcano and Luxor pyramid. Sirens of TI isn’t on my list of memories but it makes me think of those things and that’s enough to make me care.

The Vegas strip is undergoing massive changes and we’re all losing the different parts of what Vegas used to be. I’m all for change and look forward to a whole new strip in the next few years. Having said that, I’m glad some of the unique characteristics that made Las Vegas a place I came to love remain in tact.

Enjoy Sirens of TI!

Resorts World Las Vegas To Be First Themed Resort In Vegas Since The Venetian

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When the news broke that Resorts World Las Vegas would be build across the street from Wynn and on the lot that was once destined to be home of Echelon, I was simply stunned that a new casino would be built in Las Vegas more than anything else. I didn’t look to see what the casino would offer.

After looking at the Resorts World renderings and the excellent breakdown of those renderings on Vegas Tripping I realized that Resorts World Las Vegas was going to be an Asian themed casino. Even girlygirl commented about the Asian theme. It’s pretty obvious when you actually look at the renderings (Note to self, look).

Since that initial moment there have been rumors of a Panda “Habitat” being part of the casino. That would fit nicely into an Asian themed casino. Seriously, who doesn’t like Panda’s?

The video below has an interview with Paul Steelman who designed Resorts World Las Vegas (skip ahead to 20:27 left in the video). I learned a few more things about Resorts World from the video.

– There will be a covered pool open all year around. The first of its kind on the strip.
– This is the first themed casino to be built on the Vegas strip since Bellagio which opened in 1998. UPDATE: The Venetian is themed and opened in 1999. Thanks for being incorrect Mr. Steelman and Mr. Ralston.
– Genting (Owner of Resorts World) owns the largest aquarium in the world.

Dr. Dave Shwarz is interviewed after Mr. Steelman in case you crave more discussion about business in Las Vegas.

Boom Goes The Vegas Strip This Morning!

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Warning: The video takes time to load and may not work on Chrome, but otherwise it’s worth the 2 minutes.

My morning routine usually consists of enjoying a cup of coffee while listening to the Dan Patrick Show on TV and checking twitter and facebook. Nothing fancy. The Dan Patrick Show wasn’t on TV this morning so I switched to the local news to see what’s happening in Las Vegas. There’s usually nothing happening but it’s noise. Today was different. Different in a big way!

There was a shootout down the Vegas strip that ended with three people dead and cars exploding. This was straight out of a movie.

8 News NOW

This ended at the corner of Flamingo and the strip. That corner of the strip is near Bellagio, Bill’s, Bally’s, Caesars Palace and Flamingo and will be closed until noon or so day.

The news keeps calling this a “rolling shootout” and all I can think of is Rage Against The Machine.

Photo: 8 News Now

MGM Resorts Offering The Coors Light Of Wifi For Free

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I like a little girth to my beer and tend to drink darker beers. Coors Light is the beer I’ll drink when I want the flavor of beer but not feel the full effect of a real beer. A couple weeks ago MGM Resorts announced that would be offering free wifi across all of their Las Vegas properties. At first I was stoked…you know me, I love free wifi. Here’s the headline:

Eight MGM Resorts offer free Wi-Fi on the Las Vegas Strip

Great! I spend a lot of time on the Vegas strip and offen grab free wifi to do a couple hours of work. Unfortunately the free MGM wifi is like a light beer and may not be so useful for people like me.

Basic internet access is available with the system for anyone located in public areas such as the lobbies, pool areas, casinos, and restaurants at the named resorts. Use of the internet service will not require a password. Hotel guests will get an upgraded service as part of their stay, and convention attendees or others in need of more bandwidth can upgrade to top internet speeds for a fee.

The new system is expected to be up to 30% faster…

The free wifi service being offered by MGM Resorts is a throttled wifi service. The MGM Resorts free wifi for the public will be 70% of the speed that hotel guests or convention attendees will get with their resort or convention fees. If you’re just stopping by one of the MGM properties you’ll be relegated to the slower speed.

The free MGM wifi isn’t useless. The free wifi at MGM Resorts properties will be good for checking email at speeds quicker than 3G but not for people that are wifi bandwidth hogs like me. I’m a multi-tasker that often has multiple tabs open on a web browser while instant messaging, uploading photos, downloading a podcast, etc. so the throttled speed isn’t perfect.

The wifi speed will be sufficient for most people using mobile web or email but I don’t see the MGM wifi bringing me into their properties to grab a lunch and do a little work. It’s unfortunate, because I’m always looking for an excuse to spend time at Bellagio. I’ll stick with the hotels that offer full access to their wifi connection like The Venetian.

If wifi at 70% speed is enough for you then you can access it at Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, and MGM Grand right now with New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, and Luxor coming on board later this year. I believe Aria has been offering free wifi since it opened.

 

Fanciest Hotels and Restaurants In Las Vegas

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Every year AAA releases it’s lists of best hotels and restaurants in America and ranks them by Diamonds with 5 Diamonds being the best. 4 Diamonds is still excellent but 5 Diamonds is the pinnacle of luxury. Las Vegas tied with New York City for the most luxury resorts for one city.

Those getting the designation are Aria, Aria Sky Suites, Bellagio, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand, Venetian, and Palazzo. Las Vegas’s Five Diamond restaurants are Joel Robuchon from MGM, Guy Savoy from Caesars Palace, and Le Cirque and Picasso from Bellagio.

According to AAA less than one half of one percent of hotels and restaurants in America receive this distinction so this really makes these the restaurants the finest dining and these hotels the most luxurious.

I’ve only stayed at Venetian and Palazzo and while I can understand why The Palazzo can be a premier resort The Venetian seems to be showing a little wear and tear.

Most, if not all, of these hotels have been on the 5 Diamond list before. There are just a few hotels that are noticeably absent from this list beginning with Wynn and Encore. I think a few years of catering to a younger, more nightclub oriented, crowd have taken its tole on the once premier hotel in Las Vegas.

The other hotel missing from this list is the Cosmopolitan. You know, the “The Best Hotel In The World“. Not so much.

The only 5 Diamond hotels on this list that I want to stay in are Aria and Bellagio. I’ve been in the Aria rooms and thought that they were very nicely put together and I want to stay there even though I don’t like the casino.

Bellagio is one of my favorite casinos in Las Vegas but I’ve never stayed there. Bellagio just finished renovating their rooms so it seems like the right time to check it out. If all goes well playing MyVegas I’ll see one of them on March 23.

You can find all Diamond Ratings on AAA.com.

Tweet me @eastcoastgamblr

 

Best Sportsbooks In Las Vegas

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The new year means it’s time to update some of my favorite things in Vegas. With the Super Bowl and March Madness right around the corner I figured that I might as well start with a new edition of the Top 5 Sportsbooks In Las Vegas. These are MY favorites. Yours may differ but they’re wrong…at least for me. If you compare to last year’s Top 5 sportsbooks in Vegas you won’t see much change but you will notice some tweaks.

1. Lagasse’s Stadium (The Palazzo)- Last week I questioned whether or not Lagasse’s Stadium should even be considered a sportsbook. It’s really a restaurant with a bar and sportsbook but the more I think about it the more that I remember that Lagasse’s Stadium is the future of sportsbooks. Lagasse’s Stadium may be the greatest place in Vegas. It’s a great place to watch the games, snack, drink, play blackjack, play pool and more. Just don’t expect drink tickets. Those are only given with bets above $5,000 at the manager’s discretion. I can’t wait for all of the Cantor Gaming sportsbooks to turn all of their sportsbooks into restaurants. It will happen some day.

Venetian Sportsbook

2. The Venetian – This is by far the best traditional sportsbook. There is never a fee to sit and watch the games. The huge HD TV screens can be seen from far away in The Venetian casino and even though cocktail waitresses are sparse in this huge sportsbook, there’s a bar in the back of the sportsbook to get drinks. You can still watch the games (and play video poker). Not enough praise can go into the beauty of the TV’s at The Venetian sportsbook. As an added bonus this year a burger joint opened across the casino called Rattlecan. Rattlecan sends their waitresses to the sportsbook and will bring you pretty good burgers. (See review at Vegas Chatter)

Wynn Sportsbook

3. Wynn – I had a bad experience here a few years ago and held a grudge but after a recent stay at Encore I’ve come around to the sportsbook at Wynn. There is a lot of comfortable seating in between the race and sports sides of the book plus there’s a bar overlooking the sportsbook with about 50-75 more seats. The projection screens could use some updating while the TV’s for less important games could use more size and updating but they’re very easy to watch if you have a seat up close. If you’re just watching a major event like the Super Bowl this shouldn’t matter.

Bellagio Sportsbook

4. Bellagio – The Bellagio sportsbook isn’t very big but it’s nice and comfortable. This sportsbook had new TV’s installed this year and that helps. Bellagio is one of my favorite casinos in Las Vegas so I’m happy to see that things are improving on the sportsbook side. It’s another great excuse to visit. If you want a seat for the games here arrive early because the sportsbook is very small.

Red Rock Sportsbook

5. Red Rock Resort – The sportsbook at Red Rock Resort is huge. It’s definitely the sportsbook for locals since it’s about half hour away from the Vegas strip. During football season the Red Rock sportsbook is very busy almost to the point of where it’s not fun but it’s still great. If you like to drink while watching the games this is your place. Cocktail waitresses make rounds non-stop. I prefer the Red Rock sportsbook during NBA and MLB seasons because it’s a little slower and they show all of the games. Video poker players will be happy to find full pay Bonus Poker at the sportsbook bar.

Silverton Sportsbook

Honorable mention: Silverton. The Silverton sportsbook is small but it’s brand new will appropriately size TV screens. It’s not at a very busy casino but that usually means you can find a seat. If it’s busy, you can sit at a slot machine. A bar, Starbucks and Johnny Rockets are steps away if you need food or drink. Like all cantor gaming sportsbooks there’s free wifi and outlets for access to things not on TV.

 

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