An era is coming to an end. After more than 10 years and various iterations, this will be the last edition of Vegas News at TravelZork.
This will be the last time you’ll see two weeks of the biggest happenings in Las Vegas in one place. This was created as a quick catch-up for busy people, but there are so many outlets in every format that there really isn’t much of a need for this old-school roundup.
There will also be a slowdown in general Vegas content as the site pivots to more general travel and rewards information. Casinos will still be part of the content, but there will be fewer Vegas-specific topics, like the past few weeks when we looked at different off-Strip casino upgrades and rewards programs.
You’ll still hear from me sporadically at TravelZork, but not as much as you have for the past decade. Enough about the programming side…Let’s get to the news!
You’ll be able to watch a TV show that goes behind the scenes at the Golden Nugget. Get the details here.
You can see a list of the various Las Vegas restaurants that received a Michelin rating here.
I look at lists like this to see a few things: 1) Are my favorite restaurants ranked? 2) Are there any I haven’t been to that are in my budget? 3) Where am I going next
If you’re not familiar with all of the names, start with the Bib Gourmand list. Esther’s Kitchen is great, and China Poblano is unique if nothing else. There are a lot of great values on the non-casino spots on the Recommended Restaurants. Of course, Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast always offers great value.
It looks like Oasis will be doing multiple shows at Allegiant Stadium next year. Read more here.
KISS is making new music for an Avatar show. If it opens, make sure you see the shows ASAP. Read more here.
Fontainebleau has a new high-limit slots room with games with jackpots of $1 million to $5 million. Read more here.
The new non-smoking slots room at Palms is now open. Read more here.
The Bally’s Las Vegas cluster has no end in sight. I went deeper into the new plans here.
Shortly after I wrote that, the CFO resigned. This isn’t much of a surprise after she skirted almost every question from the Nevada Gaming Control Board during her last appearance. Read more here.
Bally’s will have a call to discuss the future of the Chicago casino on Sept. 14. Keep your eyes and ears open to see how this soap opera continues…
We can’t talk about Bally’s without checking in on the last 30 days of construction on the Las Vegas A’s stadium.
You may or may not know that I analyze monthly visitation data for Las Vegas. The most untold story this year is that downtown Las Vegas hotel occupancy is below 60% and prices are falling. Read more here.
Another interesting note from the travel data is that Canada’s East Coast seems to be returning to Las Vegas while the West Coast is staying away.
Boomer’s is now operating the sportsbooks at Binion’s and Four Queens. The most useful part of this might be that they have -105 odds for all NFL games this season. That’s a little more than 4% better than most sportsbooks. Read more here.
MGM Resorts is stepping up its foodie game for the Bellagio Club during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Read more here.
The Oasis ice skating rink is returning to Fontainebleau in November. Get prices, hours, and all the info here.
The El Cortez is messing with us. It closed Siegel’s 1941 to open Alex Prime Steakhouse before announcing it was reopening Siegel’s 1941. In other words, the space is Siegel’s by day and Alex Prime at night. See pics below and read more here.
Toshiba Plaza outside of T-Mobile Arena is now Paramount+ Plaza. Read more here if you like UFC and Landman.
Donny Osmond signed an extension with Harrah’s. Read more here.
We’re getting closer to G2E. Here are a few preview notes. The mainstage lineup might be interesting. Read more here.
Some of the new Aristocrat games are already in casinos, but I haven’t seen WO WOLFIE! Read more here.
AGS will have more new Rakin Bacon games! Read more here.
I’ll have more about what I see and hear at the expo next month!
I wrote about five old-school restaurants in Las Vegas since the content creators are still learning about Golden Steer. Some of them are even older than Mr. Travelzork. GASP! I wouldn’t normally share a listicle-type article here, but I’m surprised how many people around my age aren’t familiar with Chicago Joe’s. You can see the list here.
Remember when MGM Resorts introduced the Staywell program for millennials in 2012? Well, it’s important to Gen Z too. And most people, but let’s not get in the way of a good story about something “new.” Read more here.
Did you know about Ticketmaster Travel? You can book hotel packages and show tickets together. While you can buy tickets anywhere, there are only a few Las Vegas hotel partners right now. Check it out here.
If you’re a fan of NFR, check your favorite casino website. They’re all dropping news about events while the rodeo is in town. You can get the info from Resorts World, which surprisingly gets packed for the events, here.
There’s a ton happening during Mexican Independence Day weekend. Get the details here.
The breakfast spot at New York-New York got a makeover. See and read more here.
Did you know there’s an Ocean’s 11 prequel in production? It’s not in Las Vegas so…whatever. Read about it here. This scene looks neat.
A beer spa is coming to Las Vegas. No surprise that this is coming to the Arts District. Read more here.
Mad Apple at New York-New York closed, and Awakening at Wynn is closing. I don’t know anyone who’s paid for tickets to either show, so this isn’t much of a surprise. Read more here.
The Scorpion’s cancelled their Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood. Read more here.
Movestro’s favorite pizza joint in Vegas closed. Read more here.
Lotus of Siam is out at Red Rock Casino. The Oyster Bar is staying. Read more here.
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Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.