Las Vegas is always changing. Some ideas work and some don’t.
That’s one of the reasons why visiting Las Vegas regularly is appealing to so many people. There’s always something new to see or do.
At the same time, many visitors find the things they like and continue to enjoy them. Chain restaurants and bars also fit into this.
It might seem ridiculous that someone visits a restaurant in Las Vegas that’s also down the street at home but we all have our preferences. Some prefer the familiar experience because they know what to expect.
Every visitor can curate their own perfect Las Vegas experience. That’s something I loved from the first time I visited Las Vegas.
Between visiting Las Vegas and living here I’ve experienced both. I love new shiny things. I always have and love new experiences that might fall into a category of things I should like.
At the same time when I fall in love, I fall hard and enjoy whatever it might be often. There are restaurants like Ping Pang Pong inside Gold Coast that I visit at least once a year.
Some new things in Las Vegas are hits and others are misses. Then there are Vegas dreams that never got off the ground.
Some can be both.
Vegas Hits
Since day one, Bellagio has been a hit.
The beautiful fountain show on the lake in front of the casino is a must-see. It’s so iconic that it’s pretty much the main reason the Las Vegas Grand Prix races on the Vegas Strip. F1 wants shots of the iconic fountains for the TV show that airs around the world.
The Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is still one of the most popular free attractions in Las Vegas. Even when they’re mediocre the floral displays are beautiful.
While I’m focused on the two features at Bellagio, there are plenty of hits in Las Vegas.
What are some of your favorite places to go in Las Vegas? Where do you tell friends that they have to visit in Las Vegas?
Vegas Misses
While we love to share our favorite things to see and do in Las Vegas, the internet at large loves to discuss the misses.
I recently shared a couple of pictures from The Linq that featured two ideas that no longer exist – The Book and non-gaming Virtual Reality.
I thought The Book concept was great but it wasn’t the right fit for a budget property. I was right and wrong.
The Book closed and the space is now used for slot machines. The bar is now a run-of-the-mill casino bar that shows sports. It’s no longer the best beer bar on the Vegas Strip.
The betting counter still exists but The Linq no longer has a traditional full-service sports book. VIP “fan caves” are still a popular concept in casinos today. The Linq still has one carved out in a corner. Caesars Palace has one as well.
After the Imperial Palace was renovated, it became “The Quad” and is now The Linq. Caesars tried a lot of different ideas at the property over the years but today it’s pretty much a generic low-priced property in the center of the Vegas Strip. I think The Linq is a great location for the price but that’s a different story.
Las Vegas has seen many ideas start, change, and fail. What are some of your favorite flops?
These could be venues that you loved and closed because they were popular or they could be awful concepts that never had a chance of success.
Vegas Hits And Misses And Vice Versa
The Cosmopolitan is one of the biggest misses that became a hit.
I’ve loved the property since opening in 2010 and still love it. Not many have been ride or die with the Cosmopolitan through its ups and downs.
This has been my favorite mall of bars and restaurants that also offered gambling since it opened. During its early days, not everyone felt this way.
While it was popular with some people, the Cosmopolitan was a miss and lost money for years before being sold and finally becoming profitable.
The second CEO, Bill McBeath, kept “The Right Amount Of Wrong” concept but made changes to bring average visitors to the property. Read this article for specifics because I could go on a long tangent about this.
While I didn’t like all of the changes, the vibe didn’t change all that much. The changes turned the Cosmopolitan into a money maker and owners Blackstone was able to flip their $1.4 billion investment for $5.65 billion.
MGM Resorts now operates the Cosmopolitan. We’ll see what the future holds.
I think about the Cosmopolitan turnaround often. It shows that not every failure is dead on arrival.
Sure some businesses will never recover from a slow start but others could reinvent themselves and become a success.
