18 Fremont Becomes Circa
You may have heard that the official name of 18 Fremont is Circa . The new casino being built on the land once occupied by Las Vegas Club, Mermaids, and the unforgettable Glitter Gulch is scheduled to open in December 2020. When Circa opens it will end a long journey from the Las Vegas Club being sold in 2015. Since the initial purchase, all of the buildings on the street have been demolished and the land has been primed for construction which should begin in February.
Related (from 2015): A Look Into The Future Of Las Vegas Club
Circa – Timeline is Tight
The timeline for Circa moving forward is tight. The Stevens brothers are expecting construction to take less than two years to build the first casino in downtown Las Vegas since 1980. It’s perfectly reasonable to doubt the construction timeline with the length of time it’s taken Echelon/Resorts World Las Vegas and Fontainebleau/The Drew to show any movement. Circa should be different than those projects. Word on the street is that the Stevens Group has secured funding to move forward. Many of us Vegas watchers will have a wait and see mindset.
Circa – Excited and Cautious
While I’m excited about the potential for Circa (more on that in a second), I’m reminded of the excitement I had for Echelon and then Resorts World Las Vegas and will always look at new casino construction with a little caution. That said, I’m cautiously looking forward to the end of construction. Here’s the promo video for the Circa reveal from Thursday night.
Circa will have a MASSIVE Sports Book
You can see some renderings and read the press release for Circa here. Press releases are boring. Vital Vegas has a bit more of a fun look at Circa. Personally, I’m looking forward to the massive sportsbook. The official news about Circa refines the plans for 18 Fremont that we shared last year. Sadly, that same article details plans for Wynn Paradise Park (RIP). In addition to the great sports book here are some highlights you may have noticed in renderings we shared in December and some unseen before.
- The pool deck and entertainment space is impressive. There will be six pools and cabanas here. There will also be a 125 foot TV and a capacity for 4,000 people.
- The outdoor bar will be the largest on Fremont Street.
- Vegas Vickie will hang inside the casino .
- The parking garage will be optimized for ride hailing services. This is a much-needed amenity for all Las Vegas casinos.
Circa – Coffee Shop – Yes!
There will be multiple restaurant concepts developed over the next year 20 something months. When I interviewed Derek Stevens about his sportsbooks, he told me that there will be a coffee shop at Circa where I’ll be able to work. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter most. We’ll keep you updated on progress with Circa over the next two years.
Downtown Grand Expanding
The rumor about Downtown Grand expanding has been floating around for a while. This week Downtown Grand made the official announcement. They must be serious as the valet entrance was closed when I drove by on Thursday night. The Grand Expansion is less sexy than Circa but the new tower will have seven floors of hotel rooms. The new tower will have 495 new hotel rooms. Downtown Grand currently has 629 rooms between two towers. In addition to regular hotel rooms this tower will have 67 studio units, 20 one-bedroom suites, and three Presidential Suites. There’s a lot of excitement for the future of downtown Las Vegas. In the next few years, there will be more than 1,700 new hotel rooms in downtown Las Vegas. This expansion will add 495 hotel rooms, Circa will add 777 new hotel rooms, and the Fremont will be adding 447 hotel rooms. If there isn’t a massive influx of guests staying in downtown Las Vegas, the new inventory should keep hotel rates down. Yay?
$25 Tickets To House Of Blues Shows
House of Blues is offering concert-goers discounted tickets for some shows. This is a national promotion but there are a variety of concerts at Mandalay Bay that have tickets available for $25 or less (plus fees, of course). Just use the code “HANGOVER.” The deal ends on January 21, so act quickly. Here’s the list of shows you can buy at a discount.
- Sunday, March 3 – Kurt Vile and the Violators
- Thursday, March 7 – Cradle of Filth
- Saturday, March 16 – One OK Rock
- Saturday, March 23 – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
- Friday, March 29 – Morgan Wallen
More People Used Airbnb Than The Previous Year…Again
When something is new and popular it tends to do better business than the year before. For example, ride-hailing is still new to many people and more people use the services every year. That’s also the case with Airbnb. The service hasn’t been around long so it makes sense that more people would use the popular service in a popular vacation city. About a year ago we shared information about Airbnb in Las Vegas. In 2016 approximately 260,000 people stayed at an Airbnb in Las Vegas. That number nearly doubled in 2017 to 500,00. While the number people staying at Airbnb in Las Vegas didn’t double again, it still grew in 2017 for Las Vegas.
800,000 people stayed at an Airbnb in Nevada
More than 800,000 people stayed at an Airbnb location in Nevada last year. The vast majority stayed in Clark County aka Las Vegas. Most of the people staying at Airbnb in Las Vegas stayed at a property outside of a casino. Airbnb is a great way to avoid paying resort fees although some condos at casino properties (Palms Place, MGM Signature, etc.) might charge a fee. (Join Airbnb) Airbnb is also a great way to get a place if you want to enjoy legal marijuana in Las Vegas. You can see more info about Airbnb in Nevada here.
More Super Bowl Parties
The Super Bowl is just around the corner and Las Vegas bars and restaurants are still announcing parties for the Big Game. There are a handful of Super Bowl party announcements below. Check The Vegas Parlay for an up to date list.
- Cosmopolitan has info for all the Super Bowl parties at the casino here.
- Carmine’s at Caesars Palace and Virgil’s at The Linq just announced their parties. Read more here.
- You can find Super Bowl party info for ameriCAN Beer & Cocktails, PBR Rock Bar & Grill, PKWY Tavern, Rockhouse and The MINT Tavern here.
- Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq has a few different Super Bowl party packages. Read more here.
Quick Hits
Circa was definitely the big news in Las Vegas this week but it wasn’t the only news. Here are some quick hits in case you need more information.
- There’s a new chairperson for the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Read more here.
- Former Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, now works for MGM Resorts. Read more here.
- A place you probably never visited was sold. Read more about Bonnie Springs ranch here.
- William Hill received approval to operate more sports books in Nevada. Read more here.
- McCarran Airport broke records for arrivals this week. Read more here.
- Xavier Mortimer is moving from Planet Hollywood to Bally’s now that Wayne Newton has relocated to Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Read more about the magic here.
- Mandalay Bay announced the first concert for Mandalay Beach this summer. Read more about the Cole Swindell show here.
- “The Profit” aired a show in Las Vegas this week. You can watch the full episode here.
- Caesars is the first casino operator to release Major League Baseball season win totals for 2019. Read more here.
- Resorts World is fighting back! Read more about the Wynn lawsuit here.
- Carl Icahn is buying stock in Caesars Entertainment. Read more here.
- Late addition: Casino Royale raised prices on beer to $3! See the bombshell tweet here.
- Castaways was imploded 13 years ago last week. Enjoy the BOOM!
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