The Cosmopolitan Upgrades Hotel Guest Experience
New Parking Fee Structure
The news is often lost in a headline or a tweet. This week we saw an example of that with the Cosmopolitan. So many news outlets and media types were quick to say that The Cosmopolitan is getting rid of parking fees next year. Well, they did and they didn’t.
In 2019, self-parking and valet parking fees for hotel guests at The Cosmopolitan will be included in the $39 per night resort fee. Visitors not staying at the hotel and locals will still have to pay the parking fee. Don’t worry, the first hour of self-parking is free!
Hotel Room Renovations Are Complete
The Cosmopolitan completed the remodel of its 3,033 guest rooms. If you’ve been to The Cosmopolitan this year you may have seen a new room. The gut renovations touched just about every square inch of the rooms are now complete.
The Cosmopolitan also upgraded the tech in each room with the addition of a tablet in every room. Hotel guests can book restaurant and spa reservations, purchase show tickets, order room service, and schedule wake-up calls without speaking to anyone.
Chatbot Improvements
Rose, the chatbot at The Cosmopolitan, has been upgraded. The biggest change is improved AI (artificial intelligence) that can understand natural speech patterns. You no longer have to speak or type like a neanderthal to find what you want.
Hotel guests can now use Rose to check out. This is a nice little time saver. You can now check out while walking out of the room or on your way to the airport.
One of the unique upgrades for Rose is that it can now access your Identity players club account. Identity Rewards members may now have Rose deliver personalized status and promotional offers, all via SMS-texting.
Upgraded Wifi For Everyone!
Somehow the Cosmopolitan didn’t offer complimentary wifi on the casino floor. Well, that’s changed as The Cosmopolitan has upgraded the wifi system. Guests with hotel rooms and visitors on the casino floor now have access to download speeds in excess of 100mbps.
The Cosmopolitan is now offering a private jet for their big spenders. You probably knew that when we told you about the Excess Granted promotion we told you about in November.
Flamingo Now Has Bunk Bed Rooms and Suites
Caesars Entertainment will complete the second phase of hotel room renovations at the Flamingo in early 2019. The first phase of the renovation upgraded 1,270 rooms. The second phase of renovations will add another 976 new hotel rooms.
Forget the nearly 1,000 new rooms. Twitter was abuzz about the 14 new bunk bed rooms and suites. The bunk bed rooms are 515 square feet while the suites are 1,000 square feet. This isn’t a new idea for Caesars Entertainment.
The Linq has 12 bunk bed rooms. However, there’s more of a necessity for extra sleep space at The Linq. The hotel rooms are only 300 square feet large and there’s no room for a rollaway. The rooms at Flamingo have space for a rollaway if needed.
The Flamingo bunk bed rooms and suites are intended for groups like bachelor and bachelorette parties. Why would someone pay for these rooms? It’s a way to give everyone in a group of six a mattress. Why would Caesars offer this? Two reasons:
- Younger guests have been piling too many people in a room for years. They might as well try to monetize a few of those groups. If successful, expect to see more bunk bed rooms.
- Equally important is all the publicity special rooms like this garners. There’s little reason for the media to cover renovations twice. The new room category gives the media another reason to cover the new renovations.
You can read more about the renovations here.
Las Vegas Will Host 2020 NFL Draft
This isn’t a surprise if you followed negotiations for the new football stadium being built near Mandalay Bay. The draft probably won’t take place inside the new stadium. I fully expect the draft to take place at and around a venue operated by whichever company signs a deal with the NFL for data and marketing.
Coincidentally, MGM Resorts has signed deals with the NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball for data and marketing. T-Mobile Area, Park Theater and Toshiba Plaza in between might make sense for various locations. Don’t expect to hear details until next year.
Quick Hits
The news in Las Vegas used to slow down around the holidays. I didn’t see a slow down last year and I don’t see that this year. In addition to a few openings, it seems as though the casino business is already looking to 2019 and beyond.
- Topgolf is building eSports venues in six of their golf locations around the country. Of course, the first esports venue will open at Topgolf Las Vegas next year. Read more here.
- Convention bookings are up 11% for 2019. Expect higher room rates next year. Read the bottom half of this blog post.
- John Fogerty is returning to Wynn Las Vegas next year with a new show. Read more here.
- Wynn Resorts announces changes to their executive team. Read more here.
- The Vegas Strip closes to traffic on New Year’s Eve. Getting around can be a cluster between 10 pm and 2 am. The monorail will be operating 43 straight hours around New Year’s Eve if you’re looking for a way to get around. Read more here.
- Mo’Nique is doing a residency at SLS next year. Read more here.
- Mabel’s BBQ opens at Palms on Thursday. I visited Palms this week and it appeared as if they were already training the staff. Read more here.
- NASCAR released their 2019 schedule. Note the time change for the second race in Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Speakeasies are all the rage. Palms will have one with the new restaurant opening next year. Read more here.
- A French bistro is opening at The Linq this week. If you’re looking for a change of pace from Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas, you can read more here.
- Route 91 Harvest Festival might return to Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Uncle Shelly is thinking about building a casino in New York City. Read more here.
- Hall & Oates will have a limited engagement at Caesars Palace next year. Read more here.
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