More than a few people I know are noticing the increased number of promotions for Caesars that we mentioned last week. I saw comps almost across the board in my Total-Rewards app and decided to book a night at Planet Hollywood.

I had to shoot some video of the new Block 16 Food Hall at the Cosmopolitan so I figured I’d get a room and work in my room instead of driving back home. Lazy? Sure. Fun? You bet!

When the Cosmopolitan opened in 2010, the Block 16 Food Hall space was a tiny closed-off sports book. The sports book relocated to the casino floor. The transformation of that space is fantastic. The food hall next to Marquee and across from Holsteins and China Poblano fits perfectly.

Since there was no line at Hattie B’s Chicken I grabbed a hot chicken sandwich. It was very good and was only $12. That’s probably the best dining deal at the Cosmopolitan. The bad news is that a bottle of root beer is $5. No bueno. Consider yourself warned.

Coffee drinkers should know they can skip Starbucks and get Stumptown coffee at The District at Block 16. Overall, the food hall is a great addition to the Cosmopolitan. It’s a quick serve food court but all of the options seem to be among the best quick serve on the Vegas Strip.

Waldorf Astoria Off To A Smashing Start!

It didn’t take much time for something strange to happen to the recently rebranded Mandarin Oriental. Check this out!

You’d think local media would be all over what happened to the window breaking on the Vegas Strip. Nah, they just reposted the video from this tweet that alleges someone threw something at the glass at the Waldorf Vegas. I guess there’s nothing to see here so we’ll just leave this alone.

Gaming License Approved For Virgin Hotel

When the transformation from Hard Rock to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is complete Warner Gaming LLC will run the casino. The Nevada Gaming Commission approved their Las Vegas gaming license this week. There’s not much news here besides the fact that CG Technology will still operate the sports book. You may have heard that CG Tech is in a bit of trouble.

I’m not sure what this means for the future of gaming at the Hard Rock. Warner Gaming doesn’t work with any other Las Vegas casinos. All of their clients are tribal casinos outside of Nevada.

NoMad Las Vegas (at Park MGM) Softly Opening

MGM Resorts is usually boastful about openings but they’ve been pretty quiet about the soft opening at NoMad Las Vegas. The boutique hotel within a hotel at Park MGM recently launched a website. Reservations are available for rooms starting mid-October.

Prices are high…very high for the new hotel rooms. Even with my very small (15%-20%), Mlife Rewards discount NoMad is the most expensive MGM Resorts room available on October 12. The high prices might be scaring customers away because I’ve already heard of a Park MGM reservation being transferred to NoMad during the soft opening.

I’m told we’ll hear more about NoMad Las Vegas is the coming week.

MGM Quick Hits

While we’re on the subject of MGM Resorts let’s share some more news related to the casino operator.

• The fall display in the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is open at Bellagio. Vital Vegas has some pretty pictures here.
• MGM Resorts has entered into an agreement to buy the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. This will become the first Mlife Resorts property in Ohio. Read the press release here.
• Aria added a couple of new lounges for hotel guests. Read more here.
• Last week it was revealed that there’s an activist investor at Caesars Entertainment. This week there’s news about an activist investor at MGM Resorts International. There are some very interesting thoughts about the future of MGM Resorts in this article on investors.com. Read it here.
• The Mirage announced their Aces of Comedy lineup for 2019. Most of the comedians are returning from previous years. Read more here.
• The Tournament of Kings at Excalibur is doing something for Christmas. Read more here.
• Canelo Alvarez has a hold on T-Mobile Arena for a possible fight on December 15. I don’t think he’ll fight again so soon. The arena might be on hold just to mess with Floyd Mayweather in case he finishes negotiation for a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Read more here.
• Hey, there’s a Facebook poker show that will broadcast live from the PokerGo Studios at Aria. Read more here.

Lucky Dragon Closes Hotel

Nobody wants to buy the Lucky Dragon so it’s closing its hotel. You may remember they closed the casino earlier this year. you can read about the latest news with Lucky Dragon here. So long LD, we hardly knew ya.

Quick Hits

There’s always a lot of news in and around Las Vegas but not everything needs extra analysis. You might only need the headline for most of the Quick Hits this week.

• There will be a watch party for the Vegas Golden Knights first road game at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center behind The D. Read more here.
• Do you remember when there was going to be a 110,000 seat stadium built in downtown Las Vegas? Watch this news clip.
• Coincidentally, that same area in downtown Las Vegas will be getting some new parking garages. Read more here.
• Chick Fil A is coming to Planet Hollywood on the Vegas Strip. Read more here.
• I’m told people watch the TV show “America’s Got Talent.” The winner will be in Las Vegas. Read more here.
• Eight of the 100 Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers in America are in Las Vegas. Read more here.
• Ballsfest
• The D Las Vegas will be getting a new sports book in 2019. I don’t think I mentioned this when writing about the Golden Gate sports book opening next year. Read more here.
• Caesars Entertainment pools will have limited hours during the winter. This website should keep you up to date.
• You can buy cars once owned by Burt Reynolds at Mandalay Bay on August 29. Read more here.
• Skill-based Deal or No Deal games are available in casinos all over Las Vegas. Read more here.
• The Vegas Golden Knights are the first major professional team in the United States to sign a deal with a sports book operator. Read more about the William Hill partnership here.
• Billy Idol’s Las Vegas residency is moving from House of Blues at Mandalay Bay to Palms. Read more here.
• Two things to note about this Verizon ad. 1) It looks cool and 2) Verizon customers supposedly have better service around the Fremont Street Experience.

---

Want direct access to casino news, casino reviews, narratives, loyalty programs and video poker? Visit our casino/Vegas section directly at CasinoZork.

Please join the thousands of people who read TravelZork every month! Sign up here for one email per week updates. (Email is sent weekly on Monday afternoon Eastern Time, and includes our popular weekly Vegas news series)

---