This will be the shortest Vegas News post in about a year. Not much happened in the past week despite constant hunting high and low for anything that could pass as news. Earlier this year someone mentioned that they had FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out is real and it turns out that I have that as well. I have to know everything happening in Las Vegas. I can’t miss out on anything!

Unfortunately, not much happens with the short news week of Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. The already short week is even shorter as everyone rushes to escape for holiday madness. Hopefully, you enjoyed your long weekend and holiday. Let’s just jump into it.

Casino Royale Doubles Beer Prices! GASP!

Yep, all good things must come to an end. After 15 years, Casino Royale has decided to increase the price of their cold Michelob beers from $1 to $2. This is still the best price you’ll pay for a bottle of beer on the Vegas Strip but there was always something special about that $1 price point. Casino Royale is probably still the best low roller casino on the Vegas Strip.

Passenger Traffic At McCarran Airport Breaks Record In October

According to the Las Vegas Sun, McCarran Airport had a record 4.34 million passengers in October. The previous record for a month of passengers at McCarran Airport was set earlier this year in July. The number of visitors is an increase of 1.5% from the same period last year. Overall traffic for the year is also set to break a record. In 2007 there were 47.8 million passengers at McCarran Airport.

Quick Hits

There’s not much to say about the following but they’re worth noting for the next time you’re in Las Vegas.

• Troy Liquor Bar is open at Golden Nugget. Read more here.
• Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas is closing on January 14, 2018. Read more here.
• Renovations are now complete at Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan. Read more here.
• Todd English is out at Aria but the pub remains. Read more here.

Homewood Suites City Center Is Open

Technically the new all-suite hotel from Hilton is across the I-15 behind City Center on the Vegas Strip. It’s close enough to Aria and the Cosmopolitan that a taxi driver or Uber driver might get snippy if you take a car. This is a good option for Hilton Honors customers looking for a hotel to use rewards for in Las Vegas.

Here’s the press release for the new hotel. Here’s the website for Homewood Suites. I now have a crash pad within walking distance if I have a few too many drinks and wings at Happy Hour next door at Blind Pig.

Slow Down With Monorail The Extension Talk

The headline from the Las Vegas Review-Journal reads “Extending monorail from MGM Grand to Mandalay Bay gets county OK.” Well, the OK doesn’t mean what you think it might mean at first glance. I’m as eager for new things in Las Vegas as the next person. Over the years I’ve learned that approvals, OK’s and groundbreakings don’t mean much in Las Vegas.

This approval was necessary to move forward but nothing is happening for the monorail extension…yet. The article is full of “would” and “could.” The design needs to be finalized before there’s any more movement in this case. The funny thing here is that the walk from MGM Grand to the monorail is almost as long as the walk from MGM Grand to Excalibur for the free monorail to Mandalay Bay. Of course, this will connect Mandalay Bay with the Westgate and Las Vegas Convention Center on the other side of town.

I started writing about potential expansions of the monorail more than five years ago at Vegas Chatter. If (when) the football stadium is built it will probably make sense to build this connector for the monorail. Mandalay Bay will be walking distance to the stadium. Expect to hear more about this in the future. There’s no date on when we should expect final approval yet.

Is The Vegas Flu Real?

This topic has been brought up a lot this year. I’ve heard it previously for tourists who party too hard on their first night in Las Vegas. Now we’re hearing it in the context of sports. The Vegas Golden Knights are off to a great start in their first NHL season. They’ve been boosted by an especially great record at home. The Golden Knights have only lost one of their first 10 home games. This article shows especially good statistics comparing the Golden Knights home and road games.

Word on the street is that some of the teams, especially the teams not from the west, are having a bit too much fun the night before games against the Golden Knights. Players from one team from the middle of the country, for example, are rumored to have had a bit too much fun at the Hard Rock the night before they played a game at T-Mobile Arena.

I know many people that have come down with the “Vegas Flu” after going a bit too hard in Las Vegas the day and night they land. I can’t imagine playing hockey the day after a night in Vegas. This is something to keep in mind if you’re a hockey fan.

 

REGISTER TODAY! ZorkFest – December 2017 in Atlantic City
ALL DISCOUNTS STILL VALID!

ZorkFest Schedule is NOW online, be sure to check it out.

So Much Buzz!

Read more about the vision behind this passion project. Also, special thanks to 360Vegas (zork360) (Listen episode 245 – 28 minute mark), Faces and Aces Las Vegas (Listen HERE) (and please consider using Hard-8 promo-code vegasstrong ), Cousin Vito (zorkvito) (Listen episode 57), You Can Bet on That (Listen #139: The Summit 2017) for mentions on their podcasts. Be sure to also check out the kind words by Pizza in Motion about ZorkFest, and recent mentions by Miles to Memories (zorkmtm) and The Gate.(zorkgate)

Please be sure to check out two of the newest Vegas podcasts: Vegas Confessions Podcast and Vegas Bun Boy Show.

We expect there to be lots of good surprises at ZorkFest, including the latest news that Marc Meltzer will be a special guest at ZorkFest. Register Today!

Be sure to sign up with a Hard-8 promo code to save! Visit our supporters, share you thoughts, suggestions and best travel and casino tips!

Be sure to see Seth’s most recent article for more insight on some of the great learning sessions planned.

Among the sessions on the agenda:

• Crossover of Hotel & Casino Loyalty – Hotels want in on the casino world in a big way and the blend of loyalty programs delivers on that desire
• Sweet Spot Award Redemptions – Knowing which points to use when and where matters a ton when maximizing value
• Behind the Scenes of Casino Marketing – When you know how the system is built it is way easier to optimize and maximize behavior
• Booking Tools & Search Engines – A well-prepared consumer has a lot of resources in their toolbox; these are some of the best for award and revenue alike
• Loving the LCCs (Low Cost Carriers) – There is absolutely a place for the “low-end” products and the net result can be pretty spectacular
• Social Media FTW – When life hands you lemons, tweet up a storm; how to do it right to get things fixed

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