Congratulations! We made it through another year! (Also, another year of the TravelZork Vegas News!)
It will be 2020 the next time you read your weekly dose of Vegas news. It will also be the beginning of one of the most expensive weeks to visit Las Vegas. The new year in Las Vegas begins with a bang named the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
This is the largest convention and expo in Las Vegas every year. Hotel room rates are sky-high. For example, the least expensive room at Circus Circus on January 5, two days before CES, is $25 (plus taxes and fees). The same Manor-Motor Lodge King room is $399 on the night CES begins on January 7. Every Vegas Strip casino has similarly outrageous rates.
CES will be even bigger in 2021 when the second phase of the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion is complete. The convention center expansion will make it so large that they are building an underground people mover so people can get around.
I love new tech and CES is where many new products and concepts are introduced. The big trends in tech aren’t too interesting to me. I’m curious about 5G, but I don’t think we’ll see a switch turn on and all of a sudden we have fast internet right away.
That said, I’ll keep my eye out for some things we should expect to see in casinos soon. Between new TV screens, mobile devices, and the internet of things there’s bound to be new tech for casinos, hotels, and restaurants.
Related: Last week we looked at New Year’s Eve on the Vegas Strip. If you’re in Las Vegas and reading this in 2019, here’s something useful. The local CBS station put together a list of road closures for New Year’s Eve. As I mentioned before, getting around the Vegas Strip before and after the fireworks can be a pain. This should help if you’re driving.
If you plan on taking an Uber, Lyft or taxi you can either wait a few hours for roads to open before getting into a car and leaving. You can also walk to an off-strip hotel like Hooters, Ellis Island, and Tuscany or leave from a casino with an entrance away from the Vegas Strip like Delano at Mandalay Bay.
Vegas News – Slow Week
It was another very slow week with Christmas falling on a Wednesday. There was little news before the holiday and even less after. It’s also a rare week that there’s almost nothing that’s really interesting happening in or around Las Vegas. This will probably be the shortest Vegas News of the year so I’ll deliver it once again in Quick Hits format.
Las Vegas Quick Hits
- The RTC is shutting down the Trip To Ship ride-hailing service it started earlier this year since it’s not making money. Read more here.
- The first Chick Fill A on the Vegas Strip will open at Planet Hollywood on January 30. Read more here.
- The D Las Vegas is turning its showroom into a sports book next year. Hooray for me! On the other side of the fence, the shows taking place in that room have to find a new location if they want to stay in business. Jokesters at The D will be open until January 5 and is looking for a new room in Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Last week I shared some less than great pics of the renovated Vesper Bar at the Cosmopolitan. This bar isn’t my favorite at the casino but it holds a special place in my heart. It was the first place I stopped when I visited on the first time I visited the Cosmopolitan. You can see nicer pictures of the renovated bar here. It sure is purdy.
- The Elvis show you never heard of is closing. Read more here.
- Memes with Baby Yoda was incredibly fun for a couple of days. They’re still hanging in there with random memes that aren’t related to the show like Baby Yoda holding your favorite album. Well, you can now get a Baby Yoda cocktail at The Golden Tiki. Read more here.
- How about this?! Two bits of news for Luxor! There are 108 new artifacts coming to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Read more here. Also, you may have heard there are new lights outside of the property. Read/see more here.
- Bro. You won’t be able to vape just anywhere you want in Las Vegas in 2020. Unfortunately, you can still blow your huge clouds of awful cherry crap all over me when we’re gambling in a casino. Read more here.
- A boxing Fight Night in Las Vegas is still a big deal because it still brings in high rollers. The rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will take place at MGM Grand on February 22. Read more here.
- The overpriced cafe at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Americano, is opening a new location at Paris Las Vegas. If the menu is similar, you might also be able to enjoy a Cuban sandwich and iced tea for $30+ after tip. Read more here.
- The World Series Of Poker at the Rio announced 10 more events for the 2020 event. Read more here.
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