There’s so much to get to this week that there’s no time for an intro to the Vegas News. Let’s get into it.
Super Bowl Weekend
It’s Super Bowl weekend and Las Vegas is hoppin! There will be an estimated 150,000 people in Atlanta for the Big Game. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) estimates that more than twice that many people will be in Las Vegas to watch and wager on the Super Bowl. Sports betting becoming legal in other states around the country isn’t quite killing Las Vegas yet. Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas is still one of the most visited weekends of the year in Las Vegas with more than 300,000 people visiting.
Hotel Prices – Super Bowl Weekend
Hotel prices are being discounted so there’s definitely some effect. However, the cheapest room at Bally’s in Las Vegas was more than twice the price of the property in Atlantic City. There should be an effect on Las Vegas as more people decide to stay closer to home for larger events in the future. The real hit could come when California legalizes sports betting. Betting on the games isn’t the only reason people still visit Las Vegas for big sporting events.
Las Vegas is still a great place to visit regardless of the date. Plenty of people are still visiting around events that interest them. Plenty of people schedule visits around residencies and sports is no different. From what I’ve seen and heard online, it seems like the majority of annual trips to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl and March Madness are still taking place. Sports fans and gamblers are a different kind of Vegas visitor.
Caesars News
Caesars Rewards
Waaaaaay back in 2018 we told you Caesars Entertainment was changing the name of Total Rewards to Caesars Rewards for the new year. Well, the time has come. Say hello to your new Caesars players club. You can read the press release here. There aren’t many changes to the program. I wrote about that here. The promotional video below will teach you that playing a slot machine is “gaming” while gambling on sports is “betting.”
Players Club Promo
Caesars has a 2x tier credit promotion for February to go along with the new players club name. The promotion is only available if you sign up. SIGN UP FOR 2X CAESARS REWARDS TIER CREDITS HERE. Caesars Republic Scottsdale (AZ): Caesars Entertainment is going to open their first non-gaming hotel in America. You may remember they’ve already opened non-gaming properties named Caesars Dubai. Caesars Republic Scottsdale will break ground later this year. In an interesting twist, Caesars Entertainment will not operate the hotel. Aimbridge Hospitality will oversee Caesars Republic Scottsdale when it opens.
SLS Las Vegas Renovation Progress
A couple of weeks ago I checked in on the renovations at SLS Las Vegas. This week we received an update on progress. The rendering above shows the ceiling difference that I noticed on my visit. The picture doesn’t do justice to how much brighter that area of the property is already.
This week SLS confirmed that Katsuya will be closing. The restaurant space will become a singular high limit slots and table room with a bar. SLS will be opening a new Mexican restaurant called Uno Mas in the room once occupied by Ku Noodle next to Northside Cafe.
The press release says most of the restaurants will remain intact. There’s no mention of Cleo in the release but I’ve been told no decision has been made if it will stay or go. I suspect they’re negotiating a deal now that the Mediterranean restaurant has parted ways with sbe. Time will tell on how long any of the restaurants last. The hotel rooms are getting a makeover and should be ready soon. The Story Tower above will remain their top tier room and keep its private entrance.
Most of the activity on the casino floor should be complete by May. The exception could be around Foxtail. The nightclub is closing and there will be a new ultra lounge that SLS expect to be the centerpiece of the casino floor. You can see plenty of renderings and follow the renovations here.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Will Be Part Of Three Loyalty Clubs
When Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opens next year (this is currently the Hard Rock) it will become part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. The hotel will also be a part of Virgin Hotels’ loyalty club called The Know. Details on the casino loyalty club haven’t been released yet so there will be at least three ways to earn and use loyalty points at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Wynn Earnings Notes
The majority of Wynn Resorts’ earnings news comes from overseas. However, there’s always a few interesting nuggets for Las Vegas (and the US).
- The average daily hotel room rate (ADR) for Wynn Las Vegas in the fourth quarter of 2018 was $315. That’s up 4.7% from 2017. For reference, ADR at The Venetian for the same period was only $250.
- The golf course and convention center are on schedule to open February or March 2020 (13 months from the call last week).
- There is no update on the property known as Wynn West across the street from Wynn Las Vegas. They reiterated that design will take two years (from 2018). Don’t expect an update until 2020 with construction beginning in 2021. Whatever they call Wynn West it won’t be open until 2023 or 2024. On a related note, they want to do something special that isn’t Paradise Park and not just another hotel tower with slots and table games.
- Three new restaurants will open at Wynn Las Vegas this year. No update on the names and type of cuisine.
- Encore Boston Harbor is on schedule to open June 23.
You can read the Macau laden press release here – if you’re into that sorta thing.
The Strat Is Rising
You may have noticed that the Stratosphere has been slowly redeveloping. They’ve officially rebranded the Strat as The Strat. You can see renderings of the updates at StratRising.com. True Rewards is the new players club at The Strat. It can be used at Golden Entertainment casinos and taverns as well as a couple supermarkets. There are different tiers for earning points, so check out the website if you’re a Strat customer. I’ve lived in Las Vegas for eight years and have been visiting for more and I’ve only been to the Strat once. That will double when the new sportsbook opens. You can read the press release for the new Strat here.
Quick Hits
We omitted Quick Hits last week because there wasn’t much news. This week is entirely different. There’s so much news that I didn’t even mention the huge new residency and another entertainer jumping ship from Caesars Entertainment properties.
- Christina Aguilera is starting a residency at Planet Hollywood in May. Read more here.
- M Resort has a $300 cashback promotion for new Marquee Rewards players club sign-ups. Read more here.
- There will be bridges built connecting all four corners of Sahara and Las Vegas Blvd. Read more here.
- Jeff Dunham is the latest artist to bail on Caesars Entertainment. His next show will be at the Hard Rock. Read more here.
- The Pac 12 football championship might join the Pac 12 basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Discount weddings at Denny’s for Valentines Day! Read more here.
- Vinnie from the Jersey Shore will be at Chippendales. Read more here.
- David Guetta extended his residency with Wynn through 2020. Read more here.
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