Vegas News July 4, 2021
More Resorts World
The big news in Las Vegas is still the opening of Resorts World Las Vegas. The soft opening was last week and the grand opening will take place on July 4th. I visited Resorts World in between despite the soft opening issues I was warned about. Thankfully, they’re being addressed and very slowly fixed. So, we are going to be sharing More Resorts World for you to enjoy!
I visited Resorts World Las Vegas twice last week. Years ago I’d wait a week or so to visit a new property to let them work through any opening problems. That’s not possible today so I made a plan to stop off after Resorts World was open for a few days.
The early visitors did some great recon and pointed out some things to avoid. The parking situation at Resorts World can be a bit of a mess with a garage that’s about five minutes away from the casino and resort. I tried to valet at Conrad Las Vegas but they’re only accepting hotel guests. I was pointed to the Hilton Garage. Everyone driving to Resorts World should park here. The casino also has a valet if you prefer. Parking was free during the soft opening but will be instituted soon. The pay stations are already installed.
I Love The Aesthetic Of Resorts World
Knowing there were some issues I still met up with a longtime friend. He was one of a few people I know in town for a conference(!) last week. The Great Vegas Comeback (™) continues with business travelers returning.
I love the aesthetic of Resorts World and can see the vision for the property. The casino is large and feels like a Vegas Strip casino. The renovation of Monte Carlo to Park MGM didn’t feel as grand. The off-strip renovation of the Hard Rock to Virgin didn’t feel like a grand debut either.
Maybe building from the ground up allows a casino to truly define itself. Circa was built from scratch and feels like a destination property with must-see amenities in downtown Las Vegas. Resorts World has a similar feel with different features.
Amazing Pool Complex
Like Circa, Resorts World has a great pool complex. This can be such a great amenity some people will stay just for the pools. The Dawg House saloon and sportsbook is offering free musicians nightly unless a superstar turns up for a ticketed event.
The sports bar and book isn’t my cup of tea to watch the games (I prefer a traditional setting like Circa) but the combination of free music and sports will attract people. Lastly, the convenience of using Hilton Honors points will also be a draw.
(Some) Problems Fixed
Some of the problems I had on Sunday were mostly fixed by the time I stayed at Conrad Las Vegas to review the hotel room on Wednesday.
Not everything was ready for prime time but they were slowly getting there. The property was still short on some items midweek. This should be solved like the other issues. Thankfully the bill breaker/ATM machines weren’t paying in singles by the time I returned on Wednesday.
TITO @ResortsWorldLV paid out all singles for my $44. Guess I’ll go to @TheSapphirePool for the afternoon 🤣💸 💸 pic.twitter.com/fSZE3dkHa1
— Marc (@MeltzVegas) June 27, 2021
20K Showed Up – Opening Night
Resorts World hired a lot of experienced workers from other casinos. They had to repeatedly apologize for the issues throughout the week. I started to feel bad after speaking to a variety of people with different jobs.
I don’t think Resorts World officials were quite prepared for the 20,000 people who showed up on the opening night and beyond.
Besides the one ticket being paid in singles, I didn’t run into many problems firsthand. My biggest complaint right now is that it’s a pain to get an iced coffee. Right now, the only place service cold coffee is Starbucks. At least, that’s the only place I found it. Hopefully, I just missed another option.
I think I can see the vision of Resorts World. I’ll wait at least a few weeks for the property to work out its problems. You can read a quick review of the Conrad Hotel Las Vegas room at Resorts World Las Vegas here.
Las Vegas Quick Hits
Las Vegas Quick Hits
The news doesn’t stop in Las Vegas no matter how distracted I am. Let’s take a quick look at some news highlights around Las Vegas.
- Nevada casinos won a record-breaking amount of money in May. The newspaper headline could also read, “Nevada gamblers lose a record $1.23B in May.” Read more here.
- MGM Resorts made a big real estate deal for CityCenter. Read the press release here.
- The company essentially flipped Aria and Vdara to Blackstone and will lease the properties. Nothing will change with your experience. You can read about the deal here.
- MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek golf course is raising green fees to $1,000. Read more here.
- I wouldn’t be surprised if Wynn follows this with an increase of its green fees. The only casino on the Vegas Strip with a golf course merely charges a $550 green fee. Read more here.
- Speaking of Wynn, the company shared details about the podcast studio across from La Cave. Read more here.
- Sammy Hagar will have a residency at The Strat later this year. I’m curious to see if this draws new visitors. Read more here.
- Rooms tend to have walls but that hasn’t stopped anyone from calling the poker area at PLANET HOLLYWOOD Las Vegas Resort a ” Poker Room.” Regardless, poker is leaving Planet Hollywood on July 11. Read more here.
- If you’ve been reading this column for the past two years, you’ve probably seen that casino operators have been looking for ways to reduce expenses. New Caesars Entertainment (old Eldorado) and Boyd have led the way saying buffets are wasteful and not profitable.
- The former has been planning to save money by reducing overlapping jobs and services and creating greater synergies between the two merged companies. That’s continuing throughout the company’s operations. The latter has been squeezing money from its most profitable customers while reducing benefits to less profitable customers. Both are sound business decisions for the two corporations.
- COVID-19 caused all casino operators to focus on streamlining expenses so they could keep the companies operating last year. In addition to reduced amenities, there are also fewer workers at the casinos. According to an analyst, MGM Resorts has reduced its staff by 40%. The casino operators will continue to add automation to keep payroll down. Don’t be surprised if the staff reductions stay intact if the companies can continue to operate successfully and be more profitable with fewer employees.
- The Vegas experience continues to change. Earnings calls are around the corner and I expect we’ll learn even more.
