Vegas News March 21, 2021
Vegas is back, baby!
Vegas Is Packed
On Tuesday, I went to a small media gathering at Tuscany for the opening of the new Circa Sports location. Afterward, I saw a couple of friends from Florida for the first time in years. I saw more people in three hours than the entire year to date, and that was just the beginning. Wow, Vegas is packed.
Nacho Daddy at Harmon Corner was packed, and there was a 30-minute wait for a table. There wasn’t an open seat in the house, and there were about 50 people outside just hanging out waiting. We ended up grabbing Buffalo Wild Wings next door instead.
Inside the Miracle Mile Shops was busy too. Plenty of people walking around and waiting to eat at some of the inexpensive restaurants. This was a sign that Las Vegas would probably be packed for the first weekend of March Madness.
Even with the limited 50% capacity, casino sportsbooks and parties were packed for the games. Legally they must have been keeping social distancing but it didn’t look like it at any casino from the pics and videos of the crowds.
Stadium Swim can officially hold 4,000 people and is outdoors. It was a great place to watch the games on the first 80-degree day in Las Vegas this year. That encouraged the dudes to enjoy the action. As you can see below, the place was packed before noon.
Vegas is Packed
Casinos were making the most of the visitors with higher hotel room prices and table limits. Caesars Palace Las Vegas was back to event pricing for valet parking. More shows are open than any time in the past year. Dayclubs, nightclubs, and pools are open as well.
Even at partial capacity, this is the Vegas so many people love. To each their own.
This was the first time since moving to Vegas that I didn’t spend the mornings checking out the March Madness scene inside of the locals casinos. The crowds may have given me a second thought about going but that wasn’t the main reason I skipped the hoops action.
I Got A Covid Vaccine
I didn’t go to the casinos because I got a Covid vaccine (One shot bro – Johnson and Johnson) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. When I was done I had to play catch up with work.
I was hoping to check out the expansion but the shots were given out at the old space. I was only able to get pics of the new Vegas Loop people mover station.
Unless there’s a crazy spike in coronavirus cases in Nevada, expect the restriction to be loosened again. The Governor and local officials should make another announcement about new restrictions by May 1.
VIVA!
Las Vegas Quick Hits
Las Vegas Quick Hits
We’re going to shake up quick hits a bit this week with a few hits on certain items. The first bit of news is big enough for multiple sources and takes. Let’s get to it!
- Luxor renovated hotel rooms in the pyramid. Read more and see pics here.
- Rio All-Suite Hotel will become a Hyatt property featuring multiple brands. The property will still be called “Rio.” Details on the refresh of the property are sparse right now as it will be updated in phases. You can read the announcement here.
- The first change to the property will begin with a Hyatt Regency tower. You can read more about potential hotel brands for the property here.
- There’s no word on the potential baseball stadium. Right now, the rumor mongers might be thinking Palms could be the site of a baseball stadium. (sic)
- Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and Mohegan Sun Casino will open at 6 p.m. sharp on March 25. Read more here.
- I confirmed with Mohegan Sun that the sportsbook will be open for people to watch games upon opening. However, Betfred won’t take bets until this summer.
- The Las Vegas Sun has a slew of pictures inside Virgin here.
- Last year we heard from Vital Vegas that Katy Perry would be doing a residency at Resorts World. While the property hasn’t announced this, Billboard says it will start later this year. After stepping in front of me to take a picture, Scott decided to pat himself on the back here.
- J Balvin is planning 3 days and nights of fun at Resorts World. Read more here.
- Rumor of the week: Resorts World will open with an Asian food hall. Don’t be surprised when this has mediocre American food too by the time you come back to Vegas.
- While we’re talking about Resorts World, the property has a tech partner. Read more here.
- The Bellagio Conservatory just changed to a spring display. Read more and see pics here.
- The Streetmosphere performers at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes are back! Read more here.
- Circa Sports took over the sportsbook operation at Tuscany this week. The company will operate the sportsbook at Pass Casino in Henderson next month. Read more here.
- Milos is now open at The Venetian. It’s pretty. Check out some big pictures here.
- Bang Bar is opening at the Cosmopolitan on April Fools Day. Read more here.
- JSX will start flying to Vegas from San Diego next month. See the tweet here.
- Forget March Madness. Vegas is stoked for the concrete convention in June. Read more here.
- Bally’s (formerly Twin River) now owns Montbleu in Reno. This isn’t Vegas but could be the first step forward for the company to enter the market. Read more here.
- This Westgate location not in Las Vegas sounds like something from the 1980’s…in Las Vegas.
- The demand for Uber and Lyft this week has been insane. Unfortunately, many drivers have ditched the services and the wait times for a car are up to an hour. While it might not be necessary now, there’s a new staging area for rideshares in downtown Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Trevor Lawrence is expected to be the #1 draft pick in the NFL this year. He was partying at Mandalay Bay last week. Read more here.
- Rumor of the week 2: Charlie Palmer Steak at Four Seasons (Mandalay Bay) won’t reopen. Read more here.
- Boyd expects you to dump your next stimulus check at its properties. That will get you a tonnnnnn of food at Ping Pang Pong inside the Gold Coast. Read more here.
- Info about the eventual Tropicana sale can be found here.
- Las Vegas’ Imagine Dragons released a new video that was shot at The Venetian. Read more here and watch below.
