Vegas News May 17, 2023

“Fresh Visit” – Cosmo

I’m fresh off my monthly overnight visit at The Cosmopolitan. Gambling was so bad that I forced myself to take at least a two-week break on everything other than sports betting. I haven’t been on this bad of a gambling run since returning to casinos after they closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s a solid run of not-awful gambling!

My visits to The Cosmopolitan are usually for relaxing but every now and I stumble across some news.

Everyone I spoke with at The Cosmopolitan about MGM Rewards had a different guestimate as to when the property will be integrated into the program. Every person was projecting farther away. This is in line with the MGM Resorts earnings call a couple of weeks ago.

Cosmo – Starbucks – Mobile Ordering

I’m happy to report that Starbucks at The Cosmopolitan is now accepting mobile orders. I must have been one of the first because there’s no special pickup area set up yet. I had to ask for my coffee and surprisingly decent chocolate croissant.

The order was just behind the counter. Expect to see a more traditional pickup area soon. Coffee lines in Las Vegas can be loooooong and having a way to circumvent the wait is great. Starbucks is probably the third best coffee at The Cosmopolitan but not waiting in line is sometimes more important.

I saw rumors that The Cosmopolitan removed the Britney Spears slot machines just before my last visit. Unfortunately, I can confirm they’re gone. The old machines were replaced with more Dragon Link slots. See the pic here.  

You can see a pic of the Britney slots at The Cosmopolitan from last year here.

I Don’t Complain – But…

I don’t complain about the accommodations at The Cosmopolitan often because even the worst rooms are nicer than most comps I receive. However, the room I had during this last visit wasn’t great. The couch was uncomfortable and the works space was almost unusable. I was able to bang out a little bit of work but the “desk” was obnoxious and I had to bail. Check it out here.  

Former Hawaiian Marketplace Land

The room had a sweet view of the former Hawaiian Marketplace land. You can see that here.

Vital Vegas shared some renderings of what the Hawaiian Marketplace will eventually become. You can see the art here.

The Cosmopolitan is finally filling the Estiatorio Milos restaurant space. LPM Restaurant and Bar will open this fall. Read about the new French restaurant here. 

That’s enough about The Cosmopolitan. Let’s get to the rest of the news in and around Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Quick Hits

• F1 announced something unique for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. One of the car sponsors, Red Bull, will have its own fan section at the race. One ticket gives fans access to the Energy Station, Grandstand, and Fan Zone. Max Verstappen fans can also purchase special “Orange Army” tickets. Read more here. 
• We already know Las Vegas will be a cluster during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This article is a reminder that there will be LOTS of walking during race weekend. Read about it here. 
• Construction on temporary structures for the Las Vegas Grand Prix will begin this summer. Unlike paving the roads, this shouldn’t cause too much traffic. Read more here.
• The big news today about the Oakland A’s possibly moving to Las Vegas is that the Tropicana will be destroyed and there will be a new casino to go along with the baseball stadium. Read more here.
• Bally’s had no information about the Tropicana during its earnings call. Stay tuned to As The A’s World Turns for new drama. The company did confirm the land deal. Read more here.
• It appears as though batters will face the Vegas Strip. See the tweet here.
• The Dorsey at The Venetian is being changed into Juliet Cocktail Room. The venue will have dueling pianos. Read more here.   
• U2 added eight more shows to its limited engagement at the MSG Sphere. Read more here.
• Speaking of The Sphere, the budget to build the entertainment venue is now up to $2.3 million. Read more here.
• Wynn’s first-quarter earnings were fantastic. Read the press release here.
• During the earnings call, a Wynn rep mentioned the company had its best April ever. This is a glimpse into second-quarter earnings. 
• I had one takeaway from Wynn’s earnings report. Occupancy was 88% for the quarter and the average daily hotel rate was $493. That’s almost $500 on average. 
• I missed this one since I don’t pay close attention to the casino biz outside of the US. You can find more renderings and info on Wynn’s UAE property in the presentation here.  ​​ 
• Wynn Las Vegas is hosting The Match golf event between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will take on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in June. Read more here.
• Last Wynn Las Vegas note, the casino is hosting a pop-up restaurant this summer from Min Kim. Read more here. 
• El Cortez is expanding next year! Read more here.
• Four Seasons is opening private residencies in Henderson. Read more here and see the website for more info here.  
• I missed this one when it was first announced in late April. Luxor is opening “Play Playground.” This will be “a multi-dimensional, dynamic world that stimulates all the senses and facilitates social interaction through bespoke social games.” Read more here.
• Circa will be revealing its sports gambling Hall of Fame in its sportsbook later this year. Read more here.  
• Circa and The D are following the Plaza in already promoting their 2024 Super Bowl watch parties in downtown Las Vegas. See prices and more here.
• Depending on when you read this, the outdoor bar at Plaza might be opened. The soft opening should happen by May 20 at noon. The grand opening should happen shortly after. At the time I’m writing this, the casino wasn’t sure if video poker players would receive complimentary drinks. 
• It’s 2023 and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have a Las Vegas residency at the Westgate. Read more here.   
• This Robot Coffee Shop in New York City is powered by a company in Las Vegas. Read more here.
• Ellis Island has a new high-limit slot room and it’s bigger than you might expect. Read and see more here.