Vegas News May 30, 2021
The Great Vegas Comeback
I’m fresh off my first Vegas Vacation since 2019 and feel amazingly refreshed. This was four whole days eating, drinking, and gambling and not working in casinos. This is slightly different from my typical casino visits, which are usually for some kind of work. The Great Vegas Comeback has arrived!
It felt great to play Pai Gow Poker, a few slots, and lots of bartop video poker while drinking too much scotch, vodka and wine without the concern of waking up sober so I can string thoughts together. I even spent some time at the pool. I never go to pools but needed some sun and time away.
Shout out to @LasVegasUK for the recommendation. 4 drink tickets at Chandelier bar snagged us this bottle of wine for after dinner. Vegas vacation leaves the strip for a few hours to get some steak 🥩 pic.twitter.com/fiO1C1D6kW
— Marc (@MeltzVegas) May 26, 2021
Drink Tickets = Bottle of Wine
Last year Steve mentioned (on ZorkCast, the TravelZork Podcast) that you could redeem drink tickets for a bottle of wine from the bars at Cosmopolitan. Nothing wrong with drinking wine on the terrace with that view. A friend and I made sure to save four tickets so we could enjoy some complimentary wine while catching up. Let’s keep this amazing tip to ourselves so we don’t lose this sweet perk. This was definitely a highlight of my week away from work.
It was great to spend time seeing what the Las Vegas experience is like today. Things appear just about back to normal. Masks are optional. Most people didn’t wear a mask and that’s fine. It sounds strange given what we see in the news but most people were respectful of each other’s space.
People would wait for elevators instead of packing in like sardines. There was no mask shaming either way. Most smokers were standing away from the tables or blowing to the side. I had a very pleasant experience at Bally’s, Cosmopolitan, Circa, and Paris throughout the week.
Tables Limits Are High
One thing to note is that table limits are still high everywhere. $25 minimums were the norm for Blackjack, Craps, and Pai Gow Poker. Cosmopolitan was actually $50 every evening. Even a game like the 6:5 Free Bet Blackjack was $35 or $50. Carny games have $10 or $15 minimums but you normally have to make more than one bet. The tables were fairly crowded most of the time. People were even playing casino War. On purpose!
The Las Vegas Sun has a pretty good overview of what Las Vegas is like right now. It’s a quick blog-style article. The Great Vegas Comeback (™) is here. Summer unofficially begins this weekend and I’m happy to be back in the burbs. I don’t particularly like large crowds.
High Demand – The Great Vegas Comeback
In the short term, there’s high demand for everything. Make reservations and buy tickets in advance if you absolutely want to see a show. Prices will be high on the Vegas Strip and new casinos. Consider that when making plans. If you’re on a budget, try to focus on properties that work best for that.
I didn’t track the news for most of the week so I miss some nuggets. We should have the bulk of what’s happening in and around Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Quick Hits
Las Vegas Quick Hits
This week there’s some good, bad, and annoying news in Las Vegas. Remember, Las Vegas businesses, including casinos, return to 100% occupancy on June 1.
- This was inevitable but paid parking is returning to most of the Vegas Strip this week. Read about MGM Resorts parking fees here, the Caesars parking policy here, and the Cosmopolitan parking fees here.
- This will be fun. Uber and Lyft can charge surge prices once again. This should result in more cars being available. It also means there will likely be higher prices.
- We had three or four Uber drivers bail on a ride from Circa to Cosmopolitan last week. The driver who finally picked us up said it wasn’t very busy. There just weren’t many drivers out.
- The Oakland A’s staff visited Las Vegas scouting potential sites for a stadium if they decide to move. They’re using the same playbook as the Raiders. Read more here.
- The LVCVA released its monthly Executive Summary this week. Visitation was up across the board. More importantly, the average daily hotel room price and the amount of money spent per day are up 9.2% and 29.1% from last month, respectively. I don’t see this slowing down anytime soon. See the full report here.
- Restaurant Week Las Vegas runs from June 7 – 18. See participating eateries and special menus here.
- The buffet at Circus Circus is back. Read more here.
- Don’t expect to see many more buffets opening around Las Vegas. Caesars, Boyd, and Station Casinos are each giving us warnings that all won’t reopen at their properties. Read more here.
- Don’t be surprised to hear about a few more buffets reopening. Just remember not all buffets that were open last year will be available again.
- There are a few other happenings at Circus Circus. Read and see more here.
- The Circa NFL contests are back! There’s $10 million in guaranteed prizes available this year. Read more here.
- The Plaza is planning on Fireworks from July 2-4. Read more here.
- Gwen Stefani’s residency returns to Planet Hollywood in October and November. Read more here.
- Shania Twain’s residency will resume at Planet Hollywood in December and return next year. Read more here.
- Katy Perry added eight more shows to her Resorts World Las Vegas residency. Read more here. Luke Bryan did the same. Read more here.
- John Fogerty is coming back to Wynn in October for a string of six shows. Read more here.
- It looks like Las Vegas is getting a pro lacrosse team. There’s not much detail but you can read more here.
- All signs are pointing to WWE SummerSlam taking place in August at Allegiant Stadium. It looks like there’s going to be a big boxing match that weekend too. Read more here.
