Las Vegas is always changing and it’s sometimes strange to be in the middle of those advancements. I’m currently experiencing that for the second time with the Palms.
The casino just off the Vegas Strip was a hot spot for celebrities and cool people when I first started visiting Las Vegas. I loved it! Times changed and the casino was no longer the cool new place to visit.
In recent years Palms felt more like visiting a locals casino. Not just any locals casino but a lifeless locals casino with no vibe. I’ve visited once in the first 5 years I lived in Las Vegas.
Station Casinos is pumping more than $600 million into Palms to give the casino a new life and create their own #NewVegas. The changes on the casino floor are nice and so far the new restaurants I’ve tried have been good. The newest promotional video for Palms is unlike anything we’ve seen from Station Casinos before.
Later this year we’ll see a new Palms Casino Resort with a new attitude maybe. The new attitude for Palms is refreshing but the guests at the casino are still the same people that have been visiting since the vibe went from hot spot to locals joint. It will be interesting to see how this changes. At some point, the additions should start bringing new customers and new life to the casino.
Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the complete finished product later this year when I can enjoy everything as it’s meant to be. Seeing the slow reveal is just a bit of a tease. Possibly related: Chef Barry Dakake from Scotch 80 Prime (and previously N9NE Steakhouse) has left Palms. You can read more here.
“As Caesars Turns”
Carl Icahn took a break this week so there’s no drama to report at Caesars Entertainment. That said, there are a few things to share just so we can keep the show alive.
If you’ve been following Mark from 360 Vegas, you might know that Caesars has been upgrading their signs. Caesars just finished upgrading the marquees at Harrah’s Las Vegas, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, and PLANET HOLLYWOOD Las Vegas Resort. You can see a video of the new signs here.
A New Look
The Harrah’s and Planet Hollywood signs offer a new look to the casinos. The Caesars Palace and Paris Las Vegas signs slide into the existing marquee for each casino. If you love signs as much as Mark does, you can read more about them here.
The Adobe Summit started in Las Vegas last week. Caesars is using a variety of Adobe services for their advertising, on-property digital signs, and the marquees mentioned above. You can read more about Caesars and Adobe here.
Last but not least, the High Roller Observation Wheel at the Linq is now 5 years old. How bout that?!
New Slot Alert: Munchkinland
Wizard of Oz has been one of the most popular slot machine themes for years. Scientific Games debuted the new Munchkinland slot machine at G2E last year. I’m not much of the Wizard of Oz theme but I really like the James Bond slots in this cabinet. The game will finally be hitting casinos. You can read about the new slot machine here.
$25 Concerts at House Of Blues (Mandalay Bay)
House of Blues runs discount ticket promotions a few times a year. Until April 7, they’re offering $25 tickets for a limited number of shows. There are still fees but the base rate is discounted. Here are the shows available:
- Friday, April 12 | Eric B & Rakim
- Saturday, April 13 | Jackyl
- April 20 | The Noise Presents: Falling in Reverse
- Saturday, April 27 | I Prevail: The Trauma Tour
- Wednesday, May 8 | Yngwie Malmsteen
- Thursday, May 23 | Matisyahu
- Saturday, June 1 | Ana Barbara “Mi Revancaha Tour”
- Saturday, June 15 | Avatar – Avatar Country World Tour
- Friday, July 26 | Whiskey Myers – Die Rockin’ Tour
- Tuesday, Aug. 20 | O.A.R. – The Mighty O.A.R. Summer Tour 2019 with American Authors
Visit houseofblues.com by April 7 to take advantage of the $25 ticket promotion.
Next Vegas
I commonly refer to changes happening in Las Vegas right now as #NewVegas. Today, let’s take a look at what Las Vegas might see in the future. We’ll call this #NextVegas. Luxury travel will be different in the future. The new luxury will cater to the richest of the rich. We’re talking the high end of the customers that visit The Venetian, Wynn, and Cosmopolitan.
These casino-resorts already have the highest average daily room rate in Las Vegas and some of those room rates should be increasing. Former casino developer Ian Schrager says that luxury hotels will evolve to offer more exclusive experiences. The hotels will be smaller with larger rooms. You can actually see this right now with the new penthouse suites at the Cosmopolitan.
Wynn West
If Wynn Resorts ever builds the casino-resort tower once known as Wynn West, we could see something similar to Steve’s original plan. On an earnings call last year Wynn said his vision for the new tower was to feature the following:
“hotel rooms that are 650 square feet with two bathrooms and an 80” TV. The window will be 27 feet from the door. The window for the rooms will be 24 feet wide. He expects the new rooms/suites will bring $400-$500 per night.”
Despite his transgressions, over the years he might have been on point for the next level of Las Vegas luxury. You can read more from Ian Schrager here. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on some more predictions for Las Vegas. Some guesses include building another airport, Las Vegas hosting the Olympics, and more outdoor venues similar to The Linq and The Park.
Quick Hits
There are a lot of odds and ends in and about Las Vegas this week. Like a lot. Let’s get to it!
- Cousin Vito’s Casino podcast is taking an indefinite hiatus after Gamblepalooza. You can catch up on episodes here.
- Someone fell out of the El Loco roller coaster at Circus Circus. The ride was closed for a security check. Read more here.
- Las Vegas sports books can now take wagers on baseball games played in Nevada. This could include the Las Vegas Aviators and Reno Aces minor league teams. This could also pave the way for the implosion of the Rio to build a new major league baseball stadium. Read more here.
- Since we’re talking about sports, you can now watch the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSIN) on Sling. Read more here.
- Things are looking up for Resorts World Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Nic Cage got married in Las Vegas…by mistake. Then he got unmarried. Read more here.
- Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) just announced the lineup for this year’s festival and they’ve already sold 90% of the tickets. Hustle up if you want to go. Read more here.
- The Las Vegas Film Festival announced its lineup. Read more here.
- Zippy’s purchased land in southwest Las Vegas and will be opening their first location outside of Hawaii. Read more here.
- Andy Wang is one of the better food writers I’ve come across lately. He looks at some new restaurants in Las Vegas. Read here.
- There’s a Tequila and Mezcal bar opening at Park MGM. Read more here.
- Lyft is now a public company. I expect Las Vegas will start to see rate increases now that they have to report profits to shareholders. Read more here.
- Speaking of rides hailing in Las Vegas, more people are using Lyft and Uber and fewer are taking taxis in Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Parking will be free for the Las Vegas Aviators minor league baseball team. They’ll also offer food from some popular names in Las Vegas including Giada, Chef Brian Howard, Tenaya Creek, and others. Read more here.
- Great Vegas Beer Festival will take place on April 5 and 6. See more info and buy tickets here.
- Lionel Richie and Anita Baker will both be performing limited engagements at Wynn Las Vegas.
- Binion’s was featured on Ghost Hunters. You can see pictures here.
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