Welcome to the first Vegas News of 2025!
Growing up in New York City I was led to believe that Times Square is the best and only place to party on New Year’s Eve. I did it once and learned that it’s just not for me. I visited the Vegas Strip once for New Year’s Eve and found the same thing. I just don’t like big crowds.
I’m glad I did both because they’re experiences I’ll never have again and there are plenty of people who do enjoy it. It’s nice to understand what people like.
Here’s the view of the Vegas Strip on NYE from Ole Red outside of Horseshoe. It’s definitely something to behold.
It’s been more than a week since the year turned to 2025, let’s get to the Vegas News!
The big reward news is that the Hyatt tie-up with The Venetian is underway. You can read the press release from Hyatt here and from The Venetian here.
The newest addition to the TravelZork team, Hurdy Gurdy Justin ™, started a discussion on the topic on Facebook if you’d like more info on the partnership.
Visitation to Las Vegas was up slightly in November when the F1 race took place on the Vegas Strip. Hotel room rates plummeted as expected. See the report here.
MGM Resorts will report fourth quarter and full-year earnings on Feb. 12. I’ll be listening for highlights to hear how they spin the info but you can get details here.
Caesars will report the same earnings later in the month. Find more info here.
The largest convention in Las Vegas for the year, CES, just wrapped up. The tech that could be used in casinos someday was underwhelming. At least the video below is funny.
Dead and Co. added more shows at Sphere. See the dates and more info here.
Caspians Cocktails and Caviar is now open at Caesars Palace in the old Cleopatra’s Barge space. Read more here.
Nate Bargatze is starting his new tour at Wynn and performing there 16 times this year. Get dates and more info here.
Last year Bally’s Corp sent out a press release asking investors for money to finish their Chicago casino. Read that here. This year Bally’s sent an email to their customer database asking for money. I shared it on XTwitter here.
Bally’s will likely deal with the future of the Tropicana site after Chicago financing is procured. Stay tuned!
Wynn UK? Read more here.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are doing a limited engagement at House of Blues Inside Mandalay Bay. Read more here.
Fontainebleau changed its self-parking policy for the new year. See the details here.
Lenny Kravitz added a new leg to his limited engagement at Park MGM. Get the dates and more info here.
Circa will have a Wrestlemania watch party and other events around the big weekend of RASSLIN! Get the details here.
Speaking of Circa, the Survivor contest paid out $14 million to eight winners. Read more here.
Carrie Underwood’s residency at Resorts World will be on Hulu. See the trailer below:
Barry Manilow now has a “Lifetime Residency” at Westgate. Read more here.
The Westgate is also celebrating Elvis. Read more here.
The delicious Julian Serrano tapas at Aria is closing. Read more here.
King’s Bar at 4 Queens is closed temporarily. Read more here.
I wrote about the renovations to the 4 Queens hotel room renovations last year. Read that here.
Durango’s Phase 2 is underway. It’s a small change for most guests. The third phase will really change the property. Get the info on the update here.
Amaya Mexican is now open in the old Holsteins space at The Cosmopolitan. See the restaurant’s website here.
Gordon Ramsay Burger at Flamingo is now open. Read more here.
Caramella at Planet Hollywood is also open.
I was going through press releases and was reminded that Treasure Island is a Choice Hotels property. You can see the press release that has nothing to do with Las Vegas here.
What do you think about Las Vegas Raiders Rum? Read about it here.
MGM Resorts share its Lunar New Year plans here.
Last and least, the Atrium at The Mirage is gone. This might be an unpopular opinion but I’m glad Hard Rock will look entirely different. The Atrium would have conjured up old memories, which might get in the way of seeing the property as something different. You can read about my last walk through The Mirage here and see a quick video of walking through the Atrium below.
