There was a lot of hotel news last week but not all of it is relevant to your visits to Las Vegas. With that in mind, let’s start with the hotel news that actually matters in the near future. When the Blackstone Group purchased the Cosmopolitan in 2014, they detailed very specific plans to turn around the casino which didn’t have a profitable quarter since opening.

Cosmopolitan

I detailed many of those changes in The Evolution Of The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas. These changes have taken place slowly over time. Most recently, the Chandelier bar reopened after a 2-month renovation. You can see details at Sunday News from last week. The latest news is that they will finally be revealing the penthouse suites atop the Boulevard/East Tower that were first mentioned almost two years ago.

The 21 suites will occupy 63,000 square feet and be called the Boulevard Penthouses. The suites will range in size from 2,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet. The suites will also have a private terrace that overlooks the Vegas Strip.

In addition, there is said to be a 2,300-square-foot private gaming salon exclusively for penthouse suite guests. That’s about the same size as one of the smaller suites, so don’t expect too much action beyond a few tables for the high rollers. I’m sure this gaming salon will be secluded since it is located atop the resort, but I’m not sure that it can legally be “private.” Details will be revealed once the room opens.

Don’t expect these suites to be affordable to the common hotel guest. Along with Wynn and The Venetian, the Cosmopolitan is usually among the 3 most expensive ADR’s (Average Daily Room rate) in Las Vegas. Expect these highly designed Penthouse Suites to be priced at the top of the market.

Alon

Speaking of Luxury, Alon Las Vegas is supposed to offer a new level of luxury if it ever gets built across the street from Wynn. The rumor mill has been strong with this hotel since day one. The land that used to be home to the New Frontier was purchased in 2014 with plans to build a boutique luxury resort and casino.

Nothing has happened with Alon in two years and there doesn’t seem to be anything coming in the near future. If you’d like to learn about the initial plans you can read this article I wrote earlier this year called Alon may not have money, but they have plans. The plans sound great but there isn’t money available to get things rolling.

Last year I speculated that the hotel may never open. I was wrong about Lucky Dragon and I hope I’m wrong about Alon. However, rumors persist that the project is on hold. Andrew Pascal, CEO of Alon Las Vegas, says that isn’t the case. This week he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal  “the project hasn’t been suspended and the financing is complicated because it’s a multibillion-dollar greenfield development.” I guess that puts an end to the discussion.

Resorts World Las Vegas

Last week I noted that Resorts World Las Vegas was getting sassy on twitter and Facebook by posting construction updates. They might want to slow their roll a little. The massive casino resort project on the north end of the Vegas Strip has been postponed again.

Stiffs and Georges noticed that actual construction on Resorts World won’t start until “early 2017.” The information was found deep into an article about Genting Malaysia. He also noticed that the opening of Resorts World Las Vegas is now slated for the 2nd half of 2019. The revitalization of the north end of the Vegas Strip may have been slightly exaggerated.

Golden Nugget Turned 70!

This has been a year of round number anniversaries for casinos in Las Vegas. Last week the Golden Nugget celebrated its 70th year in business! This anniversary occurred on August 31 without any fanfare. You can read an in-depth (sic) article about the anniversary at KNTV.com.

It’s Football Season And There Are A Lot Of Sports Book Upgrades

The sports book is my favorite part of a casino so I’m probably more excited about this than most people. Eleven casinos have upgraded their sports book since the kickoff of the football season last year. Station Casinos went upgrade crazy in the past year but the Cosmopolitan upgrade is probably my favorite. The new sports book at the Cosmopolitan is small but beautiful and more than just another sportsbook.

The newest upgrade is at The California which revealed its upgrades last week. The Cal may now have the best sports book experience in downtown Las Vegas. You can read specifics about the new sports book experiences at Covers.com.

Lots Of Useless (But Awesome) Information About Vegas Casinos

Speaking of casinos and sports books, Vegas Inc. published an interesting list of information about the casino operators in Las Vegas. The list shows that sports books at the 10 MGM Resorts properties occupy twice as much space as the sports books at Caesars Entertainment properties.

MGM Resorts also has more table games and slot machines than Caesars Entertainment casinos. They don’t lag behind in all areas of the casino. Caesars has more poker tables than any other Las Vegas casino operator. The list is great info if you love random Vegas info like I do.

Beer Garden In Tha Hood

It looks as though Ellis Island will be opening a beer garden next year. Drinking cheap craft beer outside after a low rolling session of craps sounds like fun.

Big plans for 2017! Can’t wait to give you guys all the details ????✨????  LINK to tweet

Neonopolis Getting New Life

A few years ago it seemed as if opening a business at Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas was the kiss of death. The popularity of Denny’s and Banger Brewing may have reversed that curse. An arcade recently opened and seems to be an early success. You can listen to a surprisingly interesting interview with the owner on the Vital Vegas podcast.

Next year, part of the movie theater space will become a home for eSports. One part of the 15,000 square foot space will be used as an arena and another space will be used for live matches and a studio for streaming events. You can read more about it here. You can learn more about eSports in Las Vegas here.

Rumor Of The Week: Jaburritos Simultaneously Announces Opening And Closing At Linq Casino

Okay, I’m just being a jerk. I didn’t come across any interesting rumors last week so I’m pulling one out of my butt. Last week Jaburritos announced that they will be opening a location at The Linq in December.

If you’re not familiar with the hottest trend in dining, let me introduce you to the sushi burrito. Yes, sushi served in a burrito. The concept is super hot with the cool kids right now. Unfortunately, the cool kids aren’t the people visiting Canter’s Deli, any Gordon Ramsay restaurant, a Ferris wheel and just everything else you’ll find at Linq. I’ll be shocked if this location of Jaburritos is still open next Christmas.

Still no exact opening date for In N Out Burger. Sorry.

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