Well, Palazzo's casino and some other public spaces are open.

http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2007/12/first-look-palazzo.html

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=402119&page=13

We got back from Las Vegas on Saturday - I was really hoping to see the insides myself. So much of the exterior needs work but I guess they were just determined to start the cash meter.

Update: Thanks to Mark for sharing some exclusive photos with us. You can see them here: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/palazzo

Updated Again: I just booked two nights over the opening weekend so we'll be reporting on the full Palazzo experience.

After a six-month hiatus, I headed back to town spending three nights at my old, favorite haunt before Wynn opened: THEhotel. My thoughts on the property, some gambling highlights, and general observations follow after the jump.

Continue reading "THEhotel, December 26-29, 2007"

According to MacauTripping.com, the MGM Grand Macau opened to a smashing success - over $6.6 million in drop in the first few days of operations. This points to a very high volume of play in that time.

Well, this could be the second shot across the bow in the industry as we see a second major Las Vegas casino's dealers vote to have union representation.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/12797112.html

Following Wynn Las Vegas dealers before them, is this a reflection on management in these two organizations? Will we see dealers at an MGM Mirage property go this route?

It turns out that due to 'construction delays' there will be no hotel guests at Palazzo in 2007. I have confirmed with hotel staff that guests are being moved to The Venetian if they so desire.

Still working on final word if even the casino will be open this coming week - it's looking doubtful.

Thanks to Brian for the heads up on this.

Thanks to reader Andy who spotted this on The Mirage's official Web site. It seems the rooms are getting a full on make over starting in February and based on the pictures, they are totally tossing the current room decor.

http://www.mirage.com/hotel/hotel_remodel.aspx

Wow, that's drastic. Now, I totally think the rooms need to be redone but honestly, I think this design goes a bit too far for my tastes. I love the amenities they are adding - that's great... and, I think generally the vibe is okay but this is like cranked too far. It's as if they had one or two many committees weigh in on this, each tweaking the design a bit to the point that there's no longer any cohesion.

Thoughts?

This was in the news yesterday and I just assumed most people saw it so I didn't post it but maybe I was wrong... Anyway, Wynn Macau is set to open it's casino expansion on Monday, December 24th. This includes more tables, slots, and their new dramatic entry feature (I hope we hear more about this soon). Following in January are more retails shops including Hugo Boss and Ferrari.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=132059&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1088786&highlight=

According to a press release from the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, they have completed their long running set of renovations that include a second floor nightclub for Downtown.

The 'Gold Diggers' nightclub opens at 4pm and offers views of the Fremont Street Experience. Along with the club, they have opened a new restaurant called Red Sushi and also some meeting space called 'The Grand'.

Overall, it is nice to see continued investment into the Downtown property.

Well, today is the big day for MGM Mirage with their first entry into Macau with the MGM Grand Macau. The property is a 50/50 joint venture with Pansy Ho, daughter of longtime operator Stanley Ho.

Personally, I think this property looks very interesting and it is certainly on my list of places to stay when I visit Macau sometime next year. I see the Wynn Macau/MGM Macau combo (they are right next door to each other) as the true epicenter of Macau luxury, despite Las Vegas Sands' grand Cotai experiment, at least for now.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LATU077A18122007-1.htm

Is Las Vegas facing a "perfect storm" with increased gaming taxes, high restaurant prices, infrastructure issues, crime/gang problems and other issues which confront large urban areas?
I was astonished to read that Las Vegas is now the most expensive restaurant city in the country, and higher gaming taxes may put a damper on future growth.
Las Vegas Becomes Country's Most Expensive Restaurant City

"Here in Las Vegas, that atmosphere for gaming having unfettered power to control economic-political outcomes is about to be changed as never before," he said.
He then referenced the initiative proposed by the teachers union to raise the gaming tax 3 points to 9.75 percent to pay teachers more and finance educational programs. That's a 44.4 percent tax increase."
Gaming Taxes

Wow. In a pretty amazing turn of events, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission has denied a license extension to the Tropicana Atlantic City.

Here:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/commission_denies_new_casino_l.html

And:
http://www.atlanticcitytripping.com/cityboom/post.php?p=8

Mike_ch is back with another Stripwalk. This time he visits Encore, City Center, TI, Palazzo, Luxor and more. Check it out after the jump plus don't forget to check out the new photos:

Photos: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk

Continue reading "Strip Walk: December 2007 - City Center, Luxor, Treasure Island, Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and More..."

Another piece of news from the recent press, the Wet N' Wild Crown Las Vegas project is moving past the Planning Commission after slashing their height, which may mean that they will end up with two towers.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/12197841.html

It's making its way through the regulatory process in Nevada, with one hurdle to go.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/12197831.html

I missed this story on vegas.com's new Arrow bus service, in cooperation with the monorail. It was written up in today's Miami Herald:
Vegas.com introduces high-tech bus service on the Las Vegas Strip
Here's the route map and details:
http://www.vegas.com/transportation/trolley.html
Is there a big enough market for both The Deuce and Arrow?

My friend Steve Friess has an article in the Las Vegas Weekly that goes over some of the worst ideas, coming soon to a Las Vegas near you.

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/content/nc/news/single-story/article/steve-friess-big-bad-and-ugly/