2008-02-12
As most of Vegas has been de-themeing away from family-centric themes toward more adult-oriented themes, I've been wondering what your opinion is on what's in store for the Excalibur. The medieval theme may have been novel when the casino was built, but now it's almost embarrassingly archaic (even the Luxor's Egyptian theme has more of a shelf life), and many people I talk to think the Excalibur is already the Circus Circus of the south Strip and that the prime real estate it occupies, coupled with its tired theme, means that it won't be but a few years before someone comes along to tear down and rebuild. Any thoughts?
2008-02-08
I recently read the following summary of major projects being built on the Strip: Wynn Encore, $2.2 billion, early 2009, 5,000 jobs; Cosmopolitan, $3 billion, late 2009, 7,500 jobs; CityCenter, $7.8 billion, late 2009, 15,900 jobs; Fontainebleau, $2.8 billion, late 2009, 9,700 jobs; Echelon, $4.8 billion, late 2010, 13,250 jobs; Plaza, $5 billion, 2011, 8,750 jobs; Crown, $5 billion, 2011, 7,500 jobs; MGM Dubai World $5 billion, 2012, 7,500 jobs. Where is everyone going to park? And with all of those new buildings, new jobs, more rooms, and more tourists, how are people going to get around? The Strip is already very slow most of the time. And where are all the people who are going to fill all these new jobs? Where are they all going to live? What about the water shortage? And what about other infrastructure? Is someone planning for all of this? Boom times indeed.
