Question of the Day - 31 January 2020

Aside from the fun and being able to say "we stayed there opening night", it can be better to let them work out the kinks which are notorious for hotel openings.  

But if you don't mind some inconveniences occurring (which might not happen at all), hope you get to do this!

When the old Nevada Palace out on Boulder Hwy was torn down back in 2008 they built the Eastside Cannery in its place and we stayed there not long after it opened. Was really nice staying at a new place, everything was clean and shiny, all the employees seemed extra eager to be helpful. Plus it was an easy walk to Sam's Town when we wanted to get some sun and fresh air, play some different games. It's fun to see something new, I look forward to checking out Circa when it opens. I've always liked the downtown area, I hope it keeps improving with new or remodeled places. And when the Strip between the Sahara and Wynn/Encore gets some new places that will really have an impact. In general the US economy is doing well-enough I'm surprised there hasn't been more development of opening new places on empty lots in prime locations. From what I read tourism numbers are better and better, what happened to the "if you build it they will come" attitude from Vegas-past? I guess it goes thru cycles.

You'll be paying tippy tippy top dollar for the privilege. I guess there's some cachet to sleeping in a bed that has never been slept in before. Might not be worth $400 to me, though. I can't see how the experience would differ than much from staying there six months later instead.

Also, why participate in a shakedown cruise? I know a couple of people who did that literally, paying several bags of gold to be on the inaugural cruise of the Celebrity Lines MS Gorgonzola or something like that. The only things that definitely worked all the time, they told me, were that the boat floated and the margaritas tasted good.

When they were building Monte Carlo we kept watching for reservations....We ended up booking rooms about 4 months before they opened. We stayed there the second week they were open.

Expect some teething troubles. Anecdote follows:

When we were in Australia, we were driving around without reservations - because we didn't know where we'd end up each night. We rolled into a town and discovered it was some sort of local festival the next day; SCORE! But, all the hotels were full. One place said to "Try the X, I think they're open now." We went there, they had lots of rooms, it was their first night open; we were the first guests to check in. We go to our room, no light bulbs in any of the fixtures. Went down to the desk and got the deer in the headlights look as they called the maintenance guy; I took ours so he could get them in the rest of the rooms. It was windy that night and the door didn't have any weatherstripping, so it rattled until I stuffed a washcloth into it. In the morning when they delivered our breakfast, the tray would't fit through the hatch, so they had to knock and hand it to us.

Approach it as an adventure, you'll be fine.

Are you sure you were staying at a hotel and not a jail? I have never heard of breakfast being put thru a slot. I have only seen that in the movies when they are serving prisoners!

Pretty much all the smaller hotels there (leaving out resorts/major international chains) include breakfast; you fill out the order, hang it on your door, and at the appointed time, a hatch usually next to the door opens and disembodied hands place a tray on the counter. It was wonderful! No need to dress and interact with people. 

The rendering looks like a rehash of the 4 Queens. Is the Circa in the same location?

Some years ago I received an invite to stay at Cromwell before it officially opened, in affect to test it out and help them iron out their wrinkles before it officially opened. I took them up on their offer. I have to say the staff was very well trained, extremely professional and friendly. I enjoyed the perk; it did make me feel special.

I was the one who asked the question and have signed up as the answer stated. Thanks!

The reason I want to stay there on opening night is that in the late 80's I would watch(and take pictures) of the building of the Mirage. I wasn't able to stay there when it first opened, unfortunately. At the time, it was a huge deal and would change the Strip forever. I feel the same way about Circa except that it will change downtown forever. If I have the opportunity to stay there for the opening(or very close to it), I want to take advantage of that opportunity.

Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? No. Will it be pricey? No doubt. But for me, however illogical it may seem to others, it would be worth it.

Also, I missed out on the grand opening of the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood) in 2000. The fire marshal wouldn't allow it to open at its scheduled time. I did go the next day, but missed Barbara Eden, who still made an appearance the night before! Sigh.

@ Mr Duck

4 Queens? The rendering looks like a rehash of the 4 Queens. Is the Circa in the same location?
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No, the Circa is located where the old Las Vegas Club, Glitter Gulch and Mermaids slot place were. Circa is on the other side of Fremont St than the 4 Queens and down a little bit. If you know where The Plaza or Main St Station or California are then the Circa is near them. If you are downtown it will be hard to miss, pretty tall building.