Category Archives: Dining

All systems go at Trop … but more trouble on Paradise

As new owner Onex Corp. continues with a full-court press of renovations, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has given the new ownership consortium its thumbs-up. The makeover has continued apace since my visit in June. An inside look at details … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Detroit, Dining, Downtown, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Morgans Hotel Group, Regulation, Riviera, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Twilight of the gods?

It’s been obvious since jump street that MGM Resorts International bit off more than it could chew when it upsized its ambitions for the old Boardwalk site into a civic citadel, a Valhalla on the Strip. Behind CEO Jim Murren‘s … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Dubai, Entertainment, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

[Your casino here]

As I find myself in frantic catch-up mode, one of the tasks confronting me is about 40 pages of Wall Street analysis on Las Vegas Sands‘ third quarter. (Hint: It was extremely good.) In honor of Sheldon Adelson, here’s the … Continue reading

Posted in Dining, Marketing, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Singapore: Mission accomplished

A curious item popped up on the Manila Web site MB.com last week. Remember how Macao was “Asia’s Las Vegas”? The new meme is “More Than Just the New Vegas” (emphasis added). The lengthy puff piece rather strenuously posited Macao … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Dining, Genting, Harrah's, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism | Comments Off on Singapore: Mission accomplished

Dr. Loveman on the case; Death Ray designer stays mum

Confronted with an anemic patient — i.e., the Las Vegas Strip — attending physician Gary Loveman, Ph.D, has been prescribing a series of stimuli. (Possibly the only “economic stimulus” that all Americans can support.) Since customers are spending more selectively, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Riviera, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Vdara Death Ray | 7 Comments

Atlantic City: It could have been worse; Hard Rock changes its tune

OK, so September’s numbers from Atlantic City only represent one month of competition from SugarHouse, in Philadelphia. However, with every other casino in Pennsylvania having enjoyed two full months of table games, a 12% dropoff isn’t as bad as I … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | 2 Comments

Fertitta to rescue A.C. Hilton?

Tilman Fertitta, that is. The Landry’s Restaurants CEO has sussed out a bargain on the Boardwalk, in the form of the unprofitable Atlantic City Hilton. No doubt Fertitta’s interest has not a little something to do with the fact that … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Laughlin, Macau, MGM Mirage, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | 7 Comments

Tamares’ Memorial Day Massacre

Four hundred Las Vegans will find themselves pink-slipped by Tamares Group, whose latest bequest to downtown will be an Armistice Day closure of most of the Plaza, its showroom and certain portions of the casino floor excepted. If the tenure … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Tamares Group, Tilman Fertitta | 5 Comments

Western Passage & the new Rat (Rod) Pack

Let’s try this again … Today’s guest blog hails from the keyboard of reader Jeff_in_OKC who recently paid not one, not two but three (brave man!) visits to the Western Hotel, on the fringe of downtown Las Vegas. The Western … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Archon Corp., Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Oscar Goodman, Sahara, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | 12 Comments

Rub-a-dub-dub, three gourmands in a tub

On Nov. 15, LVA will unveil Las Vegas’ 50 finest restaurants, as chosen by the troika of John Curtas, Max Jacobson and Al Mancini. Their collective judgment will be showcased in Eating Las Vegas. As our invaluable Heidi Olson writes: … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Dining | Comments Off on Rub-a-dub-dub, three gourmands in a tub

M life … an insurance company?

Editor’s note: While I’m busy with other projects, S&G will be hosting a few guest bloggers. First up is Detroit_1051, who noted some discrepancies in the way MGM Resorts International handles its frequent-player program … A friend opened her mail … Continue reading

Posted in CityCenter, Detroit, Dining, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

Mothers of invention; Fernwood 2night

“Stacked” casino floors are a rarity in Las Vegas, usually necessitated by a limited footprint. That’s certainly the case with the Cosmopolitan, jimmied into a narrow slot just north of CityCenter (and often mistaken for part of that complex). However, … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

How green is Vegas?; Harrah’s thinks globally, acts locally

A lot greener than you’d think, says Las Vegas Sustainability Officer (yes, we have one) Thomas Perrigo. Among those companies getting recognition of leading the way in “green” initiatives is Harrah’s Entertainment, which has reduced its energy consumption by vast … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, Marketing, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

The Summer of Love(man)

It may be hard to believe in retrospect, but at the time of Harrah’s Entertainment‘s LBO, some analysts thought it would be partly amortized by selling off the company’s regional properties. That prompted me to write something to the effect … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Australia, Current, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, Kansas, Marketing, Ohio, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Gone baby, gone

“[T]he confidence that ­property prices and stock markets would permanently defy gravity” is a phrase that perfectly encapsulates how the casino industry got itself into its present pickle. In what other mindset could an industry convince itself that it could … Continue reading

Posted in Archon Corp., Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Environment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, history, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

From the mailbag

A mystery illness has debilitated me off and on (more “on” than “off,” sadly) for the past seven days. Fortunately, lively reader debate in the “Comments” threads have kept things ticking over nicely in my absence. Also, I sometimes get … Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Dining, Economy, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, IGT, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Riviera, Technology, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

Louisiana treads (oily) water

It’s a rare day when one can report that a casino market was down year/year but did better than expected. If you were looking for serious Deepwater Horizon spillover into June’s casino numbers, you’d be surprised. Statewide, casinos were -4.5% … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Current, Dining, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Louisiana, M Resort, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Louisiana treads (oily) water

S&G hither & yon

Last weekend’s usual barrage of errands, veterinary appointments, etc., was interrupted long enough for Yr. Humble Blogger to guest-host another edition of The Strip Podcast. In it, I reveal my shameful ignorance of televised poker (something I literally tuned out … Continue reading

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 1 Comment

“I’m not dead yet!”

Taking its cue from Monty Python‘s interpretation of the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, management of the Riviera refuses to roll over and die. Its latest enhancement is somewhat out of the box as far as Strip watering holes … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, MGM Mirage, Phil Ruffin, Riviera, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | 4 Comments

Dick Cheney, casino headliner

It’s no joke. The ex-veep is part of a new entertainment regime at the Atlantic City Hilton. After nearly mismanaging the property into extinction, owner Colony Capital has given President Michael Frawley $20 million, which Frawley’s plowing into a new … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Marketing, Politics | 5 Comments