Category Archives: Marketing

Poultry in Motion

Posted on June 1, 2010 by David McKee

PETA is not amused — but you will be as the Best.Casino Promotion.Ever rolls into Pittsburgh. We speak of course of the Tic-tac-toe-playing chicken, Ginger. Given a choice between working the casino circuit, being cooked for dinner or laying eggs … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Archon Corp., Current, Entertainment, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania | 3 Comments

“Wynn Agonistes”

Posted on May 28, 2010 by David McKee

Aka Wynn’s Struggle, a melodrama in three acts. In Act I, impervious to irony, Steve Wynn chides Washington, D.C., for overspending, overborrowing and artificial economic stimulation … as though nothing like that happened right along the Las Vegas Strip. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Macau, Marketing, Politics, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 5 Comments

300

Posted on May 28, 2010 by David McKee

“This! Is! Sparta!” Well, no actually. It just means that our Twitter feed, @stiffsgeorges, has finally eked its way to the 300-follower mark. That may not be much to crow about but it’s a gratifying little increment of progress. Speaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Isle of Capri, Marketing, Pennsylvania, TV | Comments Off on 300

“Wow”

Posted on May 27, 2010 by David McKee

No, that’s not the sound of the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Jennifer Robison going weak in the knees at the sight of CityCenter again. It’s J.P.Morgan‘s analysts getting turned on by early numbers from Marina Bay Sands. So excited were they … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on “Wow”

The Movable Buffet returns!

Posted on May 26, 2010 by David McKee

Once listed as one of S&G‘s “Seven Essential Web Sites,” Richard Abowitz‘s blog was briefly — and misguidedly — terminated by the Los Angeles Times. Thankfully, the LAT has had a change of heart. Abowitz returns with a profile of … Continue reading →

Posted in Harrah's, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | 2 Comments

Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

As though yoked by karma, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and former sidekick William Weidner — the Jon & Kate Gosselin of the casino industry — seem destined to remain unwillingly chained together through eternity. Most recently, they’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Morgans Hotel Group, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Texas, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Shel & Bill, together again; Coup for HRH

Monte Carlo: running on empty

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

Confronted with this rather desperate plea from Monte Carlo, a colleague asks, “One of the stranger press releases in a while — the best they can find to up-sell the MC is to pitch it as a way to get … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Dining, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Monte Carlo: running on empty

When in doubt, hire a chef

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

That increasingly dubious X Train project doesn’t have first dibs on Union Pacific tracks, after all. And the on-board gambling (which S&G never took seriously) has been ixnayed. So whaddya do when you need a quick jolt of publicity? Hire … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Dining, Marketing, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off on When in doubt, hire a chef

You have been warned

Posted on May 24, 2010 by David McKee

Yr. Humble Blogger will be rising shotgun again on the next edition of The Strip Podcast. A sinus headache is enough to sop me cold, so props to Steve Friess for soldiering on despite having one and a nasty cold … Continue reading →

Posted in Election, Entertainment, Marketing, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, TV | 1 Comment

The Ribis Factor

Posted on May 21, 2010 by David McKee

Today’s a hectic one: four bylines due and not much time for S&G. However, I am the beneficiary of some number-crunching conducted by a reader, who’s been following the decline and fall of Colony Capital‘s two Atlantic City casinos under … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, Mississippi, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on The Ribis Factor

That’ll show ’em!

Posted on May 20, 2010 by David McKee

What do you do if a group of conventioneers is discomfited during their stay at your brand-new, “grand slam home run,” unfinished $5.7 billion megaresort? Sue the bastards! That ought to work wonders for Sheldon Adelson‘s convention traffic. (True, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, LVCVA, Marketing, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 13, 2010 by David McKee

“The original Lisboa project marks a rare occasion that SJM subscribed to the build-it-and-they-will-come theory of development that drives most of its rivals. The tactic usually involves spending borrowed money like a drunken sailor in an attempt to lead the … Continue reading →

Posted in Macau, Marketing, Stanley Ho | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Nevada: No recovery yet

Posted on May 11, 2010 by David McKee

“We hit the bottom and are slowly climbing out,” contends Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst Frank Streshley, trying to put the best spin on a flat March. There were definitely some silver linings. Who’da thunk Laughlin (2.5%), Reno (5%) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, LVCVA, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Reno, Sports, The Strip | 10 Comments

Blasts from the past

Posted on May 6, 2010 by David McKee

Steve Wynn‘s been taking himself a mite too seriously of late, which makes me wonder whatever happened to this guy? At least the “hair helmet” look is a thing of the past. Sadly, so too is the Golden Nugget Atlantic … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Harrah's, James Packer, Marketing, Phil Ruffin, Steve Wynn, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on Blasts from the past

Sheldon’s smokin’ (something)

Posted on April 30, 2010 by David McKee

If any other gaming CEO than Sheldon Adelson opened the most expensive casino ever ($5.5 billion) and projected it would recoup its tab in five years — requiring a return on investment well above 20% when you take operating costs … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, International, Macau, Marketing, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 2 Comments

Harrah’s big buffet bungle

Posted on April 30, 2010 by David McKee

Let it be said at the outset that $39.99 for X number of meals at (most of) Harrah’s Entertainment‘s Strip buffets — up from $29.99 — is still one heckuva deal. If you can manage, say, breakfast, lunch and two … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Harrah’s big buffet bungle

Trump wins, Atlantic City loses

Posted on April 14, 2010 by David McKee

Long-suffering Atlantic City is going to stuck with one of the heaviest albatrosses around its neck — Donald J. Trump — for the foreseeable future. Das Donald’s $225 million cash offer for what’s left of Trump Entertainment Resorts trumped a … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Economy, Marketing, Tourism | 6 Comments

A “Titanic” offer

Posted on April 13, 2010 by David McKee

Through Sunday, Luxor is celebrating — if that’s the word — the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. For instance, tonight you can swap your exhibit ticket for a free drink or appetizer at (where else?) Tacos … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Entertainment, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on A “Titanic” offer

Caveat lector!

Posted on April 9, 2010 by David McKee

It appears that Harrah’s Entertainment‘s big buffet offer, encompassing seven Strip properties, isn’t quite as good as it sounded to us at LVA at first blush. A fellow staffer writes: “I have a feeling that the Harrah’s buffets are keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 8 Comments

Harrah’s ups the ante

Posted on April 9, 2010 by David McKee

Yr. Humble Blogger is a fan of the Las Vegas buffet scene — and owns the waistline to prove it. Starting Monday, Harrah’s Entertainment ratchets up the temptation factor by keeping seven of its Strip buffets open round the clock. … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Current, Dining, George Maloof, Harrah's, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | 2 Comments