Category Archives: Planet Hollywood

Signs of the Times

Seen today outside The Rio on Flamingo Road: Two chicks holding handmade, barely legible “Car Wash” signs. What the … ? Was this an official Rio event? There’s no mention of it either on the casino’s Web site nor on … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Technology, The Strip | 2 Comments

CityCenter: Guilty by association

This new attack ad, fired today, represents the latest salvo in what might be called The War Over CityCenter. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), not having been shy to take credit for CityCenter’s completion, is fair game. Where the ad may … Continue reading

Posted in CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Dubai, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Harry Reid, International, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip | 2 Comments

Best Strip bargain yet? Plus: Loveman’s verbal gymnastics, pool fees, etc.

Luke Jermay is a charming English mentalist who does a low-budget but worthwhile show at O’Shea’s. His presentation may not be as polished as that of rival Gerry McCambridge, but what Jermay lacks in razzmatazz, he makes up in personality. … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, James Packer, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Minnesota, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | 6 Comments

Chronicle of a Black foretold; River City looking good

Randy Black, that is. The CEO who ran the Mesquite market straight into the ground (with a sizable assist from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission) and turned the former Si Redd’s Oasis into a slot route — … Continue reading

Posted in Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, Current, Don Barden, Election, Harry Reid, IGT, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, TV, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 1 Comment

New Donny in town

As in Clay, Donny Clay, played by the versatile Jason Alexander in The Donny Clay Experience. This delightful one-man show will be a peripatetic and hopefully long-lived visitor to Planet Hollywood … unless Gary Loveman‘s crony Frank Biondi (ex-Viacom CEO) … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Movies, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

Adelson, Earl & a paper tiger

Opening a drowsy eye, the Las Vegas Review-Journal belatedly took note of Las Vegas Sands‘ Singapore project, although the story was just a puff piece (perhaps because its writer used to toil in Vegas’ PR shops, including a stint at … Continue reading

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Lake Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Adelson, Earl & a paper tiger

Introducing Planet Harrah’s

Newly Harrah’s-ized Planet Hollywood has got a new Web site. OK, it’s a little rudimentary by 2010 standards but we’re in the top of the first inning here. (If for some reason the page doesn’t show in your browser, the … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip, Wayne F. Newton, World Series of Poker | 12 Comments

Harrah’s: too big to fail

Take a good look at that fresh-faced man to the left. His name is Jonathan Halkyard and he’s the CFO of Harrah’s Entertainment. If he seems like a kid who’s running up a reckless tab on Dad’s credit card, blame … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, James Packer, Lake Tahoe, Melco Crown Entertainment, Ohio, Planet Hollywood, Racinos, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Harrah’s: too big to fail

The Flying Dutchman of the Strip

Pity poor Rockstar: The Tribute. It briefly played Planet Hollywood‘s Wyrick Entertainment Complex last June, then got the boot. An announced revival at the Harmon Theater never materialized. A late-2009 move to the Riviera was ballyhooed. Guess what? Rockstar never … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 2 Comments

Torino’s big gamble

At a time when the bottom has fallen out of Las Vegas Strip land prices what possessed Brett Torino to make an uncontested, above-market bid for a small and awkwardly configured piece of Strip real estate? Before we get to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Economy, Harrah's, International, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, Steve Wynn | 8 Comments

Aren’t we glad?

When given lemons, make lemonade. When hit with a throat infection, lay low and scrounge around for S&G fodder. So it is today — and I didn’t have to scrounge very far. While Las Vegas didn’t dodge too many bullets … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Architecture, Atlantic City, Bally Technologies, Carl Icahn, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Indiana, James Packer, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 3 Comments

Enter Loveman, exit jobs; Tamares’ legacy

Just this morning I was thinking that the first thing Planet Hollywood employees could expect when Harrah’s Entertainment took over was large-scale job losses and so it will be. This is one of those occasions I really hate being proven … Continue reading

Posted in ABBA, Ameristar, Columbia Sussex, Current, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Tamares Group, Wall Street | 6 Comments

“Peepshow” conundrum

That once and (maybe) future Strip spectacle is probably going to be included in tomorrow’s “Best of the Valley” polls, in Las Vegas CityLife. This raises an interesting conundrum: Since there have been three distinct iterations of Peepshow since its … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment, Planet Hollywood | 1 Comment

Planet Ho abdicates to Harrah’s

Sheraton Operating Corp. is bugging out of Planet Hollywood Resort — which has already lost some of its top management — and handing the keys to Harrah’s Entertainment. The latter will have something of a challenge filling the nearly 2,500 … Continue reading

Posted in Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, International, Marketing, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Wall Street | 4 Comments

2.5 Cheers for Harrah’s

As erratically as it has been run since the departure of Phil Satre, they still get some things right at Harrah’s Entertainment … and not in the sense that a stopped watch is correct twice a day. For instance, Harrah’s … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Minnesota, Planet Hollywood, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 5 Comments

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Whilst I try to decipher my notes from the New Year’s Day performance by Carlos Mencia, here’s what you’ve been missing if you don’t follow the S&G Twitter feed (Twitter handle: @stiffsgeorges): • Pittsburgh‘s Rivers Casino sacks exec team, brings … Continue reading

Posted in CityCenter, Cordish Co., Current, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, International, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Racinos, Riviera, Singapore | Comments Off on From the S&G Twitter feed …

Crystals, the sequel

If this video segment gives you a strong sense of déja vu, it’s probably because the retailers in Pansy & Daisy Ho‘s new Macao mall are pretty much the same cast of characters you’ll find in Crystals at CityCenter. However, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Planet Hollywood | Comments Off on Crystals, the sequel

Mutiny!

One of the dirty little secrets of the “cruise to nowhere” business is that these vessels are crewed with seamen imported from foreign countries. (Americans, despite being citizens of one of the preeminent seafaring nations, apparently aren’t good enough.) So … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, International, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on Mutiny!

Case Bets: Casino Jack, Harrah’s, Trump, Recovery?

It’s another sad chapter, in the tattered and disgraceful saga of Sun Cruz Casinos. As you recall, this now-idled cruises-to-nowhere fleet was briefly owned by Jack Abramoff, by dint of a tiny bit of fraud. That’s one of the many … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Station Casinos, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Case Bets: Casino Jack, Harrah’s, Trump, Recovery?

Loveman loves him some Macao

By now the saga of Harrah’s Entertainment‘s Macanese golf course is the stuff of legend: a $578 million golden albatross around the company’s neck and a metaphor for the company’s misfortune-prone international strategy. While some of CEO Gary Loveman‘s ventures … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Harrah's, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | 1 Comment