Shocking preliminary finding

Although I’m still swotting on USA Today copy, the finish line is within sight and the Las Vegas Strip property with the most name-checks to date is — surprise of surprises — Paris-Las Vegas, singled out in multiple categories. Who’da thought the Strip’s last-ever mid-market casino, opened in 1999, would outpace so many newcomers? (Mind you, affordability is an important criterion.) Planet Hollywood is racking up a few plugs, too. Now, my editors could throw all this out and send me back to Square One, but it’s certainly an outcome I didn’t expect when I started surveying the Strip, several weeks back. Another surprise: Circus Circus has more “bests” than does Caesars Palace. Current and former Steve Wynn properties also fared well, an unscientific metric of how well they retain their value. But I’m afraid to bless anything at the Tropicana, since its amenities rarely enjoy long life spans, making them risky recommendations. Too bad there’s not a category for Most Superfluous Hotel, because Trump International would win that race by several furlongs, giving Donald Trump one more “most” he could tout.