Only six hotel deals closed in Gotham between January and July. Even Hilton Hotels is bugging out. It’s permanently closing Hilton Times Square, taking 487 rooms out of the market and putting 200 workers on the dole. Strangely, Hilton’s filing said that it both was and wasn’t permanently shuttering the hotel. According to a Sunstone Hotel Investors mouthpiece, a “definitive reopening date has not been determined or established and will be impacted by negotiations with our lender, as well as market conditions.” The upside of all this, if there is one, is that a potential casino developer might be able to amass a substantial amount of real estate at a bargain.
While we’re in a New York state of mind, it should be noted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) may have finally softened his stone-hearted stance on casino reopenings. At any rate, Resorts World Catskills is planning to resume operations next Wednesday. Resorts World promises a high-level of salubriousness, including temperature screenings at points of ingress, plexiglas screens on 150 table games and “select” slots, mandatory masking and 200 new sanitization stations. Said property President Scott Molina, “While the casino floor may look a little different, all of these changes are part of our 21-point plan, created with your health and safety in mind. Regulating capacity on the casino floor will allow for easier social distancing, and sanitation stations will make it easy for you to wipe down table games and other common areas before touching them. Once we are back open, we will constantly be evaluating the situation in order to gauge when we can return our full suite of amenities to our valued guests.”
Molina’s work gained the endorsement of state Sen. Jen Metzger, who vouched that “I’ve personally toured the facility twice with government officials, and have been extremely impressed by the lengths to which Resorts World has gone to create a safe environment for guests and team members during this pandemic. I am confident that the casino has taken, and will continue to take, every precaution for the health and safety of guests and employees.” Hear, hear.
Next door, in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has suddenly given the OK for indoor dining—with conditions. Small restaurants might as well stay closed, as they can only operate at 25% capacity. As for the casinos, indoor drinking will be allowed—as well as smoking and vaping, effective today. Says one S&G reader, “What could possibly be safer than drunk gamblers blowing clouds of smoke everywhere?” What Murphy gives with one hand, he takes away with other. He is reported to be contemplating increases in both Atlantic City Expressway tolls and the state gasoline tax—two “gifts” Atlantic City could do very well without.
Jottings: In other Caesars news, the company has made it official: It will reopen hotel rooms at The Linq on September 10. It is currently advertising Labor Day room rates (not for The Linq) starting at $32/night … The company is also selling low-grossing Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, near Bossier City. The racino’s non-accretive nature is reflected in the $22 million sale price paid by obscure Rubico Acquisition … If you tried to eat at Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace last month, you may have noticed that the promised August reopening didn’t this happen. The new timeline is “later this year” … Pig out instead at Wynncore‘s buffet this weekend: It’s reclosing on Sept. 7. According to Wynn Resorts, guests rejected the new, served-at-your-table format … Mosquitos are going to love Excalibur, judging by a photo of a huge puddle of stagnant, brackish water posted on Twitter. Replied one reader, “Gross.” That says it all.
AC Expressway toll increase will be approx 40%. Beside road and toll booth improvements, it is supposed to fund a train station near the AC airport, and a down payment of $200 Million for a new passenger light rail line between Glassboro and Camden said to cost $2 BILLION DOLLARS. The AC airport is one airline away (Spirit Airlines) from being like Tunica, MS, that has an airport, but no airlines. The people who fly Spirit Airlines to FL park their autos at the airport lot, they don’t need a station. For the Glassboro-Camden light rail line, no matter that the “wheel & spoke” model of public transportation became obsolete 40 years ago in the suburbs. Why would Murphy & Co take auto tolls and spend them on a train station and a new rail line? It would create temporary high paying construction jobs, and better yet, all kinds of high cost “market studies” for the politician’s friends and donors. Give part of the toll money to the poor people of AC, “dream on”.
On the Vital Vegas Twitter account they have a picture of that hideous looking green pond (or moat) out in front of Excalibur. That pond belongs in the 70’s TV show “Land of the Lost” but not on the Strip. What a farce.