{"id":15570,"date":"2015-02-20T13:44:35","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T21:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=15570"},"modified":"2015-02-20T16:50:06","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T00:50:06","slug":"building-a-better-cosmopolitan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/building-a-better-cosmopolitan\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a better Cosmopolitan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although awash in generalities, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas<\/strong> CEO Bill McBeath<\/strong> did allow some form of insight into his plans for the resort. Allowing that casino-floor performance was “pretty \"450px-Cosmopolitan_from_Las_Vegas_Blvd\"<\/a>anemic,” he hopes to make it more attractive to high rollers. This involves causing it to\u00a0\u201cresonate and have more energy and personality,\u201d like the restaurant areas, the Cosmo’s bastion of strength.\u00a0\u201cThere seems to be a disconnect between the spaces, and the casino floor feels more transient to me,\u201d said McBeath, pithily assessing the casino’s vibe — or lack thereof.\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s not enough cool places to embrace and interact socially.\u201d Agreed.<\/p>\n

The improvements he envisions\u00a0\u201caren\u2019t gaming per se<\/em>, but are more user-friendly and more in line with the contemporary, cool, hip brand that we are.\u201d Whatever that means. Just like its predecessor, Deutsche Bank<\/strong>, new owner Blackstone Group<\/strong>‘s commitment to the Cosmo is transitory, so McBeath may\u00a0need to work quickly, although Blackstone overlord Jonathan Gray<\/strong> says “people want to consume this experience.\u00a0We\u2019re a big believer in Las Vegas<\/strong>.\u201d That belief will entail, in part, finishing some never-completed hotel rooms and possibly even adding more (hotel revenue being another strong suit).<\/p>\n

There seems to be a rapprochement with the Culinary Union<\/strong>, which was on hand\u00a0at a recent Cosmo press conference<\/a> and whose parent, Unite-Here<\/strong>, represents workers at other Blackstone properties. McBeath even got a lavish tribute from Unite-Here President D. Taylor<\/strong>, who enthused,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve known Bill for over 20 years, and he has run some of the most successful properties. He is very focused, he is a true professional \u2026 I can honestly say the best days of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will be in the future with Bill running the helm.\u201d<\/p>\n

I guess we won’t see any more picketing at the Cosmo in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n