{"id":1619,"date":"2009-12-17T15:57:32","date_gmt":"2009-12-17T23:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2009-12-17T16:01:56","modified_gmt":"2009-12-18T00:01:56","slug":"citycenter-giblets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/citycenter-giblets\/","title":{"rendered":"CityCenter giblets"},"content":{"rendered":"

While I’m gathering my thoughts — and notes — from yesterday’s Orgy o’CityCenter<\/strong> (and trying to maintain a Cone of Deafness, as far as other commentators), here are a few stray tidbits:<\/p>\n

\"PP40000868_09_123_785lo\"Even MGM Mirage<\/strong> CEO Jim Murren<\/strong> can’t hide his shock at Priscilla Presley<\/strong>‘s “freshly enbalmed” look<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 So much for Aria<\/strong> maintaining a higher price point than Bellagio<\/strong>. An e-mail just fell across the S&G<\/em> transom, offering Aria rooms for $159 (two-night minimum) plus a $75 credit toward meals or Viva Elvis<\/em> tickets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The much-ballyhooed “air curtains<\/strong>” are only on some table games (specifically blackjack) and good luck trying to get a demonstration of how they function. But, with secondhand smoke forcing its way into the Strip’s consciousness, I expect to see the more well-heeled casinos quickly retrofit their floors with comparable technology. It’s a small investment to make when weighed against the cost of a class-action lawsuit or so.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Despite all the lead-up time (and advance hype), CityCenter seemed unprepared for the sheer number of people it attracted … and that was before<\/em> the general public was admitted. Mind you, if the place doesn’t initially perform well, Kirk Kerkorian<\/strong> will find himself in a position to buy half of it back from Dubai World<\/strong> at a comparative pittance. After all, Dubai World is already under pressure to sell assets, CityCenter being near the top of the list.<\/p>\n

\u2022 I can’t imagine anyone buying a standard room at Vdara<\/strong> as a condominium. The stunning Panoramic Suites, however, are quite a different matter.<\/p>\n

\u2022 It must difficult enough to be Jim Murren<\/strong>, your every move second-guessed, without Fox 5<\/strong> anchors referring to you as “President and CEO” of CityCenter. In one slip of the tongue, Murren is demoted and actual CC prexy Bobby Baldwin<\/strong> is relegated to non-personhood.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Will roving casual gamblers make the long hike uphill from Las Vegas Boulevard<\/strong> to Aria? I’ve wondered about this ever since I saw the first published renderings of CC and am still not convinced. Given how we love our trolleys and moving walkways in Vegas, I won’t be a bit surprised if some form of Strip-to-Aria shuttle is devised.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Vehicular traffic westbound along Harmon Ave<\/strong>. still can’t drive straight into CC but must needs execute an elaborate detour. (My advice<\/em>: Park at Bellagio and walk to Vdara or take the tram to Crystals<\/strong>.) This is a major pain in the tuchus<\/em>, as anyone who’s ever spent quality time stymied in Strip traffic can tell you. Until it’s remedied, it’s a disincentive that CC could do very well without.<\/p>\n

\u2022 What were the best things that should<\/em> have been said last night at Aria? Andrew Kiraly<\/strong> has the quotes that ought to have been uttered<\/a> … my favorite being #7<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 One sympathizes with economists’ plight after you’ve tried to reconcile seemingly contradictory data yourself<\/a>. It’s a frustrating and humbling exercise that begs all manner of questions, like: If room rates on the Strip flatten (instead of continuing to fall) post-CityCenter, does that constitute “growth”? It’d be better than the last quarter but worse than two years ago.<\/p>\n

Assembled economists, however, do not share<\/a> my relative optimism — with one guarded exception<\/a>. Ironic, isn’t it, how Vegas’ modest recovery is built upon the (accurate) premise of bargains galore … which is 180 degrees from the mindset that gave us CityCenter, Encore<\/strong>, Red Rock Resort<\/strong> and their unfinished brethren (Fontainebleau<\/strong>, Echelon<\/strong>, Cosmopolitan<\/strong>, etc.)<\/p>\n

And is a continued plunge in ADRs at Harrah’s Entertainment<\/strong>‘s Strip properties an extension of current doldrums or a deliberate attempt to undercut the competition? Given Harrah’s financial plight, it seems like a frying pan-or-fire dilemma.<\/p>\n

Can you say, “Fixations”?<\/strong> I thought you could. By the time Viva Elvis<\/em> eventually opens<\/a> (second item) we’ll have been “spoilered” to death with endless — but possibly misleading — sneak peeks. At least Cirque du Soleil<\/strong> is charging viewers a price-in-progress (25% off) to go with its latest work-in-progress.<\/p>\n

Great news, bloggers!<\/strong> We’ve all moved up one notch in the esteem of MGM Mirage. Or, as company spokesman Alan Feldman<\/strong> puts it in re<\/em> Donald Trump<\/strong>, “I can hardly imagine anyone’s opinion that matters less than his<\/em>.” As for The Donald’s assertion that Trump International<\/strong> was finished on budget, there’s about as much truth in that as in any other claim Trump makes regarding his properties.<\/span><\/p>\n

No scalped-ticket buyers<\/strong> were busted on Garth Brooks<\/strong>‘ opening night, sayeth<\/a> Wynn Resorts<\/strong>. “Victory is mine!<\/em>” Yeah, because if Friday night was like Saturday, nobody’s ID was being checked against the names printed on their tickets. In the end, Steve Wynn<\/strong>‘s anti-scalper crusade may boil down to a lot of hot air and not much else.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new Manilow?<\/strong> A visitor to the Las Vegas Hilton<\/strong> reports that the casino — which now lacks a star attraction and does not cater to an especially young crowd — is “playing a disproportionate amount of Britney Spears<\/strong>.” Is this quasi-subliminal preparation for a big headliner announcement to come … or wishful thinking by Muzak programmers at Colony Capital<\/strong>?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember how<\/strong> I said that Jon Ralston<\/strong> was needed by Greenspun Media<\/strong> more than the reverse? His Face to Face<\/em> program is making the move to an NBC affiliate<\/a> and going statewide for good measure. Sherman Frederick<\/strong> will doubtless find something petty to say about this but S&G<\/em> will restrict itself to: Congratulations!
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While I’m gathering my thoughts — and notes — from yesterday’s Orgy o’CityCenter (and trying to maintain a Cone of Deafness, as far as other commentators), here are a few stray tidbits: Even MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren can’t hide … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,56,3,66,28,42,134,14,4,59,57,32,8,9,19,100,17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1619"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1624,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619\/revisions\/1624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}