Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Biggest High Roller of All Time?

Terrance Watanabe lost $189 million at Caesars Palace and the Rio in 2007, according to new court filings. The $189 million figure represented about 6 percent of all of Harrah's casino revenue in Las Vegas that year. In all, Watanabe gambled more than $800 million at Caesars Palace and Rio in 2007.

Because of these numbers people are calling Watanbe the biggest whale of all time in Las Vegas. While it is probably impossible to prove, it's hard to imagine anyone losing more than that in one year, although I guess it would be possible.

Watanabe is legendary around Vegas for gambling so much that he could cause Caesars Palace to have a profit or a loss on any given weekend based on how well he did at the tables.

Friday, May 14, 2010

H&M Flagship to open at Forum Shops

The largest H&M store in the country will open at the Forum Shops this fall. It will take the place of the recently closed FAO Schwarz store, which had been at Caesars Palace since 1997 with the signature Trojan horse display out front.

Las Vegas already is home to two H&M locations, one at the Miracle Mile Shops and one at Town Square. Ever since this announcement there has been questions about how a low priced retailer like H&M would be able to make much money at the ultra high end Forum Shops. I think it just might work. A lot of people pass through the Forum Shops and most of them don't have the money to buy the really expensive stuff, but might want to buy something at a lower cost - especially in this economy where tourists in Vegas are tending to spend less.

Source: Las Vegas Sun.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Camp Vegas Videos

I turned on the TV this morning and caught the very end of a Camp Vegas commercial. I wanted to see the whole commercial so I went searching for the videos and this is what I found:







Whatever you think of the campaign (a lot of people have been criticizing) it looks like they are putting some effort into it, and spending some cash for a national advertising campaign.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Nikki Beach Tropicana coming 2011

Nikki Beach is coming to Tropicana in 2011. The Nikki Beach brand has 20 locations worldwide including the original location in Miami.

Nikki Beach at the Tropicana will include the Beach Club, utilizing part of the four-acre, recently renovated pool area, as well as an additional expansion with a nightclub and restaurant.

This is just another in a long line of improvements at Tropicana. It shows that the new owners are serious about making the Trop a place to be in Vegas. Adding a trendy beach club is a great move in my opinion.

Check out this article for more info: Las Vegas Weekly.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Summer of Cirque - $50 Tickets

Cirque du Soleil is running a summer promotion where tickets for most shows will start at $50. Dates and ticket locations are limited, but it could turn out to be a good deal if you can find a show you want to see on a date that works for you.

The available shows:

* Mystere from $50 + fees
* Zumanity from $50 + fees - offer code: zumanity
* KA Live from $50 + fees - offer code: MGM
* The Beatles LOVE from $50 + fees
* CRISS Angel from $50 + fees - offer code: luxor
* Viva ELVIS from $50 + fees - offer code: ARIA

Deal found at Slickdeals.net.
Go to Cirque du Soleil to buy tickets.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Wynn and Le Reve - 5 year Anniversary

Wynn Las Vegas has been open for 5 years. The hotel opened on April 28, 2005. Since then it has changed the face of the Las Vegas hotel market. It is pretty clear that Wynn has set the bar as the best hotel in Vegas, and it will be hard for anyone to overtake that mark.



Wynn's show Le Reve has also been open for 5 years. It remains one of the most popular shows on the strip. I was very impressed when I saw it.