The Real World is filming an upcoming season in Las Vegas. Gold Spike downtown has been reported by multiple sources as the residence for the show's participants.
The Real World was one of (maybe the first?) reality television shows when it first debuted on MTV in 1992. This upcoming season will be the show's 31st overall, and third time in Las Vegas.
The 12th season of The Real World in 2002 took place at The Palms. The popularity of that season cemented The Palms as the place to be for younger tourists to party in Las Vegas in the early to mid 2000's.
The 25th season in 2011 also took place in Las Vegas at The Hard Rock. By this time the show's popularity wasn't as high, so I don't think it gave The Hard Rock the cool factor boost they were hoping for.
Gold Spike definitely has the hip factor being owned by Downtown Project and recently removing their old-people casino in favor of millennial approved board games and live music.
It will be interesting to see if the TV show will attract any additional foot traffic to the struggling Downtown Grand across the street.
Showing posts with label Downtown Grand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Downtown Grand. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Downtown Grand moves Table Games
Downtown Grand has seemingly struggled to attract gamblers ever since they opened the remodeled Lady Luck property back in 2013.
Shortly after rumors surfaced that the property was for sale, Downtown Grand issued a press release highlighting some changes at the casino.
Perhaps the most interesting change is the decision to move all of the table games into what used to be high limit areas. Essentially relegating table game players to small nooks off the casino floor.
I have mixed feelings about this change. On one hand I think it would be kind of cool to play in a secluded area like this, almost pretending to be a high roller for a day.
On the other hand playing high energy table games in a small secluded area might suck the life out of the games. Craps comes to mind as a game that I wouldn't really want to play in a quiet area.
Hiding the table games off to the side makes it less obvious that they are only open during certain times, and having a slot parlor feel on the main floor might give the appearance of more excitement - with less labor costs.
Downtown Grand is a nice property and I think most people are rooting for it to succeed. Hopefully some of these changes help them turn the property around, but we'll have to wait and see.
Shortly after rumors surfaced that the property was for sale, Downtown Grand issued a press release highlighting some changes at the casino.
Perhaps the most interesting change is the decision to move all of the table games into what used to be high limit areas. Essentially relegating table game players to small nooks off the casino floor.
I have mixed feelings about this change. On one hand I think it would be kind of cool to play in a secluded area like this, almost pretending to be a high roller for a day.
On the other hand playing high energy table games in a small secluded area might suck the life out of the games. Craps comes to mind as a game that I wouldn't really want to play in a quiet area.
Hiding the table games off to the side makes it less obvious that they are only open during certain times, and having a slot parlor feel on the main floor might give the appearance of more excitement - with less labor costs.
Downtown Grand is a nice property and I think most people are rooting for it to succeed. Hopefully some of these changes help them turn the property around, but we'll have to wait and see.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Downtown Grand Cuts Table Game Hours
Downtown Grand is a nice remodeled property, but ever since it opened in late 2013 it seems like foot traffic has been low. This has caused management to make several changes including cutting back on restaurant offerings.
Just recently they did something I've never heard of in a major casino - scheduled hours for table games. The already low number of table games (down to 9 last I heard) will only be open from 2:00 pm to 2:00 am on weekdays, and noon to 2:00 am on weekends.
I understand the urge to close table games at times when nobody's playing, but this looks really bad. If a table games player visits the property in the morning hours only to see a pit of closed games how likely are they to return? I wonder if there's any flexibility to this policy. If a 20 person bachelor party walks in at 1:55 am wanting to throw around some cash on the craps and blackjack tables will they be turned away?
Downtown Grand is also rumored to be up for sale. This isn't surprising as Downtown Grand along with SLS have both apparently struggled since re-opening. I just wonder how much someone would be willing to pay for this property. As nice as it is the location isn't great, and it has already failed once under the Lady Luck banner.
Just recently they did something I've never heard of in a major casino - scheduled hours for table games. The already low number of table games (down to 9 last I heard) will only be open from 2:00 pm to 2:00 am on weekdays, and noon to 2:00 am on weekends.
I understand the urge to close table games at times when nobody's playing, but this looks really bad. If a table games player visits the property in the morning hours only to see a pit of closed games how likely are they to return? I wonder if there's any flexibility to this policy. If a 20 person bachelor party walks in at 1:55 am wanting to throw around some cash on the craps and blackjack tables will they be turned away?
Downtown Grand is also rumored to be up for sale. This isn't surprising as Downtown Grand along with SLS have both apparently struggled since re-opening. I just wonder how much someone would be willing to pay for this property. As nice as it is the location isn't great, and it has already failed once under the Lady Luck banner.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Las Vegas in 2014
I've been away from the blog for a while. I'm always thinking about Las Vegas and it's about time I start posting again. Some of the topics I plan on covering soon are:
- The Cromwell
- Downtown Grand
- The Linq and the High Roller
- The Quad name change to The Linq
- SLS Las Vegas
- Resorts World
- MGM-AEG Arena
- Cosmopolitan sold
- Atlantic City
Las Vegas is constantly changing so there's a lot to write about.
- The Cromwell
- Downtown Grand
- The Linq and the High Roller
- The Quad name change to The Linq
- SLS Las Vegas
- Resorts World
- MGM-AEG Arena
- Cosmopolitan sold
- Atlantic City
Las Vegas is constantly changing so there's a lot to write about.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Downtown Grand and SLS
Two closed Las Vegas hotels might be reopening in the near future.
First up is The Downtown Grand, which previously operated as Lady Luck up until it closed in 2006. In 2010 there were some rumblings about the property reopening, and they even had a 2012 target date. Obviously 2012 has come and gone, but now the property has a new name, and today they gave local newspapers a tour of what the new rooms will look like. The rooms look great, and will start at a very reasonable $69 a night. With definite progress and construction work ongoing it's looking more and more likely The Downtown Grand will be open by the end of 2013.
Next up, the closed Sahara might be reborn as SLS Las Vegas. After Sahara closed in 2011, owner Sam Nazarian claimed that he would reopen the property as SLS in 2014. Not many people believed that would actually happen, but now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nazarian has secured financing for the project. Some of the money is coming from EB-5, a program which gives green cards to foreigners who make investments in US businesses. The Journal article mentioned that The Downtown Grand is also using EB-5 for some of its financing. Construction for SLS is set to begin immediately, but there are still question marks, as much of the foreign EB-5 investment isn't available for use until it clears through government red tape.
First up is The Downtown Grand, which previously operated as Lady Luck up until it closed in 2006. In 2010 there were some rumblings about the property reopening, and they even had a 2012 target date. Obviously 2012 has come and gone, but now the property has a new name, and today they gave local newspapers a tour of what the new rooms will look like. The rooms look great, and will start at a very reasonable $69 a night. With definite progress and construction work ongoing it's looking more and more likely The Downtown Grand will be open by the end of 2013.
Next up, the closed Sahara might be reborn as SLS Las Vegas. After Sahara closed in 2011, owner Sam Nazarian claimed that he would reopen the property as SLS in 2014. Not many people believed that would actually happen, but now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nazarian has secured financing for the project. Some of the money is coming from EB-5, a program which gives green cards to foreigners who make investments in US businesses. The Journal article mentioned that The Downtown Grand is also using EB-5 for some of its financing. Construction for SLS is set to begin immediately, but there are still question marks, as much of the foreign EB-5 investment isn't available for use until it clears through government red tape.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Zappos, Lady Luck and City Hall - Downtown 2012
Many people will be looking forward to the year 2012 in downtown Las Vegas. Three new developments opening around the same time are expected to spark an economic boom of sorts near Fremont Street.
A new City Hall is being built, which should be done by 2012.
The old City Hall building will then be occupied by online retailer Zappos.com, which has agreed to lease the property for at least 10 years. The Zappos move will bring 1000 employees to the area.
Around the same time as the City Hall switch, Lady Luck should be re-opening. The owners held a press conference this week re-affirming plans to remodel and open the property in 2012 under a different name.
It's nice to see some good news for downtown, even though it's over a year away. I had my doubts about Lady Luck, but the City Hall and Zappos development makes the whole area more attractive, which should give the Lady Luck owners some incentive to open the property.
A new City Hall is being built, which should be done by 2012.
The old City Hall building will then be occupied by online retailer Zappos.com, which has agreed to lease the property for at least 10 years. The Zappos move will bring 1000 employees to the area.
Around the same time as the City Hall switch, Lady Luck should be re-opening. The owners held a press conference this week re-affirming plans to remodel and open the property in 2012 under a different name.
It's nice to see some good news for downtown, even though it's over a year away. I had my doubts about Lady Luck, but the City Hall and Zappos development makes the whole area more attractive, which should give the Lady Luck owners some incentive to open the property.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Plaza Buys Fontainebleau Furniture
A few days ago it was revealed that most the the furniture at the stalled Fontainebleau project would be sold off at auction.
Today a story in the Las Vegas Sun reported that much of that furniture was purchased by the owners of the Plaza hotel, which is scheduled to close for renovation this November. Plaza's newly remodeled rooms will be fitted with "Wallpaper, carpet, tile, sofas, chairs, desks, dressers, side tables and bed frames" that were originally intended to be used in the rooms at Fontainebleau.
It appears the owners of the Plaza might actually be serious about renovating the property. When it was announced that the hotel was closing, many people speculated that this would be another Lady Luck or Binion's situation, where the hotel would close and not actually be worked on for a long time. It looks like this is not the case, as the project has a set budget ($20 million) and re-opening date (September 2011). Now they have some brand new swanky furniture to go along with it, purchased for pennies on the dollar.
Today a story in the Las Vegas Sun reported that much of that furniture was purchased by the owners of the Plaza hotel, which is scheduled to close for renovation this November. Plaza's newly remodeled rooms will be fitted with "Wallpaper, carpet, tile, sofas, chairs, desks, dressers, side tables and bed frames" that were originally intended to be used in the rooms at Fontainebleau.
It appears the owners of the Plaza might actually be serious about renovating the property. When it was announced that the hotel was closing, many people speculated that this would be another Lady Luck or Binion's situation, where the hotel would close and not actually be worked on for a long time. It looks like this is not the case, as the project has a set budget ($20 million) and re-opening date (September 2011). Now they have some brand new swanky furniture to go along with it, purchased for pennies on the dollar.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Plaza Hotel Closing in November
Hotel operations at the Plaza downtown will close on November 11th. The casino will remain open, along with the popular Firefly restaurant and Rat Pack is Back show.
The official word is that the hotel is closing for renovations and will re-open in 2011 with the new name Union Plaza. Unofficially though many people are wondering if the remodeling will be done and how soon. It might make more economic sense to just leave the hotel closed for a while until things turn around a little bit. With rooms downtown as cheap as they are the hotel portion of the revenue can't be that substantial.
Unfortunately the closure means the loss of 400 jobs. The Plaza's parent company will try to place some of the employees at their other hotels (Las Vegas Club and The Western) and will also try to re-hire them if and when the hotel re-opens.
It will be interesting to see how well the planned renovations go, along with the planned renovations over at Lady Luck. If things go as planned, downtown visitors could have two new fresh hotels to choose from in 2011 and 2012. On the flip side there's a pretty good chance that things will be put on hold indefinitely, which would be another negative development for downtown.
The official word is that the hotel is closing for renovations and will re-open in 2011 with the new name Union Plaza. Unofficially though many people are wondering if the remodeling will be done and how soon. It might make more economic sense to just leave the hotel closed for a while until things turn around a little bit. With rooms downtown as cheap as they are the hotel portion of the revenue can't be that substantial.
Unfortunately the closure means the loss of 400 jobs. The Plaza's parent company will try to place some of the employees at their other hotels (Las Vegas Club and The Western) and will also try to re-hire them if and when the hotel re-opens.
It will be interesting to see how well the planned renovations go, along with the planned renovations over at Lady Luck. If things go as planned, downtown visitors could have two new fresh hotels to choose from in 2011 and 2012. On the flip side there's a pretty good chance that things will be put on hold indefinitely, which would be another negative development for downtown.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Lady Luck Renovation Plan Approved
Las Vegas city officials have approved plans for the renovation of the closed Lady Luck Hotel.
This brings the hotel one step closer to re-opening, which is scheduled to occur in 2012. I am still in a "Believe it when I see it" mode when it comes to this project, but construction work is reportedly going to start immediately so if that happens I'll be convinced that the plans are legit.
Source: Fox 5 News.
This brings the hotel one step closer to re-opening, which is scheduled to occur in 2012. I am still in a "Believe it when I see it" mode when it comes to this project, but construction work is reportedly going to start immediately so if that happens I'll be convinced that the plans are legit.
Source: Fox 5 News.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Lady Luck Targeting 2012 Re-Opening
Lady Luck is targeting a late 2012 re-opening date. The renovation project was approved by the Las Vegas Planning Commission and will presumably be approved by the Las Vegas City Council in July.
About a month ago I wrote about Lady Luck's re-opening plans. At the time I didn't think it would take two and a half years to complete the project. Thinking about it more though it makes sense. They are basically re-building the entire hotel which would be akin to starting new construction. The 2012 date assures me that they are being realistic with the plans, although it will be hard to believe anything is being done until construction actually starts.
If Lady Luck does actually open in 2012 there could be a chance to have five consecutive years with a major hotel opening:
2008 - Encore
2009 - Aria
2010 - Cosmopolitan
2011 - Fontainebleau (this one's a longshot)
2012 - Lady Luck
About a month ago I wrote about Lady Luck's re-opening plans. At the time I didn't think it would take two and a half years to complete the project. Thinking about it more though it makes sense. They are basically re-building the entire hotel which would be akin to starting new construction. The 2012 date assures me that they are being realistic with the plans, although it will be hard to believe anything is being done until construction actually starts.
If Lady Luck does actually open in 2012 there could be a chance to have five consecutive years with a major hotel opening:
2008 - Encore
2009 - Aria
2010 - Cosmopolitan
2011 - Fontainebleau (this one's a longshot)
2012 - Lady Luck
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Lady Luck Reopening?
The Las Vegas economy must be recovering. Plans have been submitted to remodel and reopen Lady Luck. The downtown property near Fremont Street has been closed since 2006. It was only supposed to be closed for 1 year, but has remained closed and many people predicted that it would never reopen. Mayor Oscar Goodman has been pushing for something to be done with the property.
The plans call for putting a pool and deck atop the casino building, replacing 50 rooms with spa, fitness and meeting facilities, and upgrading the remaining 684 rooms. A pedestrian bridge linking hotel towers across Third Street will also be renovated.
A renovated hotel downtown would be very successful in my opinion. There are probably lots of people (myself included) who would like to stay downtown, but don’t want to stay in an ancient hotel room. Golden Nugget has new rooms in their Rush Tower but they might a little overpriced. If Lady Luck opens with nice new rooms, with a new casino they could do very well.
Adding a pool will also be a great asset. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think many hotels downtown have pools (I know Golden Nugget has a nice one), so a great resort style pool downtown would be a huge draw.
Source: AP via Reno Gazette-Journal.
The plans call for putting a pool and deck atop the casino building, replacing 50 rooms with spa, fitness and meeting facilities, and upgrading the remaining 684 rooms. A pedestrian bridge linking hotel towers across Third Street will also be renovated.
A renovated hotel downtown would be very successful in my opinion. There are probably lots of people (myself included) who would like to stay downtown, but don’t want to stay in an ancient hotel room. Golden Nugget has new rooms in their Rush Tower but they might a little overpriced. If Lady Luck opens with nice new rooms, with a new casino they could do very well.
Adding a pool will also be a great asset. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think many hotels downtown have pools (I know Golden Nugget has a nice one), so a great resort style pool downtown would be a huge draw.
Source: AP via Reno Gazette-Journal.
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