Tennis Court Arena at Caesars Palace

A temporary tennis court arena was recently installed in front of Caesars Palace to host a celebrity charity event.

Billie Jean King and Elton John hosted Mylan WTT Smash Hits benefiting the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF) and local AIDS organizations. The event has raised more than $13 million since its inception.

This is the first time the event has been in Las Vegas. This year's event raised over $1 million.

Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, James Blake, Mardy Fish, Lindsay Davenport and Andy Roddick were among the tennis stars playing.

Tennis Channel tweeted this picture of the setup during the day. Appropriately the Elton John Caesars marquee was in the background along with Mirage and Treasure Island.


Caesars Palace tweeted this picture of the arena during the event at night, with Caesars in the background.


Andre Agassi tweeted this picture of himself with wife Steffi Graf and Flamingo in the background.

Sam Smith - Money On My Mind - Music Video

The music video for the Sam Smith song "Money On My Mind" takes place in Las Vegas.

Some landmarks I spotted in the video include:

Golden Gate
Paris
Cosmopolitan
Fremont Street
Stratosphere
Dino's Lounge
A Little White Wedding Chapel
Fun City Motel
Flamingo

Flamingo GO Room Pictures from 2009

I thought this would be a good opportunity to add some Las Vegas photos that have been laying around collecting digital dust. Some are from before I started this blog in 2010.

This is a Flamingo GO room taken in 2009. Yes that's 6 years ago, but to my knowledge not much has been done to the GO rooms since then, so they shouldn't look that different.

The GO rooms historically have been a good choice to get a fairly cheap room center strip. Hopefully they're still in pretty good shape.

High Roller Photos and Thoughts

The High Roller observation wheel has been open for a few months. Reviews seem to be mixed. While most people enjoy the ride and say it has great views, ridership seems to be low. Prices started out high for the attraction, but coupons and comps are becoming more common now.



My parents went on recently and sent me these photos. They went during the day and were able to get a pod to themselves. While they had a good time I don't think they would go out of their way to ride again.



The High Roller is the centerpiece to The Linq development, which is a walkway between Flamingo and The Quad lined with restaurants and retail. I'm getting the same type of vibe from the Linq as the High Roller - it's a nice place but most people aren't making special plans to go there.



A recent trend for Caesars Entertainment is also to offer High Roller view rooms in their hotels. It does look pretty cool at night. Here's a shot of the July 4th fireworks from the Flamingo.

Caesars Entertainment Resort Fees starting March 1, 2013

After years of advertising that they don't charge resort fees, Caesars Entertainment has changed course 180 degrees. The company will start charging the fees on all Las Vegas rooms booked after March 1, 2013.

This is quite a change from the summer of 2011 when showgirls from Bally's protested resort fees on the Strip.

All eight Caesars properties in Vegas (Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally's, Harrah's, Flamingo, Rio and The Quad) will start charging resort fees ranging from $10-25 a night, which will include the use of basic amenities like internet access and use of the hotel fitness center.

From an outside perspective this seems like a strange move. Since most Las Vegas Strip hotels charge resort fees, I thought Caesars was in a great position being able to advertise that the didn't have the fees. Obviously adding fees will provide a revenue boost for the company, but they could have just as easily done that by raising hotel rates outright.

Caesars obviously didn't think they could continue on with the no-fee strategy though, as eye-catching low rack rates backed up by secondary "hidden" fees are proving to be a very successful strategy for travel providers.

Flamingo getting New Steakhouse

Flamingo will soon be getting a new steakhouse, as Burger Joint has closed and will be replaced by Center Cut Steakhouse.

Flamingo's previous steakhouse was closed in late 2010 to make way for the Margaritaville Casino.

In other Flamingo news, popular Mexican restaurant and bar Carlos'n Charlie's will be opening very soon. I assume they are working hard to have it open in time for the spring break party season.

Flamingo Tennis Courts Removed for Linq

It appears the tennis courts at Flamingo have been removed to make way for Project Linq.

A picture was posted on Vegas Chatter showing an empty lot of dirt where the courts used to be.

I remember in the past thinking to myself that the tennis courts at Flamingo were a big waste of space. I have nothing against tennis, but the courts always seemed empty.

I knew it was just a matter of time before the courts were removed to make way for other purposes. I would have preferred to see the pool area expanded into that space instead, but I'm guessing The Linq will be a bigger revenue generator.

Flamingo FAB Rooms

Flamingo has quietly introduced a new room type into their lineup. The new FAB rooms will are available for booking starting in 2012. The name goes along with Flamingo's "Forever Fabulous" campaign.

The rooms look like an updated version of the basic "Deluxe" rooms. The major differences are the new hardwood floors and pink curtains. I can't tell for sure but it looks like most of the furniture was held over from the old rooms, including the headboards.

Pricing will likely depend on popularity, but based on what I'm seeing right now it looks like these will be more expensive than the "Deluxe" rooms, but not as expensive as the popular "GO" rooms.

I'm wondering if all of the older rooms at Flamingo will be replaced by FAB rooms eventually. The older rooms at Flamingo could use some refreshing, but I'm not sure if hardwood floors would be a good choice for the majority of rooms.

Margaritaville Casino opens at Flamingo

The Margaritaville casino at Flamingo is open. The new space is having a soft opening for the next two weeks before the official grand opening the weekend of October 14th.

The casino connects the existing Flamingo casino to the Margaritaville restaurant. What used to be a rather plain hallway is now a bright, upbeat casino area that now also opens up to the Strip.

Here are some videos of the opening. FlamingoVegas posted interviews with Rick Mazer and Tamara Baldanza along with the first roll of the dice:







YouTube user ruthatguy filmed a walk-through of the new casino:

O'Sheas to be Re-named and De-themed?

As expected, Clark County zoning officials approved plans for the Caesars Entertainment Project Linq.

New renderings of the project have been released that make the project look more upscale than previously thought. In the past, some people have referred to the project as the O'Sheas street O'Shops but in the new drawings it looks like O'Sheas doesn't even exist. At least not in its current form.



It appears that O'Sheas will be completely transformed into a modern de-themed casino, similar to say Aria or the M Resort. This could be a good thing, but I'm definitely going to miss the old Irish pub theme of O'Sheas. While it isn't the nicest place in the world you can always count on cheap drinks, cheap games and cheap food at the food court. I'm guessing all of those things will go away with the renovation.



It's important to note that I'm just speculating that O'Sheas will be re-named and de-themed. Caesars Entertainment hasn't made this announcement yet, and all of the press I've seen regarding Project Linq still refer to the property as O'Sheas. Also it appears there are a couple of different versions of the new renderings, so the final decision might not have been made yet.

Reading between the lines though, it looks like the days might be numbered for the old O'Sheas.

UPDATE: August 21, 2011
Caesars Entertainment had an official press conference this week to discuss plans for The Linq.

As speculated, O'Sheas as we know it is going away. BUT there are plans to "move" the O'Sheas casino and somehow merge it with Imperial Palace. It's kind of hard to envision what that will look like, since Imperial Palace is also getting completely made over and re-named as a result of Project Linq.

Project LINQ Details Revealed

The Clark County Zoning Commission will be reviewing the Caesars Entertainment Project LINQ on Wednesday, August 3rd.

The agenda for the commission meeting was posted online, and revealed new details about Project LINQ.

Perhaps the biggest revelation is that parking will be reduced Flamingo, IP and Harrah's to accommodate the project. It appears total parking at the resorts will be reduced by 30%.

The south facades at Imperial Palace and O'Sheas will also be re-skinned and de-themed from their current Asian and Irish themes to reflect contemporary American design.

And yes, the 550 observation Ferris wheel is still in the plans, although the FAA might have something to say about it later down the line.

Read all about the Project LINQ plans: Clark County Zoning Meeting Agenda.

UPDATE: August 3, 2011.
Clark County has approved the project and new renderings have been revealed. See them here.

Carlos'n Charlie's coming to Flamingo

The popular Mexican restaurant and bar chain Carlos'n Charlie's will be opening a location at Flamingo this winter.

The restaurant will be located next to the sportsbook and will feature an outdoor terrace space overlooking the back courtyard area.

I think this will be a nice addition to Flamingo, and should go along well with their other tropical themed restaurant, Margaritaville.

Carlos'n Charlie's is owned by the same company as another premiere Mexican watering hole, Señor Frog's, which is also opening a location in Las Vegas later this year at Treasure Island.

New Donny and Marie Wrap at Flamingo

There is a new Donny & Marie wrap on the front of Flamingo. Back in December the old Donny & Marie wrap was removed and replaced with an advertisement for H&M. It seems the H&M ad was temporary, most likely to promote their new location at the Forum Shops.



I think the new wrap looks pretty good. I really like the large Flamingo logo. The black and white photo seems to blend into the building well also.

Off The Wall Signs posted some cool time-lapse videos on YouTube showing the making of the sign and the installation:

Vegas Shows Celebrate Milestones

A bunch of Las Vegas shows have passed milestones recently:

- Donny and Marie celebrated their 500th show at Flamingo, and their contract has been extended into 2012.

- Matt Goss has been at Caesars Palace for one year.

- Barry Manilow has been at Paris for one year.

- Absinthe adult carnival has opened at Caesars Palace.

- KA celebrated their 3000th show at MGM Grand.

Flamingo Pool Changes for 2011

There are some changes scheduled to take place at the Flamingo pool this summer. Flamingo announced these changes on their facebook page.

They first posted:

The Beach Club Pool (formerly the Go Pool) is now open to Flamingo guests of all ages! The new 18+ Go Pool (formerly the Lagoon Pool) opens April 1.

The post sparked many comments of confusion which resulted in Flamingo posting this follow up:

Here's what we've been able to find out.

1) There is no fee for hotel guests to use either pool.
2) The waterslides will be open and accessible from both pools, they are scheduled to open on April 1.
3) The reason the new Go Pool (the larger p...ool) is not opening yet is because we are installing a new sound system and performing additional construction.
4) The new Go Pool will not offer European style bathing - it is simply restricted to 18+ guests.

We're still waiting for the dust to settle (literally and figuratively) but we will update you on the details as soon as we hear them.

And then finally:

Here's a few more details on our pools.

Part of the rationale for the change was to give all of our guests access to the Beach Club Café - previously, due to its location in a 21+ pool, grabbing a poolside bite to eat with the kids presented... a bit of a challenge.

Also, some of the additional improvements that we're making to the new Go Pool include new chairs, new day beds and a new bar.

We believe that these changes will provide a more pleasant pool experience for guests of all ages, by giving families a dedicated (and frankly, beautiful) space all their own, while giving our adult guests a place to party outside the presence of children.

Given the percentage of our guests who travel with their children, we do not anticipate overcrowding at the Beach Club Pool to be an issue.

We do appreciate your feedback on this matter, and rest assured that we have shared all of your concerns with our management team.

Thoughts:

The biggest concern switching the pools is that the former Go Pool (now the family friendly pool) isn't very big. If I had to guess I would say that it only comprises about 25% of the total pool area. If they include the waterside pools in the family friendly area, the balance might be more like 50-50.

You may not think there are a lot of kids in Vegas, but Flamingo is a very popular choice for families because of the great pools. Reducing the amount of already crowded family friendly space might be a mistake.

Adults without kids might not like the change either, because they will have to switch from the quiet, secluded smaller pool to the larger, louder and likely more crowded big pool.

Personally I liked things the way they were before. I didn't even mind paying extra to get into the small, under-crowded adult only pool (with the added bonus of maybe seeing some European sunbathers back when they allowed that). In Las Vegas changes happen often though, so I guess I'll have to roll with the punches.

Caesars STILL wants Project LINQ

Caesars Entertainment is looking to take out a $400 million loan to finish the Octavius Tower and complete the Project LINQ street of shopping and restaurants between Flamingo and O'Sheas.

Project LINQ was first mentioned by the company in July 2009. It was put on the back burner for about a year before the company confirmed in July 2010 that it still wanted to pursue the project. In October it was announced that an IPO would be issued to raise the $575 million or so needed for the project, along with completing Octavius. A month later (in November) it was announced that the IPO was canceled and Project LINQ presumably dead.

I'm definitely surprised to see Caesars Entertainment continuing to try to get this thing done. With all the funding issues, along with the wide criticism of the project (especially the Ferris Wheel aspect) I would have thought Caesars would have taken their ball and gone home.

On the other hand, they need to finish Octavius sooner than later and probably figure now is a good time with Celine coming back. As long as they're getting a loan for Octavius, why not build the LINQ also? I'm guessing the Ferris Wheel might get scrapped though. With a reduced budget that has to be the first thing on the chopping block.

UPDATE: August 3, 2011.
Caesars Entertainment was able to secure financing and Project Linq will be built. Clark County has approved the project and new renderings have been revealed. See them here.

Margaritaville Casino to open at Flamingo

Margaritaville at Flamingo will be expanding to include its very own branded casino, which will be located near the restaurant in the former Steakhouse 46 location. The area is scheduled to open in August.

I'm guessing this will be similar to other themed casino areas at Caesars Entertainment properties like the Pussycat Dolls lounge at Caesars and the Toby Keith party pit at Harrah's. Expect lots of 6:5 blackjack, dancing women and perhaps a mixed drink station nearby.



Source: FlamingoVegas Twitter.

Donny and Marie Wrap at Flamingo Coming Down

The world famous Donny and Marie wrap on the Flamingo is coming down and will be replaced with an advertisement for the new H&M store at the Forum Shops.

While the Donny and Marie wrap was definitely tacky and a bit of an eyesore, at least hit had something to do with Las Vegas and more specifically the Flamingo. An H&M advertisement seems kind of bland for that kind of strip frontage, and the store it's promoting is across the street at Caesars, which might confuse some pedestrians.

The preferred option would be not to have billboard advertising on the front of hotels, but it looks like they are here to stay, at least at Flamingo. If they insist on wraps, something like the Love advertisement at Mirage isn't too bad, it's fairly unobtrusive and understated.

Steakhouse 46 at Flamingo Closes

Flamingo's Steakhouse 46 (named after the year Flamingo opened) has closed.

Steakhouse 46 was probably Flamingo's most expensive and nicest restaurant. Without it Flamingo's dining options are becoming even more limited.

Let's take a look at the current food offerings at Flamingo:

Beach Club
Burger Joint
Hamada of Japan
Pink Bean
Margaritaville
Paradise Garden Buffet
Promenade Food Court
Sin City Brewing Company
Tropical Breeze Cafe

Plenty of fast and casual places to grab a bite, but not much on the higher end. Fortunately there are plenty of steakhouses on the Strip so I doubt 46 will be missed that much, but losing its top restaurant will further hurt Flamingo's dining reputation.

Harrah's IPO Cancelled - Linq Dead?

Within the past month or so, Harrah's announced that they were issuing an IPO, and would then use the proceeds to finish the stalled Octavius tower at Caesars Palace, and to build the Project LINQ stretch of restaurants and retail shops between Flamingo and O'Sheas.

Now Harrah's has announced that they are "not pursuing its initial public offering of common stock at this time due to market conditions."

With the IPO off the table for now, it appears that Octavius will remain unfinished for a while longer, and Project LINQ might be dead altogether. While I'm in favor of doing something with that street between Flamingo and O'Sheas, a lot of people have made fun of Ferris Wheel project. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Harrah's kill the idea altogether.

UPDATE: August 3, 2011.
Although the IPO fell though, Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah's Entertainment) was able to secure financing and Project Linq will be built. Clark County has approved the project and new renderings have been revealed. See them here.