MGM to Close Lion Habitat

The Las Vegas Sun is reporting the lion habitat at MGM Grand will be closing permanently January 31, 2012.

The lion habitat was frequently ranked as one of the best free attractions on the Las Vegas Strip. It seemed to be very popular, attracting a nice crowd whenever the lions were there and active.

Despite the popularity, I'm guessing the habitat wasn't a money-maker for MGM, as many of the visitors were families with children not old enough to gamble.

The habitat received some bad publicity at the end of 2010 when a video surfaced of a lion attacking one of its handlers. Not sure if that led to the decision to close the attraction, but it couldn't have helped.

Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at Cosmopolitan

I found it odd when Cosmopolitan opened they didn't have some of the traditional Las Vegas staples that you would find at most hotels.

Since then they have added two of those things. A sportsbook and now a wedding chapel.

The chapel though, like many things at Cosmo, has a twist. It looks like it was designed to be intentionally tacky and a parody of of the stereotypical Las Vegas wedding.

One of the most popular packages will likely be the "Faux Ceremony" where participants can post pictures on facebook without the commitment.

The chapel will do real weddings too, at an extra cost of course. You need to bring a marriage license for the ceremony to be legally binding though.

The venue is behind glass right near the entrance of the hotel, which will surely attract gawkers walking on the Strip.

So if you're planning a wedding, real or fake, check out Pop-Up Wedding Chapel for all the info.

Las Vegas Hilton is now LVH

Back in August it was reported that Hilton would be ending their partnership agreement with the Las Vegas Hilton at the end of 2011.

Well, 2011 is over so the hotel has indeed changed its name to LVH, which apparantly stands for the very generic "Las Vegas Hotel."

The name change is similar to the Atlantic City Hilton, which earlier in 2011 changed their name to ACH.

When I first heard the news about the Las Vegas Hilton I was hoping they would go back to their original name of The International. I also speculated that the hotel would partner up with another hotel chain, which I suppose could still happen at some point.

Check out the new LVH website for all the info about the name change.

Top 5 Vegas News Stories of 2011

Now that the calendar reads 2012, I thought I'd attempt to recall some of the top Las Vegas news stories of 2011. These are more or less off the top of my head, so I might have forgotten something, but here goes:

5. Absinthe opens to rave reviews.
Usually shows open and close in Las Vegas with little fanfare, but Absinthe got such great reviews that it really opened some eyes. I can't remember a show that has received almost unanimous positive reviews in some time.

4. Plaza renovation leads downtown resurgence.
The Plaza hotel on Fremont Street purchased the Fontainebleau's furniture and used it to complete a major renovation project, which included a makeover of rooms, public areas and a few new restaurants. Along with the improvements at Plaza, many new bars and restaurants on Fremont Street made downtown a fun place to hang out in 2011 and beyond.

3. Cosmopolitan opens.
Technically Cosmopolitan opened during the last few days of 2010, but it was the talk of the town for much of 2011 as visitors got to experience it for the first time. Despite some issues with long check-in lines, the property has received high praise for its uniqueness and many drinking and dining options. That being said, it struggled to make money because it has attracted a largely non-gaming crowd.

2. Project Linq.
The Caesars Entertainment Project Linq has been talked about for a few years now, but in 2011 the project pushed full steam ahead. We learned many details of the project, including the news that O'Sheas will be closed in its current form and re-located, likely being incorporated into Imperial Palace, which will also be re-named.

1. Sahara closes.
On May 16th 2011 Sahara closed after nearly 59 years of operation. A month after the closing, a huge liquidation sale was held on the property where visitors could take home a piece of Las Vegas history while walking around the joint for one last time. The Sahara's owners have a plan to re-brand and re-open the hotel in 2014, but we'll just have to wait and see if that happens.

Closed Sahara has Renovation Plans

The Sahara hotel closed six months ago, but the owners have a plan that would bring the historic hotel back to life.

County officials recently approved a plan that would renovate the hotel towers. An outdoor beer garden patio and a new nightclub are also planned for the property.

At the time of the hotel's closing, owner Sam Nazarian insisted that the hotel would re-open in 2014. Not many people believed that would actually happen, but these new plans make it slightly more likely.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the plans ever get off the ground. I've been fairly optimistic that a remodeled, re-branded Sahara could open someday, but I still have my doubts.