Stiffs and Georges

To celebrate the first anniversary of his cold-blooded, premeditated murder of the Sahara, nightclub owner Sam Nazarian trotted out freshly hired casino boss Rob Oseland, along with some models (no, not of the runway ilk) and even a rendering that one can find on the SLS Las Vegas Web site. As Chuck Monster reports, NASCAR [...]

In the unlikely event that Steve Wynn is abducted by aliens and thrown into a Chinese political prison, Wynn Resorts need look no farther than ex-wife Elaine Wynn for continuity of vision. (And, make no mistake, there isn’t a discernible point where El Steve leaves off and “Wynn Resorts” begins. L’etat c’est lui.) If it [...]

Although I was only joking when I suggested that Steve Wynn’s long-sought Cotai Strip land grant would come in on May Day, some Communist Party bureaucrat wasn’t. After many false alarms, the 51 acres were finally ‘gazetted’ on May 1. In lieu of Wynn brandishing a hammer and sickle, per S&G’s suggestion, it would suffice [...]

Some local businessmen busted out the crying towels last weekend and threw themselves a pity party in the pages of the Los Angeles Times. Now, the wipeout of the Las Vegas economy is — or should be — old news to the national media by now. Whatever happened on Main Street, U.S.A., happened here in [...]

Evidently J.P. Morgan’s Gaming, Lodging & Leisure Management Access Forum, being held this week at Wynncore, isn’t sufficiently important to merit the attendance of Big Gaming’s CEOs. If Steve Wynn couldn’t make the stroll from his office to Encore’s meeting rooms, why should Sheldon Adelson cross the street, right?
There have been a few class acts. MGM [...]

Rushing in where angels fear to tread, Kazuo Okada (right) has broken ground on his $2 billion, two-casino megaresort in the Philippines. You may remember the project as a bitter point of contention between Okada and erstwhile BFF Steve Wynn, who alleges that Okada tried to drag Wynn Resorts into it, by hook or by [...]

… goes to the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace, which opened last month. It’s tucked far enough away from the casino floor to provide some mental lebensraum as well, and it has a dedicated check-in desk. Since it directly overlooks Caesars’ cluster of pools (potentially affording some R-rated views of topless bathers), how much peace [...]

I guess a casino hasn’t truly “arrived” until Carmen Electra graces an event on its premises. This time it’s Palazzo’s turn, as Carmencita hosts something nightclub thing or other. Which reminds me that Electra performed at Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Saloon in Planet Hollywood when it opened recently. Having neglected to

Heading into August, hotel rates along the Strip appear to be in the doldrums, judging by figures published today by J.P. Morgan analysts. Weekday rates continue to recover, typified by Caesars Entertainment properties, and weekend ones continue to decline. So far in the third quarter, weekdays are 7% better than last year (or worse, if [...]

As he will tell anybody who listens, Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn is not only a Las Vegan but a Las Vegas vegan. There’s no zealot like a convert and Wynn (the only casino boss to whom the term “genius” can be applied without exaggeration) has been applying the vegan aesthetic to Wynncore with a [...]

As the Sahara wheezes towards the grave Sam Nazarian dug for it and the Tropicana Las Vegas goes “South Beach” in a blaze of blinding white, the Riviera is left in sole possession of the “old school” niche on the Strip. And its new owners and management are serious about pursuing nostalgic customers. The erstwhile [...]

Our favorite casino mogul, Steve Wynn, reminds us that his is a “more restrained” and private form of procession to the pronubial altar, and should be treated with discretion by the media …
Which reminds me that Daily Fiasco requested that the Andrea Hissom “too much information” wedding video released with great fanfare (and many a [...]

Last night at Treasure Island …

For more F-bombs, check out Fox 5’s coverage.

To follow the local media, you’d think Jesus Christ was returning to Earth at Caesars Palace. Instead, it’s Céline Marie Claudette Dion, who owns a just slightly smaller fanbase. Back when her first Caesars residency was announced, at a time when Sin City was experiencing a 2002 mini-slump, I wrote a piece for Nevada Business [...]

Although I’m still feeling somewhat the worse for wear from last night’s Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opening-night bacchanalia, a quick observations are in order. Filled with people, Cosmo’s virtues are magnified, its vices minimized (with one glaring exception to which I’ll get). And, yes, it is a fun-inducing space. It might not propel travel to [...]

A friend of S&G was recently staying at Wynncore and got this rude surprise when he looked out his north-facing window:
No, somebody didn’t topple the Stratosphere in the dead of night. So immense is the unfinished hulk of Fontainebleau that it completely obliterates one’s view of the tower, whose design is frequently — and quite [...]

In this absolutely brand-new video clip, Encore designer Roger Thomas provides a backstory on the inspiration and fabrication for the chandeliers in the casino. The follow-up video ought to be Steve Wynn explaining why the Macao-style division of the casino floor into intimate chambers laid an egg with Vegas gamblers … but you have to [...]

He’s not just any sightseer but the type of East Coast tastemaker MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren hoped to impress: New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger. Heretofore, Goldberger’s most memorable pronouncement in re Vegas came 13 years ago, when he gazed upon the Strip and found it a gaudier version of downtown Bucharest. Ouch!
Goldberger [...]

Like it or not, this is the new Las Vegas, folks. If you don’t want to be trampled by the douchebagerie, you probably shouldn’t come here. Last night, Encore’s casino floor and hallway looked like a Jersey Shores casting call. I’ve don’t think I’ve ever seen so many men whose heads were growing directly out [...]

Hey, Gary Loveman, don’t let the doorknob hit you in the butt as you skedaddle out of Kansas for the second time.  Ever-fickle, Harrah’s Entertainment turned tail and ran from the Sunflower State on the very date its Wichita-area proposal was to go before the Kansas Lottery Commission. The latter gave both remaining petitions — [...]