A mystery illness has debilitated me off and on (more “on” than “off,” sadly) for the past seven days. Fortunately, lively reader debate in the “Comments” threads have kept things ticking over nicely in my absence. Also, I sometimes get reports from the field like what follows. It’s particularly valuable to somebody like myself, who lives in Las Vegas and becomes inured to incremental changes. To wit …
“• Slot machines are disappearing from casinos. I don’t know whether they are trying to ‘uncluter’ the layout or whether the slot companies have pulled them back from lack of use, but the [Las Vegas] Hilton has, in my guess, about 1/3 fewer machines—or more. A large part of the ‘Space Quest’ casino is now a sitting area for the coffee bar, a dice pit has replaced a big slot area on the main floor, and about 1/3 of the machines have been pulled from the sports book. Same thing on a smaller scale at Planet Hollywood—there used to be a slot area beside the Earl of Sandwich—that section is now just empty. At the Riviera, a large section near the new British pub that used to have rows of machines now has a few pods of three machines each.
• Planet Ho’s integration of it’s A-list with Total Rewards is not as smooth as they have led people to believe. Accounts that they promised to merge were not, and they can’t merge them until you have no activity on either account for a period of days.
• The Hilton program that pays $10 if you don’t want your room serviced is great for single guys who just use their room to sleep. The $10 credit is good for any food or beverage in the hotel. Let’s see—fresh shampoo or $10—I’ll take the cash!
• Construction sounds and a few vehicles parked on the street near Fontainebleau.” [Editor’s note: Carl Icahn‘s peeps *did* pull construction permits there recently.]
Sigma Derby redux. My story on oddball casino games is now in the hands of Desert Companion Editor Andrew Kiraly. My thanks to the Queen of Comps, Jean Scott, and to readers B.K., Jeff in OKC and Kerr Mudgeon, who went above and beyond the call of duty on this one. I couldn’t locate any “tilt-up” games at Slots A Fun (maybe I didn’t ask the right questions), Flush Attack never seems to have made it out of the Laughlin market and space considerations precluded getting into Elvis reel-spinning slots. Ditto a pair of Goldeneye-themed machines at MGM Resorts International‘s Slots A Fun. These are anachronisms from the Stone Age of theming and bonus rounds: just some Joe Average reel-spinners with a James Bond logo slapped in the upper-left-hand corner.
Oh, and about Sigma Derby — play it while yet ye may.
LVH paying $10 to NOT service the room sounds like a good deal but if this becomes widespread, I wonder what the effect will be on housekeeping staff. Hotels will need less of them, thereby contributing to the unemployment ranks. So good for some, but for every action there’s a reaction.
I have to wonder how that $10 Hilton credit for skipping the room cleaning will affect the housekeepers who rely on tips. How many guests will leave a tip for NOT getting their room cleaned?
Fred: Good point. I hadn’t considered that it might result in fewer staff. I don’t usually have my room cleaned every day, but I figured that would save a few cents in laundering costs. I’ll continue to forgo every-day room make-up, and assume that most other guests won’t do the same – so staff levels will stay about where they are.
Walt: I always leave a tip for the housekeepers based on how many days I stay – not how many days I use their services. I figure that they deserve the few dollars I leave, just for being there if I need something – like extra ashtrays or coffee packets.
From what I have heard, the companies that lease casino space and services for their slots are losing money and pulling their machines and stopping their leases (or walking from them). Also, with fewer machines, the remaining get more play, and costs go down. I would bet the looser machines are the ones being removed. Bally’s has seemed to thin out, too. I have heard that they may expand their poker room. I wish they would wall it off to keep the smoke out.