Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

April 29, 2006

Notes From The Field: Mirage, Wynn, Aladdin, Paris, Bellagio

Posted by Hunter

Yes, I am in Las Vegas. This post is a bit stream of consciousness, just random things I noticed so far:

* Wynn Las Vegas have changed the advertising graphics for Le Reve to include actual performance shots. I assume this is to drive home the CDS connection.

* Corsa Cucina, the Wynn restaurant that had to be remodeled right after opening, is now doing brisk business.

* The Sands/LVB entrance for the Wynn Esplanade is being re-done with an outer door and new glass. It is mid-construction but fully open.

* At The Mirage, Ava is gone, Onda is being renovated and Love will include lots of red (if you go behind the curtain as I did, expect to be yelled at).

* The new poker room at The Venetian is really big, not bad looking and totally empty. Maybe 20% full.

* Bellagio is cruising along, seemingly indifferent and impenetrable to competition.The Prada store still has no mens clothes (the staff dutifully described a belt as 'mens clothes' but I disagree). The new employee parking garage is HUGE... Literally almost dwarfing the large signs that straddle Frank Sinatra Drive.

* Planet Aladdin - If anyone was wondering, Desert Passage is being redone. The whole facade is under scaffold.

* Planet Aladdin Interior - Man. So much work to do. These guys can't pull it off. If they aren't dropping the 40ft ceiling, they got nothing. The place feels empty and it always will. By the way, the signs look like they were designed by prisoners.

* Caesars - the 'E' is out on the new Augustus Tower. To me this is the kind of thing that should last a day at most. It is the FREAKING SIGN ON THE STRIP AND THE LIGHT IS BURNED OUT. Fire somebody.

* Paris - The signs of Harrah's taking over are everywhere and since it was a mediocre place to begin with... BTW, I have never been 'hard sold' on a suite upgrade before. I didn't even want one. The check in clerk had a whole sheet with prices AND justifications, FAQ style. Harrah's central. Wow.

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Categories: Business of Gaming, Caesars/Harrah's, Casino Design, Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International, Venetian/LV Sands, Wynn Resorts


Comments

Read archived comments (6 so far)
April 29, 2006 2:09 AM Posted by Mike E

Good stuff, Hunter.

Venetian's new poker room sucks--they made it too large, too open, and too faux for its own good and on my last trip, I kid you not, ONE table actually had people playing. This at 10pm. Maybe it'll pick up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't do as well as anticipated.

CA SARS PALACE doesn't sound too appealing.

April 29, 2006 5:58 PM Posted by mike_ch

The Caesars name has been like that for weeks and weeks.

I always thought high ceilings were preferable at a casino? To me it implies that there's better ventilation and I'm less likely to go to bed smelling like I'm a smoker. Then again, Red Rock's ceilings are at a decent height but the circulation is so strong that it can feel like there's an actual breeze running through the room, and I like that too.

"Designed by prisoners?" I don't get it. Do they look like license plates or something?

April 29, 2006 8:06 PM Posted by BillyInLasVegas

The Bellagio employee lot will hold 10,000 cars. When it opens in July it will be shared by the 11,000 employees at Bellagio and the 7,000 people that will be building Project City Center. After that it will be split between Bellagio employees, Condo Residents and Valet overflow.

April 30, 2006 10:14 AM Posted by cgriff

mike_ch: "'Designed by prisoners?' I don't get it. Do they look like license plates or something?"

Misspellings maybe?

I too like high ceilings; something I find appealing in the much maligned Mandalay Bay casino... And speaking of "breezy", the perpetually breezy hallway connecting Mandalay with the Four Season lobby is a really neat, totally natural atmospheric effect.

May 5, 2006 2:00 PM Posted by Hunter

As far as the 'designed by prisoners' comment, I was referring to the terrible, cold feeling I got looking at the signs. The folks at PH are really going to be struggling when they get going. They have an enormous uphill battle.

As far as high ceilings, most studies and stats imply that lower ceilings are better for players. People like to feel that they are in a smaller, more intimate area and a high ceiling sucks up all the energy. The canopies and other lowered ceilings you see in many table game areas are not just for surveillance equipment - people like feeling more closed in when playing. The most comprehensive study of this type is in the book "Designing Casinos to Dominate the Competition", a huge (but awesome) book on the topic.

May 7, 2006 4:29 PM Posted by stpgator

When the Agusta tower was under construction the Caesars Palace sign on the Bellagio side of the building was not working properly. The C-A-E was out completely and the leg of the R was not lit so it spelled out SAPS PALACE.