Las Vegas Hotels

I have been coming to Las Vegas for over Thirty Years and have lived here over ten.  During that time I have seen a Dramatic Change in Hotels in both Basic Cost and Add-On Costs. There was a time in this town as recently as Twenty-Five years ago where you could get a nice room for Under $30!  And that was with No Resort Fees or other add-ons!

You could even stay at Top Of The Line Hotels like Caesar's Palace for Under $100!

But sadly, those days are Long Gone!   Now Resorts fees can range fro $30 a night up to almost $50 a night, even on "Comped Rooms".  Rumor is that starting this fall, The Newly Remodeled Palms Resort and Casino will begin charging Resort Fees!   Hotels in Laughlin, Nevada and Primn, Nevada, which are both fifty plus miles away now charge Resort Fees!

What happened to the Good Old Days where the Casino Executives who thought of Resort Fees were not even born yet?

Here is a Las Vegas Trivia Question for you.  The Golden Gate Casino in Downtown Las Vegas was once known as the "Sal Sagev Hotel".  What was it named after?  ( answer later in this blog )

Over the years I have stayed in a Majority of the Hotel Casino Resorts.  Overall, the Big Difference has been in the Price.  They all have Beds, they all have phone and they all have bathrooms.  When you are in their lobbies you will find nicer floors, better chairs at the slot machines and better places to eat, but that is about it.  There was a time not that long ago when people Stood when playing Slot machines.

Casinos realized that people would "Gamble Longer" if they were seated!  No one remembers the "First Casino" to install chairs but most believe it was in about 1958 or 1959.

Are there Resort / Casinos that I have especially enjoyed staying?   I will start with the "Obvious".

Caesar's Palace Suite in the early 90's was very opulent.   The Round Bed and Great View of The Las Vegas Strip was class at the Highest Level.

Directly across the corner was Bally's.  The reason Bally's will always have a special place in my heart is that is where I saw Las Vegas and Performing Legend, Dean Martin.

I almost did not have the chance to attend because the ASSHOLE Program Director Lou at the Radio Station I worked for in Denver would not approve my request for ONE DAY OFF to go!   Honestly, of all the people I ever worked for he was the Biggest Jerk who I would not give the time of day to if he asked and he treated me the same.  Ironically, I went anyway and it was the Final Weekend Dean performed as he lost his son a week later in a plane crash.  Dean never had the desire to perform again and from what I later told, was a broken man.  Those were the days before "Assigned Seating" and I had tipped $50 and ended up at t he Front Table Center which touched the stage.  About 5 minutes before the show the Cocktail Hostess place three drinks which she said were "Dean's Bourbon's" on the table.  One of the people I was with could not resist herself and "Tasted" (with a straw) all three drinks.  They were ALL Iced Tea!  By this time in his life, Dean had all but quit drinking.  And by the way, Lou if you are reading this, "Up Yours You No-Talent Rude Excuse For A Boss!".   I hope they play play nothing but Dean Martin Music in Hell when you get there!  ( Do you think I sound bitter?  It's only been 30 years!  lol )

I also always enjoyed staying at Harrah's!

Harrah's is located Center strip so transportation is always handy and there are some great things to see and do, many for free, within walking distance.

I would be remiss if I did not mention places like The Mirage, The Rivera , The Imperial Palace ( Now the Ling ) and the Sahara.  There are a few other places I always enjoyed on the strip and several more downtown including The Four Queens, The Golden Nugget, The Fitzgerald ( Now The D ) and The Plaza.

The Answer to my Trivia Question about the "Sal Sagev"?  That was Las Vegas spelled backward!  They later changed the name to The Golden Gate Casino.  That corner was one of the earliest casinos opened in Nevada.

Over the years I have been invited to the "Grand Opening" of a couple of new casinos.  I think mainly because I spent too much at their other locations!  LOL!  I was brought out as a guest for the Grand Opening of the "Wynn" casino.  A truly classy casino to this day.

One of my favorite Grand Opening Events was at "The Luxor Resort and Casino".

I actually brought my friend Tim from Ohio to the event.  What makes this so memorable for me is that we were in a room Sidewalk Level which you could see people walking back and forth.  I had went down to the desk to get some of the documents needed and when I came back I noticed people looking into our room window?  Tim then said to me, "This place is neat, it even has the One Way Glass where we can see out and others can't see in."  He went on to tell me he had taken his shower and was ready to go.  I then informed him that it was "NOT One Way Glass and the people were stopping to look into our window to watch him get dressed!"  Oops!

With the Resort Fees I not longer make it a habit to stay in the hotels even with my "Free Rooms".  "Free" in most cases costs me $40 plus a night in Resort Fees!   I only live fifteen minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and my wife still does not charge me "Resort Fees".  Yet!

Have A Great Week

A New Direction

After speaking with some friends and having some Special Access to Las Vegas Entertainment, I have decided to take this blog a different direction.

I will start with all the new construction happening in Las Vegas.  Here is a tip hot off the press

Main Street Station, in Downtown Las Vegas, will be undergoing some renovations starting in October.  As part of the renovations, Live KENO will be no more at the casino.

If you have not been Downtown in a while, it is NOT your Mother's Downtown!  Spearheaded by Derrick Stevens and his remodeling of "The D" and the construction of his new, yet to be named, hotel and casino which will replace the now demolished "Las Vegas Club".

Live band appear on the stage adjacent to "The D" every night.   With local legends like Zowie Bowie, there is some great entertainment every night downtown.  And that is not to mention the entertainment at the new "Downtown Events Center" and the Headline Bands which perform on a monthly basis in the summer months.

Did you see where "America's Got Talent" host Mel B., admitted herself into Sex Rehab?

Why Didn't She Just Call Me? 

I was at a Magic Show the other night and was "Disturbed" by the comments from the couple sitting behind me.

They were making comments about how they had seen "that trick 100 times" and "He does not do that trick very well" and Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah! 

I was tempted to turn around and set this couple straight but I figured "Why waste my time"?   But there is something which needs to be said about Magicians!

I have been personal friends with several Working Magicians who have both appeared here on the Las Vegas Strip for years and also toured the World for over ten years.  One of the things which gets "Lost In The Illusions", is the time and money Professional Magicians spend learning their craft.  A few weeks ago I was honored to be at dinner with perhaps the Two Most Respected Illusion Builders In The World and also one of the Most Respected and Talented Female Card Manipulators in Asia.  She talked about the hours and hours of practice with hundreds upon hundreds of decks of cards.  To this day, even she is known as One Of The Greats In Magic, she still spends Hours and Hours each week continuing to Perfect Her Performance.

When it comes to "I've seen that trick 100 times" remark, I like to use the example of "Murray The Celebrity Magician"

He performs the "Changing Places In The Trunk" illusion which Hundreds of Professional Magicians perform every night.  The difference is that Murray Makes The Illusion Fun and Exciting!   You cannot imagine the time and effort it takes to perfect doing that illusion.  I have seen Magicians do the illusion so poorly they should take it out of their act until they make it Fun and do it Smoothly.  Of the hundreds of Magicians I have seen, he does it the best, Hands Down!

By the way, his opening act "Lefty", does an Outstanding job in the card tricks and makes it look funny.  You cannot imagine how tough it is to make a basic trick and make it look Fresh and Entertaining!

And most people do not realize The Cost Of Illusions.  I am fortunate to personally know the two top "Illusion Builders" in the World who both happen to live in Las Vegas.  These Illusions do not just appear one day when a Magician places a playing card under his pillow.  Some of the Illusions you see on shows such as "America's Got Talent" or "Penn & Teller's Fool Us", can be more money than most people make in three or six months!  Not to mention the cost they incur having them delivered to their home and the Time and Expense of being trained to perform the illusion safely!

Illusions like you see in a big magic shows like David Copperfield, Lance Burton and others take HOURS of Practice to be able to perform the Illusion with Excitement and Safety.  Many of the Illusions which include Saw Blades, Spikes, Water Tanks, ETC require Hours of Instruction to be performed in front of an audience and do it without incident.  Those are REAL SPINNING SAW BLADES and REAL STEEL SPIKES and YES there is REAL DANGER for the Magician, Cast and Crew of the show if done or handled improperly!

And many Performers of All Genre who appear on the Las Vegas Strip actually PAY to perform thanks to Comedian Red Foxx.

Comedian Red Foxx needed to work to pay off a large IRS Debt.  Work was scarce for the aging performer so in about 1985 Foxx went to the Hacienda Hotel and Casino ( where the Mandalay Bay sits now ) and offered to rent out their entire showroom every night so he would have a place to perform.

Today this practice is called "Four Walling"  you would be amazed how many of today's Entertainers "Four Wall" or buy out the room for weeks or months at a time.

This can cost MAJOR MONEY by the time an Entertainer pays for not only the room but also all the Union Stagehands and other people including Ushers and Box Office Personnel.   You would be "Shocked" if you knew what Entertainers "Four Wall" the Showroom where they perform.  In the old days the casino often used Entertainers as "Loss Leaders" just to draw people into the casino to gamble.

So before you make remarks about how a Magician disappointed you, think about the Hours of Practice and the Tens of Thousands of Dollars they have spent to buy their illusion.  Many a Magician has LOST MONEY just for the opportunity to say they have Performed On The Las Vegas Strip.

And finally, work is coming right along on the new "World Las Vegas" .

As you can see in this photo from the Review Journal, the one time site of "The Stardust Casino" already has people talking about what the new Casino will mean to that end of the Las Vegas Strip.  I was talking to a couple of workers on site this week and they see "No Issue opening on time in Mid 2020, if not earlier".

Between World Vegas, The Drew Hotel and Casino Resort, The Raiders Stadium and Project Neon being completed in early 2020, this town is hoping!  Come and see us sometime!

I always welcome your feedback on Twitter  @itsdano