Posts tagged downtown las vegas

The Experience of Fremont in Vegas Seven

By on October 4, 2012

In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at the origin of the Fremont Street Experience:

Fremont Street and the downtown casinos might be on the verge of a renaissance. Several casinos have reinvented themselves with renovations and expansions that try to blend nostalgia, modern comforts and value. But this isn’t the first time downtown has reinvented itself. In the 1950s, it tried emulating the Strip by replacing its rough-hewn gambling halls with hotel-casinos. More recently, in 1995, the Fremont Street Experience transformed downtown; in many ways, the casino district is only now growing into that change

via The Experience of Fremont | Vegas Seven.

I got the idea for this column while interviewing Mark Brandenburg, who was the junior partner at the Downtown roundtable I describe. You can listen to the original UNLV Gaming Podcast here.

This entry is filed under life in vegas, Vegas Seven, writing and tagged , , , .

Mob Neighbors in Vegas Seven

By on February 24, 2012

I didn’t have a chance to share this yesterday, but this week’s Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven is about the Mob Museum’s impact on its casino neighbors Downtown:

The really interesting story in the wake of the Mob Museum’s Feb. 14 debut will be how the museum reacts to its downtown casino neighbors—and how they react to it. Usually, when people think of the mob in Las Vegas, they think of Teamster-financed Strip resorts, complete with visions of Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana and Carl Cohen having a schwitz in the Sands’ steam room while mob lackeys bagged up money for Chicago in the count room. But downtown, even though it’s better known for characters like Benny Binion, Sam Boyd, Mel Exber and Jackie Gaughan, was just as open to mob influence as the Strip.

via Mob Neighbors | Vegas Seven.

I wanted to pull in some lesser-known historical material about the mob’s role Downtown and highlight how the Museum’s already impacted the casinos.

On a sad related note, Dennis Gomes, who helped to drive the mob about of casinos like the Fremont, passed away last night. I’ve written a short Vegas Seven blog piece about his influence on Nevada and the national casino industry.

I worked for Dennis at the Taj back in 1994-5, and, as I told someone this morning, it obviously made an impression on me since I’m still studying the industry 18 years later. I had a few nice exchanges with him over Twitter in the past few months and was hoping to record a podcast interview with him when our schedules permitted. Sadly, that’s not going to happen now, but there’s enough that’s been written about his career in gaming that there’s no danger of his legacy going unheralded. If I got a ballot for the Gaming Hall of Fame, I know how I’d be marking it this year.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Gomes’s family and friends. As I said this morning, Atlantic City–and the gaming industry–has lost a leader and a friend.

This entry is filed under Vegas Seven, writing and tagged , , , .

Island Sushi rundown plus social media talk in Vegas Seven

By on October 27, 2011

This week in my Green Felt Journal column I talk a little about the role of food in marketing a casino, the future of Downtown, and how the Plaza’s going to fare by looking at Terence Fong’s Island Sushi. From Vegas Seven:

In that light, recruiting chef Terence Fong, owner of Henderson’s Island Sushi and Hawaiian Grill, to open a branch of his popular Eastern Avenue eatery in the Plaza was a masterstroke for two reasons. First, Fong is a casino veteran who spent years at Caesars Palace and with Wolfgang Puck; he worked in some of the city’s most historic restaurants (Bacchanal, Andre’s) before leaving the Strip to spend more time with his family and, ultimately, to pour his energy into Island Sushi. He knows how to run a casino eatery.

via In the Dining Business, the Plaza Plays Smart | Vegas Seven.

I first tried the Plaza Island over a lunch meeting with a trio of high-powered Plaza marketing executives. Got the chicken katsu. Was very impressed. Would have gladly paid for it had one of the execs not had the Power of the Pencil. While I’d been thinking about doing a piece on Fong, I’ve got to admit that the quality of the food made it a “hey, I want to write about this next week” as opposed to, “this might be a good idea for an article someday” piece. In a later interview, I found Fong to be passionate and deeply knowledgeable. I don’t usually do “food” writing, and I wouldn’t call this food writing since I’m more looking at the role of the restaurant in the Plaza (and Downtown’s) rebirth as opposed to comparing it to other sushi places.

I thought highly enough of Island to check out the Eastern location, where I had great sushi and some of the best-tasting seaweed salad I’ve had in a long time. It put the stuff they serve at the Wynn buffet to shame, at the very least. I paid my own check, so this is not a sponsored conversation.

Speaking of which, I also took a look at the Cosmopolitan’s social media strategy at the prompting of a Vegas Seven editor. I struggled to articulate just how I felt about it. While the piece, part of the new media section, isn’t available in its own html page just yet, you can check it out in the digital edition right here.

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Downtown as an example in the LVBP

By on May 18, 2011

A while ago I posted that report on Nevada gaming revenue trends from 1984 to 2010. I decided to write an extended opinion piece about one facet of that report for the Las Vegas Business Press (not the Las Vegas Journal-Business Review):

In general, the past quarter century has been good for Nevada gaming: revenues increased by 231 percent from 1984 to 2010, outpacing the inflation rate for the period (about 116 percent).

Downtown Las Vegas casinos, though, haven’t shared (collectively) in that bonanza. Since 1984, revenues have increased by only 10 percent, not even close to keeping up with inflation.

via Las Vegas Business Press :: David G. Schwartz : Downtown LV has lesson for gaming: adapt or ail.

I think what has happened to Downtown Las Vegas (and much of Northern Nevada) is what’s in the process of happening to Atlantic City. I had an nice email exchange with Wayne Parry of the AP about Atlantic City’s prospects that continues some of these thoughts–hopefully it will turn up in a piece he’s working on. I might post my thoughts here, too.

This entry is filed under Las Vegas Business Press and tagged , , .

Find DT’s hidden casino in Vegas Seven

By on March 31, 2011

Here’s a Vegas Seven story I had a lot of fun writing, about Downtown’s analog to the Cosmopolitan’s “hidden” pizzeria: a hidden casino:

By now, everyone’s heard about the Cosmopolitan’s secret pizzeria. There’s no sign, and it’s down a hallway decorated with LPs, but they do serve a tasty slice. Apparently, a lot of people have discovered something similar downtown—a “secret casino” with no hotel rooms, no entertainment, no restaurants, no loyalty program and no marketing offers.

via Open Secret | Vegas Seven.

I came up with the idea while I was interviewing people for the Loosening up Downtown story and noticed that, despite having significant barriers to entry, the Plaza’s casino was drawing players.

This entry is filed under Vegas Seven and tagged , , .

Loosening Up Downtown in Vegas Seven

By on March 16, 2011

The new Vegas Seven is available online now, and I’ve got an interesting piece about some happenings Downtown:

The folks running downtown’s Las Vegas Club hotel-casino think the slot players are right. PlayLV, which operates the club for the multinational investment group Tamares, has embarked on an ambitious course of slot-loosening—and a pull-no-punches campaign to let downtown gamblers know about it.

via Loosening Up | Vegas Seven.

This was a lot of fun to research, mostly because I don’t usually get to talk to people with such strong differences of opinion (well, except for John Curtas and Marilyn Spiegel, maybe). The biggest obstacle that the LVC will face, I think, is getting the players to actually believe that they’ve willingly loosened their slots.

Steve Rosen’s thoughts about Downtown branding itself specifically as a value gaming destination, with loose slots above everything else, are interesting, and make some sense. A few years ago hotel and f&B values were enough to distinguish Downtown from the Strip, but today that’s no longer the case. Would giving gamblers genuinely looser slots make a difference? I think it might.

Here’s a custom piece of art the PlayLV folks sent me that didn’t make the magazine–I still think it’s pretty funny:
Vegas Club loose slot ad

“The Center of Pleasure Has Shifted,” it’s not.

This entry is filed under Vegas Seven and tagged , , , , . | 1 Comment

El Cortez suite competition winner in Vegas Seven

By on February 10, 2011

It’s Thursday, so I’ve got a Green Felt Journal column in Vegas Seven. This week, I dig a little deeper into the significance of the El Cortez’s Design-a-Suite Downtown competition:

When the El Cortez announced the winner of its Design-a-Suite Downtown competition recently, the downtown stalwart did more than decide the look for its suites; it reaffirmed its faith in the neighborhood.

“Jackie Gaughan’s always said that what’s good for downtown is good for the El Cortez,” executive manager Alexandra Epstein says. “That’s why we’re cultivating friendships with designers and the World Market Center and bringing in as many people as possible. We want to highlight our neighbors.”

via Suite Designs | Vegas Seven.

It’s a very important story for Downtown, and I think it has significance for the way casinos are going to operate.

A programming note: with the redesign of the magazine, the Green Felt Journal is now going to be bi-weekly, instead of weekly. On the down side, that means you’ll be getting 50% less GFJ each month. On the positive side, this might give me the chance to do more features.

This entry is filed under news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writing and tagged , , , , . | 1 Comment

New Year’s Off-Strip in Vegas Seven

By on January 6, 2011

Vegas Seven is back on its weekly schedule after its end-of-year double issue, which means that today you have a brand new Green Felt Journal to read. It’s about how smaller casinos competing with the New Year’s parties on the Strip:

The lion’s share of that haul goes to the big Strip resorts, which host most of the events that make the news. But what about casinos outside the tourist corridor? How do they compete with champagne toasts with the stars and fireworks by Grucci?

The Fremont Street Experience’s TributePalooza is one way to go: If you can’t get marquee names for your party, get sound-alikes. So instead of offering a shindig hosted by Nelly or Rihanna, the Experience rolled out sets by bands such as Fan Halen, the Red Not Chili Peppers and Led Zepagain, as well as less-obvious tributaries, such as Bonfire (AC/DC) and Rocking the Paradise (Styx).

Some might question the wisdom of offering visitors ersatz “Mr. Roboto” when there are so many real celebrities popping corks just miles away, but TributePalooza’s in its third year and shows no signs of slowing down, which proves you don’t need to pay headliner prices to put on a party that people will flock to.

via Competing with America’s Party | Vegas Seven.

Am I the only one who loves those tribute band names? One of my hobbies is thinking of good names for bands, and these are some good ones.

As to the story, I found it interesting that the folks on the Strip were mostly interested in putting on a huge party (which is good), while those off-Strip were more focused on rewarding their existing customers and advertising themselves to potential new ones.

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Old-school at the eC

By on April 15, 2010

This week’s Green Felt Journal is about the El Cortez:

In many ways, the El Cortez is the anti-CityCenter. Built in 1941, it’s the oldest continuously operating hotel-casino in Las Vegas. Its most prominent feature—the “new” neon sign—was installed in 1946. It has only 364 guest rooms, and, for better or worse, it’s in the middle of a real urban neighborhood.

Yet there are some similarities to CityCenter. The El Cortez has a swanky nongaming hotel a few steps from the casino. The old Ogden House, massively renovated in 2009 and reopened as the Cabana Suites, might not have the Mandarin Oriental’s cache, but its art-deco-meets-mid-century modern stylings and contemporary fittings (plasma screens and iPod docks) are a fraction of the price. And, thanks to the renovation, natural light spills through the hallways.

via Old-school El Cortez wins by staying relevant | Vegas Seven.

I had a lot of fun researching this story, much of which was talking with Mike Nolan. As I referenced in the article, he’s been around for a while and really knows a lot about the business.

There were really two separate things I wanted to get across–that it’s still “old school” gambling at the eC, but that there’s a lot of new stuff, and that the casino’s connecting with the arts in a different way. The first is pretty obvious if you walk around the place. Hearing the plinking of coin-in slot machines really brought me back–you don’t miss it until you hear it again. The El Cortez is just a cool, unpretentious place.

The second point, about the arts, needs a little more explaining. This isn’t a contrived attempt at being hip or artsy, it’s just a response to what’s happening downtown. Opening the former Fremont Medical Center as Emergency Arts is a brilliant move, and really the logical way to bring the arts into the neighborhood. It’s the kind of thing that CityCenter could have done, but didn’t. Sure, there’s galleries there, but if they’d have converted some of their condos into artists’ lofts and recruited artists from all around the country to move in, they might have had something unique. They wouldn’t have made much money renting the spaces–I’d practically give them away–but you’d at least create an attraction, and maybe start drawing serious art patrons, a group that would probably be comfortable with the luxury, non-trad-Vegas approach at CityCenter. That’s what got me thinking about the “anti-CityCenter” idea.

The El Cortez has done this on a downtown budget, and I’m eager to see how it turns out.

One stat I didn’t get to include: the El Cortez’s casino has about 70% local patrons, 30% visitor. With that many repeat locals, you know that they’re doing something right as far as the gambling goes. I don’t think many locals would drive down there for 6/5 blackjack.

So if you haven’t seen the El Cortez for a while, give it a chance.

This entry is filed under news about gambling, writing and tagged , , , , , . | 5 Comments

An alternative to low room rates?

By on November 30, 2009

Is the law of supply and demand catching up with casino hotels in Las Vegas? Binion’s hotel downtown is closing, which may be a sign of things to come if casinos aren’t able to raise their room rates and/or maintain high occupancy. From the LV Sun:

Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel in downtown Las Vegas will close its 365 rooms on Dec. 14 and lay off about 100 workers.Spokeswoman Lisa Robinson said the decision was made as a result of the economic downturn, which has decreased occupancy at the property and other hotels across the Las Vegas Valley.Robinson said Binion’s also will close the Binion’s Original Coffee Shop and discontinue keno. The casino, sports book, poker room and Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse on the property’s 24th floor will stay open.Robinson said the decision was made Friday. She said Binion’s hasn’t determined when the rooms might reopen.

via Binions to close all 365 rooms, lay off 100 workers – Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 | 11:14 a.m. – Las Vegas Sun.

With an impressive amount of high-end room supply due to come on the market, there will doubtless be pressure on everyone to remain competitive. If B-class properties are going for $80 a night and C-class properties are going for $30, it’s hard to justify spending $25 to stay in a D-class property. If room rates fall throughout the market as they have, at some point the cost of keeping rooms open exceeds the revenue they generate, and they will have to close.

This is a slight contraction in supply–just about equivalent to what Harmon will add when it opens–but it doesn’t bode well for the market. At least one operator is sufficiently pessimistic about the near-term future to take this extraordinary step. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more partial shut-downs like this before things turn around.

This entry is filed under news about gambling and tagged , , , , . | 8 Comments

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