Bucket List

Just over a month ago, this was official NRA policy: "Everyone gets a gun." We warned of the dangerous folly of this policy. But of course, the NRA and its "TEA" powered allies refused to listen.

Charles Vacca was a firearms instructor at Last Stop, a gun range in White Hills, Arizona. Bullets And Burgers is Last Stop's tourist promotion that brings tourists from Las Vegas and up Highway 93 to the gun range with promises of "exotic" automatic weapons, "Desert Storm atmosphere", and lunch included. Earlier this week, Charles Vacca gave a nine year old girl an Uzi military grade submachine gun to fire. This was the result of that fateful decision.



Charles Vacca was brought to Las Vegas for medical attention, but it was too late. He died. He had been shot by the Uzi he had given to the nine year old girl to use at the range.

And now, we must all endure the painful aftermath. We must all confront the haunting questions left behind at Bullets And Burgers.



Of course, the usual suspects don't want to confront anything seen as challenging their "conventional wisdom". Under its "@NRAWomen account, the NRA actually tweeted "7 Ways Children Can Have Fun at the Shooting Range". And yes, the NRA actually tweeted this out yesterday.

When interviewed by Chris Hayes on MSNBC yesterday, Last Stop operator Sam Scarmardo said he plans to seek guidance from the NRA and other gun groups going forward. Perhaps he should rethink seeking any kind of guidance from the NRA.



On average, seven American children are shot dead every day. This nine year old girl could have killed herself along with Charles Vacca. Why on earth are children shooting Uzis at ranges like Last Stop?

On MSNBC last night, Sam Scarmardo defended Last Stop's decision to allow that nine year old child to shoot that Uzi by claiming "this was a big -- something that was high on her bucket list to do and her parents took her out to do what she was gonna do." Bucket list? Really? Is the "Children's Death Wish Bucket List" supposed to be the new "killer Las Vegas tourist attraction"?

"High on her bucket list"? Really, NRA? And really, LVCVA? If this is truly our new pitch to tourists, then perhaps we should become accustomed to seeing more numbers like these.

It's Time for Nevada's Mayors to Do the Right Thing

Recently, a huge, pan-partisan national coalition of mayors (of cities both big and small!) from all over the country joined with Freedom to Marry to launch Mayors for the Freedom to Marry and demand the end of marriage discrimination at all levels of government. But take a closer look at that list, and one notices a glaring omission. For some reason, no Mayor of any Nevada city is on this list.

Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus Chair Derek Washington penned an op-ed for QVegas over the weekend to specifically ask why the Mayor of Nevada's most famous and most populous city has so far refused to join the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry coalition. Considering the huge potential for increased tourism (and economic benefit) for Southern Nevada, why won't Carolyn Goodman even talk about this?

What makes this even weirder is that this shouldn't really be a "controversial" issue any more. Both of Carolyn Goodman's most recent predecessors as Las Vegas Mayor, Jan Laverty Jones (D) and Oscar Goodman (I) (who, by the way, is also Carolyn's husband), endorsed civil marriage equality during their respective tenures as Mayor. And statewide, Public Policy Polling found last August that a growing plurality of Nevadans support marriage equality. I'm sure support is even higher in the City of Las Vegas, so I'm quite perplexed that Carolyn Goodman still won't endorse civil marriage equality.

As we (and The Reno Gazette-Journal) have talked about before, domestic partnerships are better than nothing... But they are still no substitute for the real deal. There are over 1,100 federal rights, benefits, and responsibilities given to married couples that LGBTQ families can not access. In addition, there are still many aspects of Nevada law where LGBQT families must still be subjected to unequal treatment because of the Question 2 state marriage ban. Question 2 continues to harm local families who just want the same treatment everyone else expects, and it continues to harm efforts to bring in more domestic and international tourists because discrimination just doesn't fit in with the message of "freedom" we use when marketing to them.

Again, this really shouldn't be "controversial" any more. Supporting civil marriage equality is simply a good business decision for Nevada. And regardless of whether or not Carolyn Goodman finally realizes this, her inaction should not stop Nevada's other big city mayors from taking action. Andy Hafen (D-Henderson), Shari Buck (R-North Las Vegas), Bob Cashell (R-Reno), and Geno Martini (R-Sparks), we're all waiting for you to fill this void and fill it soon. If we really want to treat all our citizens equally and discover new business opportunities for our communities, we need to fix this error and make civil marriage equality a reality here in Nevada. And we need for our local mayors to seize this opportunity to speak up and make it happen.

BREAKING: Las Vegas Enters 21st Century, Markets to LGBTQ Tourists

I have been wondering for some time when the Las Vegas gaming/tourism powers that be would wake up and smell the lavender. I guess they're finally getting there.

Print ads, websites and YouTube spots tout the offerings of Wynn Las Vegas, Paris, Luxor, Mandalay Bay and several other Strip operators that have steadily increased their efforts to lure dollars that reflexively went to the traditionally open-minded resort destinations of Palm Springs, Key West, Miami Beach and Provincetown. The LVCVA produces suggestive ads—two women with shapely legs playing footsie, a pair of fit young men holding hands on a golf course as Wynn Las Vegas looms in the background. They’re alluring images at the start of what Wynn Las Vegas marketer Michael Weaver dubs the “post-gay consumer marketing world,” a period when ad agencies seek to reach individual customers with the promise of luxury, entertainment, good food and sensuality—a classic quartet of offerings on the modern-day Strip.

Las Vegas consistently ranks among the top business and leisure destinations for the 4,296 LGBT travelers surveyed by Community Marketing. New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas typically hold the top three spots, with lesbians between the ages of 18 and 54 choosing Las Vegas as their favorite getaway. Gay men widely preferred New York City and San Francisco. “Las Vegas is really show-driven and those shows have a very gay spin—Cher, Bette Midler, Cirque du Soleil, Elton John. It’s good for Las Vegas to bring them in,” says Community Marketing’s [David] Paisley.

“Las Vegas is its own animal. It’s true that Vegas doesn’t have its own gay neighborhood like other cities do,” Paisley says, “but from a tourism perspective, Las Vegas is about the Strip. Gays and lesbians are coming to Las Vegas for the same reason everyone is coming to Las Vegas.”

So LVCVA finally has a full LGBTQ travel site up, and other casinos and tourist attractions are catching up to what Caesars, Wynn, and MGM have been learning over the last decade.

Speaking as a gay person myself who follows what's happening on The Strip, I can tell you there's still far more work to be done to let queer folk feel comfortable enough to visit Las Vegas and visit more often. Even though I often walk blithely around my Henderson 'hood with an "I <3 Castro" or HRC t-shirt, many gay couples are still afraid to hold hands while walking Las Vegas Blvd. What's wrong with this picture? Unfortunately, part of the reason why many LGBTQ tourists still feel ambivalent about Vegas is because of the huge mistake Nevada embarked upon a decade ago when Question 2 passed and discrimination was written into the Nevada Constitution. And though we've now somewhat corrected the situation with domestic partnerships and long awaited progress on transgender civil rights, that's still far from full equality.

Another part of the problem is that until very recently, there was never really talk of a comprehensive plan to fully market Vegas as "THE gay travel destination". Even local business leaders recognize we have a problem. We are more than just nightclub revelers and kinky sex machines. We want to sleep, we want to eat, we want to shop, and we want to explore.

At least we're now seeing LVCVA make the effort. That's a big start, and we're now moving in the right direction. Now if we can only get rid of that pesky Question 2...

Mark Amodei to Nevada: Drop Dead (You Red!)

(Also at Daily Kos)



So Mark Amodei, just after being crowned the GOP nominee in NV-02 (we'll see how long that lasts!), releases some silly ad full of xenophobia.

But the debt, THE DEBT!!! What about THE DEBT??!! Well, here are some facts about the national debt that Mark Amodei doesn't want you to know.



When George Bush was President, Republican Congressional leaders voted 19 times to raise the national debt ceiling by $4 trillion! Funny enough, I don't remember Mark Amodei screaming then about REPUBLICANS "surrendering to China"... But I do remember REPUBLICANS in Congress chiding anyone who tried to negotiate budget reforms into any debt ceiling vote.



So what changed? President Obama is now in office. And we're just barely getting out of a brutal recession that would only worsen if Mark Amodei has his way and we reduce public investment exactly when the economy needs more investment.

And by the way, why does Mark Amodei hate China? Clearly, he hasn't received the memo from the great titans of Nevada industry!



Yes, that's right. Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, and Las Vegas Sands all have huge investments in Macau... Which happens to be a part of "BIG BAD COMMUNIST CHINA!!!" So is Mark Amodei ready to call these great Nevada capitalist institutions "COMMUNISTS!!!" for investing so much in China?

And is Mark Amodei also ready to hurl that same insult on the entire Las Vegas Strip corridor? As international tourism continues to pick up and the weak dollar continues to lure even more tourists to visit America, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) plans to invest another $3.5 million in international promotion, including opening an office in CHINA (!!!), in hopes of encouraging more of those international tourists to include Las Vegas in their itineraries.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors [last week] approved contracts for 10 international offices and an extension of its advertising agreement with R&R Partners as it said goodbye to five elected officials, including its chairman, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

The two-year deals for international representation run from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2014, and will cost the authority $1.7 million in fiscal year 2013 and $1.8 million in 2014.

In addition to approving offices in Canada, Mexico, Japan, several western European nations, Australia, China, Brazil and Russia, the board authorized a request for proposals for representation in South Korea, India and France.

The authority is developing a strategy to increase the percentage of Las Vegas visitors from other countries from the current 18 percent to 30 percent within 10 years. Last year, 6.7 million international visitors came to Southern Nevada and spent an estimated $6.6 billion, which would support 58,000 jobs.

International visitors stay longer and spend more money than their domestic counterparts. The U.S. Commerce Department says international visitation to the United States is expected to grow by 49 percent through 2016 and LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter said Las Vegas needs to take the opportunity to get a good share of those visitors.

So when will Mark Amodei call out the BIG BAD COMMUNISTS!!! at LVCVA?

Let's face it: Our nation will suffer immensely if the debt ceiling is not raised very soon. We simply can't afford for the federal government to shut down after defaulting on its debt. All it would do is cause a global economic catastrophe unseen since The Great Depression.

And guess what? If all that comes to pass and the world falls into deeper recession, maybe even depression, following a failure to raise the federal debt ceiling, then I doubt Las Vegas will be able to bring in all those foreign tourists we had hoped for. And last I checked, Las Vegas tourism and gaming are the biggest source of revenue for the entire State of Nevada.

So does Mark Amodei really want to further cripple our state by killing what just happens to be propping up Nevada's sickly economy at the moment? Think of all the jobs Nevada would lose if Mark Amodei and the teabaggers had their way in holding our country hostage over the debt ceiling. And think of what prospective international travelers think of people in our government essentially spitting on them and their culture (which is what Mark Amodei is essentially doing). And again, why are they so gung-ho to push the economy off the cliff now when they refused to do anything about George Bush's deficit spending five years ago?

I smell something fishy here. Am I the only one?

WTF??!! I'm Right Again?

This week, we've had some great news on the economic front. Las Vegas October 2010 visitation numbers rose 5.7% over October 2009, and Nevada casino winnings rose a whopping 11% in October 2010 over October 2009. So are we really there yet? Are we recovering?

Perhaps so, but don't expect everything to come up roses just yet.

Gaming industry leaders are confident visitors will return in greater numbers in 2011, benefitting hotels, restaurants and resort amenities, but they’re less confident about whether their casinos will see a similar increase.

“I feel good about the pricing environment and rates in ’11,” said Jonathan Halkyard, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Caesars Entertainment. “But it won’t even be close to what we had in 2007.” [...]

“It’s a little more difficult to predict what will happen with gaming, but it’s not looking great right now,” Halkyard said.

The reason is that most consumers have seen their net worth or those of close friends and family members plummet, he said. The downturn in gaming revenue correlates more with consumer net worth and what has happened to the housing market than today’s unemployment rate, he said.

“We’re going into ’11 cautiously, but as far as gaming is concerned, I think we’re in for more tough sledding,” he said.

Again, The Great Recession has changed many consumers' spending habits. These people used to be able to visit Las Vegas perhaps three or four times a year, but now they're lucky if they've been able to come any time since 2008.

Come on, let's face it. Feeding the family, trying to avoid foreclosure, and saving some cash just in case that dreaded pink slip arrives may be far more important priorities for most Americans than fitting in another Las Vegas or Reno/Tahoe vacation. That's just the awful truth of our "new (economic) reality".

So what can we do? Well, haven't we talked about this before? Seriously.

And guess who agrees with me now?

“Touting ourselves as a low tax state as the only reason people want to come here has proved to be a failure,” said John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting Group and a member of the study group. “If low taxes were all we needed, and we have been touting that, we wouldn’t have a 15 percent unemployment rate.”

The group’s report, “Nevada: 50th in the Nation for Education,” emanated from a round-table discussion among representatives of banking, architecture, law enforcement, education, real estate and government.

They met in August under the sponsorship of UNLV’s Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies and have published their findings. Dominant among them: Nevada won’t diversify its economy and prevent another deep recession unless education is valued in the community and more money is invested in public schools and colleges.

People and businesses leave Nevada or never move here because the educational system fails to meet their needs. The region is particularly off-putting to innovative, cutting-edge employers who seek excellent schools, the report said.

“We can no longer shortchange the state’s public schools, colleges and universities because of a lack of financial, political, social and economic will,” the report said. “To do so is shortsighted and will simply find us falling further behind Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah and other states in the push to lure the innovative entrepreneurs, investors and workers of the coming decades. To do so will relegate Nevadans to continued cycles of boom and bust that are heavily dependent upon the uncertain fortunes of the gaming, construction and government-employment sectors.” [Emphasis mine.]

Get it now? We have to. We have no other choice at this point.

Sharrontology Makes No Sense, Makes No Cents

Once again, Sharron Angle is contradicting herself. She says she supports the very things she's been opposing, and she says she opposes the very things she's been supporting. And she's not a "typical politician"?

Well, maybe not in one way. Without a doubt, she's gone off the deep end in terms of her radical right "insani-tea". Even Republicans run away from it! And even the teabaggers are having to cancel their Las Vegas convention over it!

But you know what just makes Sharron Angle's campaign even worse? These days, she's trying to distract us from her extremism by trying to blame whoever she can for "The Great Recession". She may say she wants to "talk about the economy", but she never offers any real solutions.

She mocks green collar jobs as "designer" energy, but many real Nevadans have benefitted from Harry Reid's work to encourage more renewable energy development in this state.









She dismisses Reid's work to help save CityCenter as "shifting the decks of The Titanic"...



And mocks his and others' efforts to save the entire tourism industry here in Nevada by preventing the dangerous Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump from opening right along active fault lines (prone to earthquakes) and less than 100 miles away from Las Vegas!



And if you think that's bad enough, it just gets worse. Harry Reid worked to pass the Small Business Jobs Act and the HIRE Act to help small businesses hire workers again.



Sharrontology opposed this help to small businesses, instead favoring the same "billionaire bailouts" that George Bush championed and helped cause the budget deficit we're dealing with today.

And wait, there's even more. When $83 million in aid for Nevada schools was on the line, Sharron Angle blithely dismissed this as solely "an emergency in Harry Reid's mind".



Really? Even though we know that strong schools and good education are essential to a sound economy and more good jobs.





So just to sum up how Sharron Angle wants to "talk about the economy", she wants Nevada to forfeit our green jobs opportunities. And she wants to destroy our tourism and gaming industry by mocking the work done to save CityCenter and supporting turning Nevada into a giant, dangerous, radioactive waste dump that tourists would be sure to avoid. And she wants to let Nevada schools fail because she wouldn't fight for funding to keep teachers on the job.

Well, now we know why she just thinks we're "spoiled".



Seriously, Sharrontology makes no sense AND makes no "cents". In more ways than one, Nevada can't afford her batsh*t crazy.

Sharrontology Makes No Sense, Makes No Cents

Once again, Sharron Angle is contradicting herself. She says she supports the very things she's been opposing, and she says she opposes the very things she's been supporting. And she's not a "typical politician"?

Well, maybe not in one way. Without a doubt, she's gone off the deep end in terms of her radical right "insani-tea". Even Republicans run away from it! And even the teabaggers are having to cancel their Las Vegas convention over it!

But you know what just makes Sharron Angle's campaign even worse? These days, she's trying to distract us from her extremism by trying to blame whoever she can for "The Great Recession". She may say she wants to "talk about the economy", but she never offers any real solutions.

She mocks green collar jobs as "designer" energy, but many real Nevadans have benefitted from Harry Reid's work to encourage more renewable energy development in this state.









She dismisses Reid's work to help save CityCenter as "shifting the decks of The Titanic"...



And mocks his and others' efforts to save the entire tourism industry here in Nevada by preventing the dangerous Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump from opening right along active fault lines (prone to earthquakes) and less than 100 miles away from Las Vegas!



And if you think that's bad enough, it just gets worse. Harry Reid worked to pass the Small Business Jobs Act and the HIRE Act to help small businesses hire workers again.



Sharrontology opposed this help to small businesses, instead favoring the same "billionaire bailouts" that George Bush championed and helped cause the budget deficit we're dealing with today.

And wait, there's even more. When $83 million in aid for Nevada schools was on the line, Sharron Angle blithely dismissed this as solely "an emergency in Harry Reid's mind".



Really? Even though we know that strong schools and good education are essential to a sound economy and more good jobs.



So just to sum up how Sharron Angle wants to "talk about the economy", she wants Nevada to forfeit our green jobs opportunities. And she wants to destroy our tourism and gaming industry by mocking the work done to save CityCenter and supporting turning Nevada into a giant, dangerous, radioactive waste dump that tourists would be sure to avoid. And she wants to let Nevada schools fail because she wouldn't fight for funding to keep teachers on the job.

Well, now we know why she just thinks we're "spoiled".



Seriously, Sharrontology makes no sense AND makes no "cents". In more ways than one, Nevada can't afford her batsh*t crazy.

Are Strip Malls "Dressed for Success"?

Is everything changing at The Strip's malls?

High-end retailers along the Strip — think Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Chanel — are mourning the loss of splurgers — vacationers who reach deeper into their wallets for a big-ticket purchase because that’s one of the frills and thrills of the Vegas escape.

These days, Macy’s is the day’s fancy outing.

And it helps explain why Strip malls are branding down, and a new retail center planned across the street from the $8.5 billion CityCenter and its uber-posh Crystals mall will be anchored by Walgreens.

“The success of high-end luxury retail before the Great Recession was attributed to those who could afford it, and the aspirational consumer who wanted to trade up to luxury,” said Pamela Joy Ring, president of the Ring Retail Advisory in Las Vegas. “Those aspirational people are gone. They are spending within their means and patronizing the middle market.”

Well, it makes sense. So many of us have changed our spending habits, so it makes sense that a number of tourists have, too. Maybe five years ago they would have splurged on a Burberry scarf, but now they just want an "I Got Lucky in Vegas" t-shirt.

But wait, are we over-simplifying this? Is the uber-high-end really dead? Actually, no... Far from it!

The Forum Shops, which kicked off the move to luxury when it opened in 1992, said the upper-end market shouldn’t be written off. It cited recent remodeling and expansion by some of its retailers.

Versace, Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna have recently expanded their stores, and others that are expanding include Burberry and Cartier.

The Forum Shops reports its sales were up double digits during the first quarter of this year, coming off a down 2009 when sales were about $1,400 per square foot. Even though sales dipped from $1,500 a square foot in 2008, the mall kept its No. 1 ranking in the country. [...]

Crystals’ operators say they are not second-guessing their high-end tenant-mix strategy, even in the face of the recession and competition from other luxury stores in town.

“We leased the building in the worst economic time ever and we know that,” said Farid Matraki, vice president and general manager. “But despite that, we had a mission, and we stayed on course on that mission. We knew we wanted a certain type of client and we pursued (that client).”

“I think our tenants appreciated the strategy as well. You don’t want to put a magnet souvenir store next to a Louis Vuitton.” [...]

“Las Vegas continues to draw high-end customers who enjoy certain dining and shopping,” Hermes USA President and CEO Robert Chavez said, citing high-end domestic and international travelers. “We are very optimistic about the potential upside of our business in Las Vegas.”

Come on, let's face it. High-rollers and big spenders do NOT come here to "save money and be thrifty"... They want the most lavish and extravagant experience of their lives! So as long as those big spenders keep coming back to Vegas to live out their fantasies, I guess there will always be a need for Prada and Chopard.

So where does it all fit in? Diversity. That's it, diversity.

Vegas has all sorts of people coming here for all sorts of different experiences. Some just want $5 blackjack tables, cheap dinner buffets, and that "I Got Lucky in Vegas" t-shirt, while others want private gaming salons, exquisite multi-course haute cuisine dinners, and that perfect Chanel little black dress.

The Strip's retail scene needs all sorts of stores to please all sorts of people. Perhaps the malls were in over their heads packing in the same ol' luxury brands four years ago, but now it would be foolish to completely drop them.

This is probably the key to The Forum Shops' continued success. They have ultra luxurious boutiques, kitschy souvenir shops, and everything in between. They seem to have something to target any tourist stopping by.

This makes me wonder how Crystals can keep going as is. Have they tied themselves too tightly into just one niche (luxury clothing & accessories)? Or are they being smart in sticking with the big spenders who just need to make their regular splurges to keep them afloat? We'll have to wait and see...

Las Vegas: Oh, How Times Change

"Camp Vegas": Then & Now

Remember these?





Well, that was then... And this is now!







Oh my, how times have changed. :-)

Crazy Fun Video Night: My "Vegas Uncork'd Staycation" Vids!

In case you couldn't get enough of my Vegas Uncork'd adventures from last weekend, I saved the best for last...

YOUTUBE! YES, MY YOUTUBE!

My THEhotel suite:



A glimpse of the Vegas Uncork'd Grand Tasting (specifically, Pure's lounge/pool party):



And Mandalay Bay's famed beach (pool complex):



Enjoy! :-)

"Camp Vegas", Comeback Kid?

So LVCVA has decided upon a new marketing campaign, "Camp Vegas"...





And we're all wondering what's going on. Where's the camp?

Obviously, this is not really the "summer camp" we expected as kids. This is "camp for grownups", complete with pool parties, "beachside" gambling, and plentiful liquor. It all sounds so happy and fun...

But wait, when was the last time we were all happy here? Well, perhaps there's good reason to be happy again.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said 3,224,697 people visited the city in March, compared to 3,202,344 visitors in March 2009, which is an increase of 0.7 percent. March marks the seventh straight month of visitor volume exceeding prior year levels.

Hotel occupancy across the valley dropped 3.5 percent because about 8,000 additional hotel rooms were added in the past year, bringing the total number of rooms to 148,891.

The average daily room rate increased 0.8 percent in the past year, from $92.46 to $93.23, the LVCVA said. The number of room nights occupied increased 0.8 percent to nearly 3.8 million.

Convention attendance was up 5.2 percent, while the number of conventions dropped 2.9 percent, according to the LVCVA numbers.

The number of passengers arriving to and departing from McCarran International Airport dropped 4 percent, while traffic at the Nevada/California line on Interstate 15 was up 6.2 percent.

And although other parts of the state (including Downtown and the 'burbs here in Clark County) are still suffering declining gaming revenue, The Strip continued on its winning streak.

Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip posted their fourth increased win in the past five months in March, buoyed by strong performances in Baccarat and sports betting with the college basketball tournament. [...]

Strip casinos posted $467 million in, up 2.4 percent. For the first three months of the year, the gaming win on the Strip increased by 9.8 percent.

For the 11st consecutive month, the 17 casinos that have Baccarat reported an increase, up to $52.7 million.

Sports betting jumped 527.5 percent to $7.6 million. Players lost $12.1 million in basketball during the time of the NCAA basketball tournament.

Frank Streshley, chief of tax and licensing for the board, said the high-end play is coming back on the Strip, and convention business has been strong.

“We hit the bottom and are slowly climbing out,” he said.

Well, it's far better to be climbing up from the bottom than still sliding toward an endless, bottomless pit. What a difference a year makes!

Again, things aren't perfect just yet. Vegas hasn't fully healed yet... But we're now on our way. Vegas is coming back, baby!

And hey, what better way to celebrate than throw a "summer camp" for all our guests? I'm digging it. :-)

Don't Get Caught in a Bad Hotel... Or How Culinary Can Use New Tools to Fight Station

Take a look at what SF Pride at Work is doing...



This thing is quickly going viral, and just in time to catch tourists like moi considering our San Francisco PRIDE plans... Including hotel reservations. Paul Hogarth explains more on the value of this new kind of "viral video protest" at Beyond Chron (an excellent SF blog):

The video was fun, but how do we know it will be effective at getting people to boycott the Westin St. Francis?

A friend responded with this point: “It will be seen by a lot more people than your average - ‘what do we want and when do we want it’ protest - because as much as I am pro union and will support boycotts, I don’t forward info on every single boycott because seriously, nobody would read my reports if I did. I saw the YouTube video and then saw that the Palace Hotel was part of the boycott list and canceled my reservations for tea at the Garden Room. I probably would not have found out about the boycott if it wasn’t entertaining enough to go viral, and I definitely wouldn’t have posted it in my [Facebook] status and then five of my friends probably wouldn’t have posted in theirs …”

In the 21st Century, people spend a lot of time online – and a huge amount on Facebook, talking to their friends and procrastinating. A fun YouTube video can go viral, because you’re reaching people where they’re at – and it’s easy for them to post it on their page.

As far as getting “bang for your buck,” Pride at Work hit a home run. They didn’t have to mobilize a huge number of people, the whole action took 5 minutes and nobody got arrested. How many times can you say that – and get that amount of media coverage?


Could Pride at Work have done a similar direct action without YouTube or Facebook? Of course, but no one would have seen it – unless they happened to be in the Westin St. Francis at the time, or activists were lucky to get reporters present – never a sure thing.

And while onlookers in the hotel appeared supportive (activists handed out flyers during the flashmob about the hotel boycott), it can be difficult convincing an apolitical tourist who already paid for their room to check out of the hotel in solidarity. By broadcasting it on YouTube and generating a viral campaign, more will hear about it and not stay there.

How very, very true. And you know what? It applies very much to LAS VEGAS, too!

Think about it. The Fertittas are trying hard to prevent "an inconvenient bankruptcy" from toppling their gaming empire, while Boyd Gaming is licking its chops to grab as many Station properties as possible when "PropCo" (amd maybe even a bit of "OpCo"?) goes to the auction house. Both companies are notorious for being anti-union, and Culinary 226 so far has had no luck at organizing any casinos run by either company.

Culinary now has an active organizing campaign running, but all I've seen from it so far are two RTC bus stop ads: one at Green Valley Parkway & the 215, and one at St. Rose Parkway & Paseo Verde. Oh, and apparently there's a YouTube page that I didn't even know about until five minutes ago.

Now I'm sure there's plenty of negotiating going on inside, and there's probably more to come. Culinary has earned its reputation as a true Nevada political power player for good reason.

However I just think there's even more they can do, especially when it comes to winning in the court of public opinion... And getting the public to choose union hotels over anti-union hotels when staying here in Vegas. [I'm sure MGM Mirage, Harrah's, and Wynn would really appreciate this as well. ;-) ]

I'm wondering how involved Sleep With the Right People and Pride at Work are with the Station fight. If they aren't yet, I hope Culinary reaches out to them. There are millions of LGBTQ tourists who come to Vegas each year, and they should know to "sleep with the right people". Oh yes, and Culinary should know about these new tricks they should put up their sleeve so they can reach out to millions more Vegas visitors and let them know where to go (and where not to go).

All those tourists "voting with their dollars and their feet" would really get Station and Boyd to pay attention.

Vegas Uncork'd: Conclusion

(Also at TWHT/RateVegas)

On Sunday, I suddenly had to resume my "normal life". No more being waited upon hand and foot. No more "beach" pools. No more celebrity chefs cooking for me. Nope, it was back to "normal living" in the very "un-Vegas-y" (that's how my State Senator, Joyce Woodhouse, describes it) town of Henderson.

But as I sit here in "un-Vegas-y" territory, I just want to reflect upon the amazing weekend of delicious activities I just experienced.

(Day 1 of Vegas Uncork'd)

This was really a chance for us to explore a different side of Las Vegas. Not that long ago, "eating out" mostly consisted of generic steakhouses, dull diners/coffee shops, and cheap buffets. The buffets were especially "legendary" (or should I say notorious?) for "food" that may not have been fit for serving in school cafeterias, and the diners and steakhouses weren't all that better.

But about twenty years ago, it all started to change. When Steve Wynn built The Mirage, he was looking for restaurants worthy of a world-class resort. When Caesars Palace built The Forum Shops, they invited Wolfgang Puck to open a Las Vegas branch of the famed LA hotspot Spago... And ignited the first of many "waves" of "celebrity chef invasions" to come. In the late 1990s, new resorts like Bellagio, Paris, Venetian, and Mandalay Bay looked to New York and Chicago to bring even more culinary star power to town. And just in the last five years, "The Great French Invasion" has brought international superstars like Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, and Pierre Gagnaire to Las Vegas to give us even more foodie clout and Michelin Stars than ever before.

Meanwhile, Vegas has also seen the rise of "homegrown talent". Rick Moonen left the hubbub of New York to open RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay and stay here to run it. Kerry Simon actually became a "celebrity chef" here in Vegas, and has since opened a branch of Simon in LA. Signs of life have even appeared out here in the suburbs, as real Neapolitan style pizzerias, funky sushi houses, classy French bistros, and cool gastropubs have popped up from Summerlin to Henderson.

So with Vegas Uncork'd here for its fourth year, it really feels like we were celebrating something quite special. Las Vegas truly has arrived as a sophisticated culinary destination.

(Day 2 of Vegas Uncork'd)

Think about it. The world's best and finest chefs were just here in Las Vegas. They were here to feed us. They gave us cooking classes. They served us lunch. They pulled out all the stops for elegant multi-course dinners. They all gathered at Caesars Palace's new pool complex to let us sample their offerings. Hell, they even threw us a big barbeque at Mandalay Bay's beach!

It's incredibly difficult for me to pick a favorite moment from last weekend, since there were so many. There was Charlie Palmer serving me pork hot off the BBQ. There was Cat Cora personally offering me a lamb burger from her booth. There was Joel Robuchon doing a champagne toast with me, silly lil' moi!

And after all these great meals, I'm ready for more. The Grand Tasting gave me a chance to sample some great restaurants that I know I'll need to visit (or try again) soon. Sage tasted very promising. Nobu (as usual) had great sushi offerings. I must admit, even Bobby Flay's seafood at Mesa Grill tasted good. (Last time I was at Mesa, my meal was on the underwhelming side.)

Meanwhile, the full sit-down meals confirmed to me some of my favorite restaurants that I know I will be visiting time and again. Bradley Ogden is a real "hidden treasure" at Caesars Palace. Joel Robuchon is a breathtaking experience never worth missing at MGM Grand. And over ten years later, Aureole is still dazzling us at Mandalay Bay.

(Day 3 of Vegas Uncork'd)

Vegas Uncork'd was the perfect opportunity to explore more of what Las Vegas has to offer, especially the great restaurants serving phenomenal food and drinks here. But even if you couldn't make it here last weekend, fear not. There is always something good cooking here.

Just give me a call, and we'll do dinner. Trust me, you'll have fun eating here. :-)

(OK, just one more thing: I need to thank some very important people who made this all happen. Much thanks to Bon Appetit Magazine for hosting Uncork'd and making it yet another fabulous success! I also need to thank Hunter again for giving me the opportunity to be your eyes and ears at Uncork'd. Thanks to my "table partners" at Bradley Ogden on Thursday, including Bon Appetit Executive Ediotr Victoria Von Biel, for the enlightening conversation and great company. Thanks to my new friends from Seattle, jsmeeker, and David Ross for guiding me through The Grand Tasting. Thanks to THEhotel at Mandalay Bay for such an enjoyable stay last weekend. Oh, and thanks to YOU for bearing with me these last few days. I hope to keep seeing you here!)

Casinos: Boyd Gaming Swings Back to $8.4 Million Q1 Profit, Still Wants Station's Casinos

So Boyd reported earnings this morning. They went from a $0.16 per share, or $13.8 million total, loss in Q1 2009 to a $0.10 per share, or $8.4 million total, profit. So how did they do it? Apparently they've been cutting costs rather aggressively, as net revenue actually fell 8.4 percent to $398.4 million from $434.8 million in Q1 2009.

Still, Boyd stated in its report that there's good reason to be more bullish on Las Vegas these days.

Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, commented on the quarter: "We continue to be encouraged by improving trends in our business, which clearly reflect the signs of an emerging recovery. Our Las Vegas Locals market reported the best year-over-year comparison in nearly two years, and business levels are returning to normal seasonal patterns in this region. Given the positive developments in our business, combined with continued improvement in the national economy, we expect to generate year-over-year growth during the second half of 2010."

Looking at the internals, it seems like the locals' casinos are starting to recover their footing. Boyd's locals' casinos' Q1 2010 EBITDA was off only 10.8% from Q1 2009, compared to Boyd's Downtown casinos' EBITDA dropping 37.3%. No wonder why Boyd isn't pursuing any more Downtown casinos, but is still aggressively going after Station Casinos.

During Tuesday’s conference call, Smith said Boyd is still aggressively pursuing the acquisition of Station Casinos’ assets.

In December, Boyd made an offer to purchase Station Casinos’ assets in an effort to expand its locals market. The offer was $2.45 billion for the company’s 18 casinos and casino-hotels in Southern Nevada.

“We welcome the opportunity to compete for Station [Casinos] assets so long as the process is competitive, open and fair and as long as the assets have not been devalued to a point where it no longer makes financial sense,” Smith said.

So the picture is becoming clearer now. Boyd seems to have found the "magic formula" of expense cuts and travel/gaming promotion to return its locals' casinos to profitability (thereby taking the entire company back to black), so it thinks it can make money off Station's casinos. But wait, can they negotiate a deal with the Greenspuns on GVR and Aliante? And can they run these and the other "OpCo" properties without Station's Boarding Pass (players' club program) feeding locals and non-Strip travelers into the casinos? Apparently so, or so Boyd execs think.

Casinos: Wynn Resorts Makes $0.22 Q1 PROFIT, Beats Wall Street Estimates, Shows Improving Vegas & Macau Numbers

This just in from The Wall Street Journal:

The performance shows the Las Vegas market is improving as Wynn's revenue there grew 9.3% and the operating loss narrowed. In the Chinese gambling enclave Macau, profit and revenue climbed 82% and 32%, respectively. [...]

For the latest quarter, Wynn reported a profit of $27 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $33.8 million, or 30 cents a share. The latest quarter included 4 cents of charges.

Net revenue climbed 23% to $908.9 million.

Analysts estimated earnings of 14 cents on revenue of $849.8 million, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.

Operating margin rose to 12.6% from 3.7%.

Overall casino revenue, which provided three-quarters of the total, climbed 28%, while food and beverage revenue increased 2%. In Las Vegas, casino revenue grew 19% while non-casino revenue slid 1.4% as hotel revenue declined 8.8% and food and beverage revenue slipped 1%. The occupancy rate edged down to 89.4% from 89.5%.

And there's even more good news in the internals. The Las Vegas ADR was $203. Las Vegas REVPAR was $181. Table game win per unit per day was $6,459. Unfortunately, all of this wasn't enough to prevent a $34.5 million loss for Wynn Las Vegas (including Encore)...

But Macau's earnings more than offset it! Obviously, Wynn's formula for profit these days now includes a heavy dose of Macau action. Growth there is gangbusters, and it's becoming increasingly clear why they're so excited about building Wynn Cotai as early as next year.

So it was Macau that saved Wynn's day in the end... But Vegas is now starting to look better, and Wynn is looking all the better for it.

Casinos: CityCenter Makes Conde Nast Traveler's "Hot List", Harrah's to Sell Rio?, Boyd Throws Station Reorganization Plans into Limbo

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Yep, you heard me right... MGM Mirage finally got some good news for CityCenter. Conde Nast Traveler has put both Aria AND Mandarin Oriental in its "2010 Hot List"! Apparently the rooms, the art, the restaurants, and the green touches all make Aria a winner in its book (even if Vegas Tripping and Rate Vegas' TWHT weren't as impressed initially). And since Conde Nast Traveler is quite revered as an authority on luxury travel, perhaps it can help encourage more of those high-end travelers needed to come and help CityCenter turn a profit?

Meanwhile in Harrah's territory, they may be considering (AGAIN!) selling The Rio. But unlike past rumors, which were just glorified gossip, this time it's getting press in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., the casino company owned by Apollo Management LP and TPG Inc., is seeking bids for the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, people with knowledge of the situation said.

Starwood Capital Group LLC and Colony Capital LLC are among the companies that are weighing bids for the resort, said the people, who declined to be identified because the talks are private. Some bids value the Rio at about $500 million, two of the people said.

Harrah’s, the world’s biggest casino company, is exploring a sale of the off-Strip property two months after buying Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Las Vegas is coming out of a two-year slump that took casino operators to the brink of bankruptcy. Chief Executive Officer Gary Loveman cut Harrah’s debt by $4.2 billion in 2009 by offering creditors new bonds at a discount. He extended maturities on another $5.5 billion this year.

Dave McKee has more on this, including his thoughts on who might be the early favorite to snatch The Rio. He thinks Colony Capital (which currently owns The Las Vegas Hilton, as well as a chunk of the possibly-soon-to-emerge-from-bankruptcy Station Casinos) is the frontrunner, followed closely behind by Starwood Capital Group (which currently owns Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, and a number of other hotel brands). However someone in the comments there mentioned the constant rumor that Penn National Gaming (which came close to buying the bankrupt Fontainebleau, which ended up in Carl Icahn's hands) may get it, which is always a possibility considering how badly it wants to enter the Las Vegas market.

So will The Rio be banished from Planet Harrah's? We don't really know yet, since the company isn't saying anything... Yet. But since Harrah's has already tried multiple times to sell The Rio, I wouldn't be surprised if they finally let it go this year.

And finally, speaking of Station Casinos, its long, hot mess of a bankruptcy isn't over quite yet... Boyd Gaming and the unsecured creditors are challenging the reorganization plan! They specifically object to the proposed PropCo/OpCo plan to let Station keep Red Rock, Sunset, Palace, and Boulder along with the proposed "Viva" site and the Las Vegas Blvd/Cactus Ave. plot of land while putting all the other assets (or OpCo) into "auction". Boyd and the creditors are claiming that the "auction" process and PropCo/OpCo divide put Station and Colony at an unfair advantage over everyone else (including Boyd, which badly wants to buy as much of Station as the Nevada Gaming Commission will allow).

Oh, and a group of independent lenders is also objecting to Station's plan.

"By excluding OpCo assets of significant value, as well as the PropCo assets, from the proposed Station Casinos sale, the debtors are not allowing their assets to be shopped as their fiduciary duty requires," Boyd charged in court papers.

Boyd also noted that its offers to purchase Station assets in February and December 2009 were not accepted. The last offer for the entire company was for $2.45 billion.

"We now know that the debtors were only interested in pursuing an insider transaction at the expense of their creditors' interests in breach of the board's fiduciary obligations," Boyd's filing said. "The court should not sanction the debtors' ongoing blatant disregard for the creditors' interests by approving these one-sided bidding procedures."

Similar objections were filed Wednesday by the case's Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, representing bondholders and others owed some $2.5 billion. The unsecured creditors charged that the Fertittas and Colony Capital have arranged to acquire a 50 percent interest in the PropCo properties at a 15 percent discount while arranging a lucrative 25-year management deal for those properties.

"These series of transactions are structured, using New PropCo and Fertitta Gaming, to camouflage the conflicts of interest and self dealing that are at the heart of the ... plan," attorneys for the unsecured creditors charged.

"The proposed restructuring is simply a deliberate campaign by those controlling Station Casinos to benefit themselves, its equity owners, at the expense of Station Casinos' creditor constituents," the creditors charged.

Another objection was filed by a group of independent lenders, which also complained that assets crucial to the operation of the OpCo casinos would not be included in the OpCo auction.

"From the perspective of the OpCo creditors, the process makes no sense: It's like selling KFC without the Colonel's secret recipe, or selling Coke without the formula, because the seller fails to capture the full value of the enterprise and the buyer acquires a business crippled without its competitive advantage," the lenders charged.

So will all their objections be enough to derail the Fertittas' plan to take Station out of bankruptcy? We'll have to wait and see.

Casinos: MGM Mirage to MGM Resorts International? And Are MGM's Fortunes Really Looking Up?

So MGM Mirage is about to become MGM Resorts International? If the shareholders approve, MGM will have a new name.

The Strip casino giant told shareholders the proposed name reflects the company's current vision and future growth. MGM Mirage, through its MGM Hospitality Division, has plans for nongaming hotel brands in several international markets, including China, India and the Middle East.

The company's first international venture was the MGM Grand Macau which opened in December 2007.

"MGM Resorts International better represents our company's growing global presence," company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren told employees this morning. "As a truly international company, our name should clearly reflect that.

"This is a significant step and we don't take it lightly," Murren said.

It also reflects what would happen if The Mirage were no longer part of MGM's casino collection. Now The Mirage's earnings actually held up fairly well in Q1 2010, especially compared to other MGM casinos. So in the short term losing Mirage makes no sense... But what about the long term?

Let's face it, both the sale of TI early last year and the opening of CityCenter late last year shifted MGM's center of gravity further south of Flamingo Road. With the exceptions of The Mirage and Circus Circus, all other MGM casinos are now south of Flamingo: Bellagio, Aria, Monte Carlo, New York New York, MGM Grand, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay.

MGM is also looking to possibly buy Cosmopolitan when it opens to integrate it into CityCenter. And in order to do this, MGM will need to raise capital... But can it?

And is more trouble on the way? Jim Cramer trashed MGM (while talking up Wynn Resorts in advance of Encore Macau opening tomorrow) yesterday on CNBC...



But Goldman Sachs (yes, them... And I'll get to them tomorrow.) likes what it's seeing with MGM Mirage.

Shares of MGM Mirage rose on Tuesday as a Goldman Sachs analyst said the casino operator's stock could move 25 percent higher on momentum in Las Vegas and strength in Macau.

Analyst Steven Kent said in a client note that competitors Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts Ltd. will be reporting their first-quarter results shortly, with both likely to indicate that business is improving in Las Vegas and Macau remains solid.

Macau, the only place in China where gambling is legal, has reported strong gaming revenue gains since last summer. The same cannot be said for Las Vegas, which has been hindered by the housing downturn and economic slump. But signs are beginning to emerge that the U.S. economy is improving, which has led some consumers to increase their discretionary spending at casinos.

Kent anticipates that solid quarterly results from Las Vegas Sands and Wynn will boost investor confidence and bump MGM Mirage's stock higher.

The analyst added Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage to his Conviction Buy list, which indicates top stock picks.

So perhaps things are really looking up for MGM Mirage, possibly soon to be MGM Resorts International? Perhaps, so. No matter what they want to call themselves in the future, their future success depends on the return of consumer spending. And if consumers are feeling better enough about their personal finances to start spending again, MGM will be back.

Casinos: A Sneak Peek at Encore Beach Club

In case you're curious about the new Encore Beach Club set to open Memorial Day weekend at Steve Wynn's latest Vegas megaresort, Hunter has photos for you at Rate Vegas. You just have to take a look at the progress made so far in construction... And the surprises not found in the early renderings!

It looks like there will be water features at the pool after all, including a rather nice fountain the middle of it. The cabanas are also looking quite spacious, like they're set to become "the biggest and best in Vegas" (as Steve Wynn and Roger Thomas wouldn't have it any other way).

All in all, amazing stuff... I can hardly wait to see the finished product next month!

Casinos: Whither Circus Circus? The North Strip?

One upon a time, Circus Circus was MGM Mirage's most profitable casino. Ever since Jay Sarno was forced in the early 1970s to sell his then failing experiment to Bill Bennett, Circus Circus was transformed into a supreme moneymaking "grind joint" with low operating costs allowing the casino to make loads of money off low rollers.

However, this has changed. In less than two years, Circus Circus went from MGM Mirage's biggest moneymaker to its biggest money loser.

Circus Circus used to be fed by pedestrians coming up its way from the New Frontier, the Stardust and Westward Ho, but those resorts are gone. The detrimental effect has been considerable, MGM Mirage spokeswoman Yvette Monet says.

The next-door neighbors that Circus Circus has left are having more than their share of economic troubles, too. Financial figures aren’t available for the Sahara because it is privately held, but the property has been closing some of its rooms now and then to save operating costs. The Riviera reported a $5.6 million loss in the fourth quarter and is negotiating with creditors to restructure the company’s debt, which may include seeking bankruptcy protection.

For that same quarter, Circus Circus was MGM Mirage’s biggest money-loser on the Strip.

After expenses, the resort posted a loss of $3.4 million in operating income. It earned only $4 million in operating income for all of 2009, down from $33.7 million in 2008.

So why is this happening? Two reasons. First off, the recession forced the casinos into a "musical chairs price war" and downscale hotels/motels like Circus Circus have been left standing... Without a chair.

Circus Circus is a lower-rent property, and analysts and executives say budget properties are suffering as customers upgrade to well-appointed resorts that are offering deep discounts. If tourists can pay just a little bit more to stay at a more luxurious, newer hotel, they do it.

The industry has a name for this trend: price compression.

Think about it. Circus Circus regularly offers rooms for under $100 per night... But today, the same can be said of a number of more upscale Strip hotels. And for only $20-30 more per night, wouldn't you want to upgrade to, say, Luxor, Monte Carlo, or New York New York?

And speaking of that end of The Strip, that's the other reason why Circus Circus' fortunes have so suddenly changed. Much of The North Strip now consists of mothballed "skeletons" of former construction sites, so Circus Circus can't count on pedestrian traffic from nearby casinos like Excalibur can on The South Strip.

Excalibur is more centrally located on the Strip, with more walk-by traffic and proximity to higher-end hotels, and it posted operating income of $8.4 million in the fourth quarter. That’s within striking distance of the $8.9 million earned by neighboring Mandalay Bay, a much larger and more luxurious property that includes The Hotel, an upscale hotel expansion.

For 2009, Excalibur posted $48 million in operating income. That’s down from $84 million the prior year but was better than Monte Carlo, New York-New York and Luxor, which are more expensive properties with higher-end amenities.

Circus Circus and Excalibur earned vastly different amounts of a key profit indicator called EBITDA — earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. By this measure, Excalibur earned $72.1 million against Circus Circus’ $27.1 million. Excalibur’s EBITDA fell 35 percent, which is more within the range suffered by other major casinos in the recession. Circus Circus’ EBITDA, however, fell by 52 percent.

Excalibur benefits from being "the low rent alternative" to Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and other nearby higher end MGM Mirage casinos. The same can't be said, however, of Circus Circus, since its next door neighbors are now... Well, nothing. The lot at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara Ave. is empty, and Echelon won't resume construction until 2012 at the earliest.

And obviously, it isn't just MGM Mirage feeling the pain with Circus Circus. Riviera and Sahara have also suffered from this curse of the mothballs, as Fontainebleau looks likely to remain a smoldering hot mess until Carl Icahn decides to finally finish it.

So in the coming weeks, months, and years, it will be interesting to see what happens on The North Strip, what was once "The Original Strip". Many of the casinos up there were once sturdy survivors... But will they be able to survive the rest of "The Great Recession"?