In This Issue: Kimo’s Vegas TV, Imperial Palace Update, MGM CityCenter Progress, Mandalay Bay Beach, NHL In Vegas, MGM Spa Signatures, Gambling Talk Blackjack Advice, New Mirage Photos, Advice For Comps, more…
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Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:
Hello From Las Vegas! Plenty of hot new information this issue. A couple of regular features are missing due to the July 4 holiday, but we never halt bringing you tons of great Las Vegas information. Read on!
Imperial Palace Update – A number of you wrote in saying “I have reservations later this year at the Imperial Palace and am worried what will happen if they close it sooner!”
I contacted our friend Rhonda at I4Vegas (the company that handles the reservations if you use the booking box search on our site). She said this:
“I’m sure they will know a closing date so far in advance that existing reservations will not be affected, but should that be the case, you would be given comparable or upgraded accommodations at no additional cost. Just for your information, they do also own Harrah’s, Bally’s, Flamingo, Paris and Caesars all in that same area of the Strip.”
Note: This is from our travel partner and applies to those of you who have booked the Imperial Palace through our booking box or Imperial Palace information page here on AccessVegas.com. We can not speak for any other travel company.
If you didn’t make your reservations with us, you may wish to contact the customer service contact with wherever you made your reservations to find out their policy. We try to be as helpful as we can, but if (for example) you buy an Acura and you have a concern, it won’t do you any good to ask the people at the Lexus dealership. My point: We can’t speak to the policy of other companies.
For those who do make any type of reservation through our travel partners using the main booking boxes on AccessVegas.com, we are always more than happy to help. We choose the companies we associate with very carefully. Provided you book with one of our travel partners, always feel free to drop us a line at allvegastv@aol.com with any concern and we get right on it!
Kimo’s Vegas TV – Our good friend Kimo Akane is a native Hawaiian and a Vegas expert. Over a million Hawaiians visit Las Vegas every single year and Kimo has teamed with Time Warner Cable Television in Hawaii to create a new video show about Las Vegas! Fortunately, you don’t have to live in Hawaii to enjoy the show. You can view it online streaming right now. Click to Kimo’s Vegas TV
Enjoy This Issue!
The CityCenter of attention – MGM Mirage unveils model of its $7 billion mixed-use megaproject – As Bill McBeath sees it, the last thing Las Vegas needs is another hotel-casino. And on Monday, McBeath, president and chief operating officer of MGM Mirage’s Bellagio, showed media and gaming-industry watchers just how far beyond the traditional Strip-resort concept his company is going with its $7 billion Project CityCenter. Standing over a model of Project CityCenter inside an office on the construction site, McBeath pointed out the 66-acre development’s variety of components: In the back, up against Frank Sinatra Drive, a 60-story, 4,000-room hotel-casino with a curved, contemporary design will dominate the project’s skyline. An ebony condominium-hotel tower with 1,543 units will flank the hotel. Click to Read The Full Story …
Riviera “La Cage” Star Returns To Maury Povich Show – Word-of-mouth, repeat business, fresh material and controversy contribute to the success of the long running hit “An Evening At La Cage,” now in its 22nd year at the world-famous Riviera Hotel and Casino. Controversy? Recently, headliner Frank Marino, who appears in the show as Joan Rivers and as the femme fatale MC, flew to New York to make an appearance on “The Maury Povich Show” to appear with a panel discussing plastic surgery. Click to Read The Full Story …
The Beach Just Got Better: Mandalay Bay Beach Bungalows First Step In Exciting New Pool Offerings – The Mandalay Bay Beach — Las Vegas’ best pool experience — now offers more. More glistening sand, more exclusive seating and more of what visitors come to Vegas to find. Many guests choose their hotel based on the pool, and the Mandalay Bay Beach is one of the best draws in Vegas! Due to extraordinary demand, the resort has expanded its pool amenities for 2006 and plans more exciting additions for 2007. The real sand beach makes the Mandalay Bay Beach special — 1,700 tons of sand simply wasn’t enough. For 2006, the resort has added more than 1,000 tons, creating additional premium beach seating for its guests. Click to Read The Full Story … or View Mandalay Bay Photos
National Hockey Leagueá Returns To Las Vegas As The Los Angeles Kings Face The Colorado Avalanche For “Frozen Fury 9” At MGM Grand Saturday, Sept. 23 – The Los Angeles Kings return to Las Vegas for “Frozen Fury 9” when they host an NHL pre-season game against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, Sept. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. “Frozen Fury 9” plans to feature a line-up of NHL all-star players from both rosters including Kings players Mattias Norstrom, Craig Conroy and Michael Cammalleri. Colorado Avalanche all-stars include Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk and former Kings Forward Ian Laperriere. Click to Read The Full Story …
5 Millionth Showgoer Sees ‘Legends in Concert’ As Imperial Palace Celebrity Tribute in 24th Year Marks Major Milestone – Veronica Flori, and her fiance, Charles Bray, were just entering the Imperial Theatre last night to see the 7:30 p.m. show of “Legends in Concert” at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino when they were asked to step out of the line. Bray said at first he thought they were in trouble, but how could that be? “We didn’t cut in line, so we didn’t know what was going on,” Bray said. Click to Read The Full Story …
A Penny For Your Slots – The SpaceQuest Casino at the Las Vegas Hilton is the newest home to penny slots: 12 new Bally’s CineVision games with four different versions – Gold & Gems, Green Stamps, Bonus Frenzy, and American Original. Additional features are great graphics and some fantastic new bonuses.
Exclusive Ritual Treatments Add Cultural Flavor to Grand Spa Offerings – MGM Grand Spa recently introduced three signature ritual treatments. The new options join the popular Australian Aboriginal-inspired Dreaming Ritual to provide guests with an extensive menu of exclusive, indulgent global experiences that combine modern spa treatments with ancient cultural flavor. Rituals can be enjoyed either as a private journey or as a couple’s experience. All rituals include a private hot steam session and a Swiss shower.
- The Dreaming Ritual — 120 Minutes – $295
This original signature ritual has received acclaim and loyalty among Grand Spa guests for years, making it their most popular signature service. The Dreaming Ritual is a tribal-inspired service that begins with a foot soak and proceeds into an exfoliation, body-mask and scalp treatment with indigenous healing elements from Australia. This profound experience is made complete with an Australian Aboriginal Massage. You will feel both deeply relaxed and deeply renewed. - Japanese Yuzu Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
Yuzu, known as Japanese grapefruit, is rich in organic acids that aid in pain relief, improved circulation and skin smoothing. This refreshing ritual begins with a yuzu body scrub, followed by a choice of a sake or white tea body wrap and a Shiatsu scalp massage. Both sake and white tea are known for their anti-oxidant properties. Finally, unwind with a 50-minute Shiatsu-Combination Massage performed with yuzu body butter. - Amazon Rainforest Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
This healing ritual begins with a plantain and cocoa powder body scrub. A healing and moisturizing body wrap, featuring the native South American herb “Una de Gato,” used for many years to stimulate the immune system and to reduce inflammation, follows. A rejuvenating foot massage is provided during the body wrap and the service ends with a 50-minute rhythmic massage using cocoa butter or passion flower oil. This service is sure to release any tension you might be carrying. - Turkish Hammam Ritual — 100 Minutes – $265
This treatment originates from the Turkish Hammam, a spa tradition dating back thousands of years, popular throughout the Mediterranean region. The ritual begins with a scrub made from Turkish coffee grinds and brown sugar blended with crushed walnut husks and fragrant cinnamon and cardamom. The body wrap that follows contains coffee extract, which will stimulate the tissues for cellulite reduction, along with milk proteins, aloe and seaweed to help nourish the skin. Enjoy a scalp massage during the body wrap before beginning a final vigorous, deep pressure massage, performed with orange or lavender body butter.
World Series Of Blackjack Kicks Off Schedule – The “World Series of Blackjack” taped at the Las Vegas Hilton, kicked off its schedule Monday in primetime (10 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Pacific) on GSN (formerly the Game Show Network). The show features a new episode each Monday (then repeat two additional times during the week) for 13 weeks through August 28. The series can be seen on GSN (consult local cable listings) and nationally on Direct TV Channel 309 and Dish Network Channel 116.
Gambling Talk: Victor Royer on Cigar Dave Show Part 2: Blackjack and Video Poker – with Victor H. Royer. Victor H. Royer appeared on famed fine living guru Cigar Dave Show radio program. In this segment, Victor gives exclusive insight into playing and winning at blackjack and video poker! Click to Listen To Poker Advice Interview (13 minutes)
Vegas Photo Set Of The Week: The Mirage Las Vegas – Upon entering the Mirage, your first thought will be that you’ve discovered a palace in a tropical jungle. The remainder of your stay at the Mirage will elicit awe, whether you’re dining, relaxing, or playing. The Mirage is located in the middle of the electrifying Vegas strip. From your hotel, you can literally walk to a myriad of shopping, convention, gaming, dining, and entertainment venues.
Vegas Streaming Video Of The Week – Siegfried and Roy Highlights 1995. The new Cirque du Soleil “Love” Show now occupies the amazing theatre at The Mirage that was home to Siegfried and Roy for so many years. As Love opens, let’s look back in time 11 years to what was Las Vegas’ premiere show. This is part one of two parts. Part Two (1996) will be featured in a future issue. Siegfried and Roy Highlights 1995: Broadband (only)
Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!
Readers Write –
I truly enjoy the newsletter. I am curious about 1 thing though – does everyone try and get something for nothing in Vegas? I love Vegas make no mistake. I have played everything from penny slots up to and including black and purple checks on the craps table. Other than drinks, I have never ever taken a comp for anything. Nor do I intend to.
I come to play – not collect freebies. Last thing I want is some casino toadie looking over my shoulder offering me a room or a dinner. I gamble to gamble. I don’t want gifts – I want to be left alone. If I want a suite, I’ll pay for it.
All I want is a room where I get no phone calls, no one bothering me and no distractions. I’ll buy my own dinner thank you. If you are comping me dinner to the gourmet room, chances are it will be more crowded than anyplace I want to be. Let me alone and I’ll win or lose 5 figures, try and comp me and I will walk out the door. Just my nature,
Dicedoc from Chicago
Ted Responds – Thanks for reading! No question that many want to enjoy all the freebies they can, although it comes at a price to a higher limit player such as yourself. They want to track your play, get your home address, cell phone number, run your credit and practically name your first born in return for the higher level comps (free suites, fine dining, top show tickets all on the house).
That comes with a price. Your new “best friend” is the casino host at the place you frequent. It is nice to have them inviting you out to Vegas all the time with the comps, but in reality it is their job to get you locked in. Visiting only their place as often as possible while keeping you away from the competition. In addition, two risks come to mind:
- Comps are not actually free. They are based on your play. The more money you are likely to lose, and the more often you come and visit (creating more losing visits in the big picture), the more stuff they give you. But it is only a fraction of what they expect you to lose over the course of your many visits.á
- Familiarity breeds contempt. For years, I had a friend come to town and toss some pretty serious money around playing at one of the major Strip properties. He only stayed there no matter what. Over time, he noticed that his treatment wasn’t as good as it used to be and the comps weren’t as generous.What should he have done? Taken his action to other hotels, told them he was a longtime Hotel X customer but he wanted to see what they could do for him. They would have rolled out the red carpet! But alas my friend felt obligated by his “friendship” to the host of Hotel X and just kept visiting and being disappointed.
Note: Hotel hosts are not nor every will they be your friend. Their job is to get you to visit often enough to separate you (over the years) from as much of your money as possible. And they succeed because since you want to keep your comp level up (and keep the freebies and their “friendship” intact), most people tend to gamble more than they normally would have.
How much more? When all is said and done, they gamble away more to stay in the host’s good graces than it would have cost just to buy the suite, buy the fine dining, and buy excellent tickets to a show (fight, whatever) from a broker!
This is not a blanket condemnation of casino hosts or those of you who gamble lots of cash and expect good comps. Just remember that it is you against them, and plenty of competing properties want your business. Your host does his job, which is to try to keep you happy. But your job is to be a smart customer, not afraid to take your business across the street in search of a better deal (better treatment, more comps).
Many choose to go Dicedoc’s route: No pressure from the host, no pressure to gamble a certain number of hours per day, no pressure to stay at only a certain hotels. And for those of you that gamble at the higher levels, this might be a great time to review what’s going on. Are you happy with your host? Have you had some bad losses trying to put in the expected number of hours where the money would have better been spent paying for your suite and only gambling when you feel in a “lucky” mood?
I’m not here to take sides. Have nothing against casino hosts. Use them wisely if you use them. Just reminding all our readers who play higher-end to that you have many options.
Live From Las Vegas,
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Science in 3-D: Displays to afford glimpse at healthy and diseased corpses at The Tropicana
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Well-worn Klondike bid a warm farewell – Staff and regular customers say hotel-casino created community feel
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Growing Into His Act – 10 years into his Monte Carlo run, Lance Burton seems more and more the classic magicianPurchase Lance Burton Tickets
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Kicked Up Another Notch: Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House continues to reinvent itself
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10 free things to do in Las Vegas – Enjoy these Sin City adventures while leaving your wallet intact
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Cirque’s gala draws McCartney, Starr, Ono, Beatles families
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Las Vegan lands on magazine’s ‘Hottest Bachelors’ list – Hunk gains popularity for his work with hurricane victims
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Cool Pools – Las Vegas resorts make up for lack of ocean view by providing refreshing watery retreats
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LOVE’s success will be no mirage
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Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:
- Labor Day September 1-4 (3 day weekend)
- Grandparents Day September 8-10
- Columbus Day October 6-9 (3 day weekend)
- Halloween October 31
- Veterans Day November 10-12 (3 day weekend – Friday off)
- Thanksgiving November 23-26 (4 day weekend)
- Christmas December 22-25 (3 day weekend – Christmas on Monday)
- New Year’s Eve/Day December 29 – January 1 (3 day weekend – New Years on Monday)
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All contents copyright 2006 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.
July 5, 2006 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us
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