2012 Strike in Vegas?; Carnival of Cuisine Commences Soon; More People – Less $
Will There Be A Strike in 2012 ?
Article courtesy of www.accessvegas.com
Strike In 2012? – Many of the union contracts with the major Strip hotels run out this coming June. Negotiations will be interesting to watch. During the last round, the economy was hot and my understanding is that the hotels generally gave the unions everything they wanted.
With a still soft economy and the gaming properties carrying crushing debt loads (combined with the extremely high local unemployment), it will be interesting to see how things go. Do the hotels hold a hard line and risk a strike? If so, how long do they hold out and what will it do to visitation and the visitor experience? How hard it is to hire and train a new hotel staff and what kind of rift would that create in our community?
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The Venetian And The Palazzo Welcome The Fourth Annual Carnival Of Cuisine Event On Dec. 10
The Culinary festival features renowned cuisine from over 15 celebrated restaurants
Article courtesy of www.accesvegas.com – that’s the spot to go to for Vegas entertainment news
The Venetian and The Palazzo welcome the return of the hottest culinary event this fall with their fourth annual food festival, Carnival of Cuisine. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 10 from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Palazzo Ballroom and will showcase award-winning cuisine available exclusively at restaurants of The Venetian and The Palazzo.
Guests can enjoy cooking demonstrations, tastings from more than 15 eateries including five James Beard Award winners and a variety of specialty drinks.
Ticket holders will have the chance to win prizes including signed cookbooks, restaurant gift certificates and show tickets. Carnival of Cuisine is presented by Grazie, the premier loyalty program that rewards guests of The Venetian and The Palazzo for staying in the resorts’ suites, dining at the restaurants, shopping at the boutiques and gaming in the casinos.
Participating restaurants include: B&B Ristorante, Bouchon, Café Presse, Carnevino, Delmonico, Dos Caminos, Otto, FIRST Food & Bar, Grand Lux Café, Lagasse’s Stadium,
Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro, Pinot Brasserie, SUSHISAMBA, Sweet Surrender, Table 10, Valentino Las Vegas, Venetian|Palazzo Catering, ZINE and Zeffirino.
Tickets on sale now and may be purchased in person at any Venetian l Palazzo Box Office, by phone at 702.414.9000 or online at venetian.com or palazzo.com.
Tickets are priced $60 (all inclusive), and $85 for VIP tickets. Grazie members receive a special discount ticket rate starting at $50 (all inclusive), and $75 for VIP tickets. All VIP ticket holders will receive early noon admission and a gift. Guests must be 21 and over to attend Carnival of Cuisine.
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More Las Vegas visitors counted but revenue was down
by Ray Poirier
Ray is one of the excellent writers found at the great gaming website www.gamingtoday.com
There were more visitors counted during the month of September by Las Vegas tourism officials but apparently they spent less.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported that almost 3.3 million visitors came in September, an increase of 5.5 percent over last year. Boosting visitation, they said, was a whopping 49 percent increase in convention attendance.
But, even with the larger number of people, Clark County casinos reported a drop in gaming revenue of 6.63 percent. Total gaming revenue was listed as $733 million compared to $785 million reported in 2010.
For the entire state, gaming revenues fell 5.87 percent to $863 million.
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Margaritaville Casino in Las Vegas is a work in progress
by Mark Mayer Read more from Mark and others at www.gamingtoday.com, a must read for gaming news
Margaritaville is a work in progress as a full-fledged Las Vegas casino, but any place associated with Jimmy Buffett is sure to be great fun.
“Jimmy came by a couple of weeks ago when he was in town,” Tom Howlett, a casino pit boss, said. “He hasn’t gambled here yet, but we’re working on it.”
If there’s paradise in cheeseburgers, one can only imagine how delicious Margaritaville can be once the word really gets out. After all, the opening was only a month ago and you do have Harrah’s and Flamingo right smack next-door. In fact, much like Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s you can walk from one casino to the other not having to go outside. Especially sweet at 52 degrees.
“Margaritaville is a great place to be,” Howlett said. “The great fun atmosphere is what would make people come here. It’s been a little slow compared to Harrah’s and Flamingo, but it’s a process. Once people realize we are here and how friendly everyone is, they will want to come on by.”
Margaritaville had been in Las Vegas just as a combo bar/restaurant before switching to the casino industry. The press release at the time of the opening last month called Margaritaville “not just a casino, but a state of mind.”
The Margaritaville chain of bar/restaurants stretches around the world. Buffett and his business buds began branching out with the opening of the Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Pensacola. Buffett is an absolute icon in the state of Florida, especially in the Key West area.
“Margaritaville on the Strip has the energy of the Las Vegas Strip, while enjoying the laid-back vibe of the islands,” said Howlett, who came over from Harrah’s. “We have 3-2 payouts on blackjack and very friendly personnel. We just believe in having nothing but fun here and making sure our customers do as well.”
From a personality aspect, Margaritaville is certainly a pleasant change from a lot of casino floors where dealers and bosses keep conversation to the bare minimum.
“We want people to come in from outside,” Howlett said. “They see our energy, know the Buffett name and figure it will be a party. Some nights it is, but we do have our slow days. That comes with being new and trying to create an identity.”
The casino floor is 15,000 square feet, offering 22 gaming tables, 220 slot machines and the centerpiece 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar.”
“It’s so great to have a job, work in a place like Margaritaville and be in Vegas,” said one blackjack dealer. “Imagine being in Ohio when a plant went down and everyone was out of work. Here, there’s just so much opportunity if you’re fortunate enough to be employed in the casino industry. I’m so glad I am.”
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. Cool.
