Las Vegas is a city that loves rumors. It seems that every day there is a new one popping up – a hotel is going to close, some superstar singer has signed a deal. It’s amazing how much traction these rumors can gain, with some often being reported as fact in otherwise reputable sources.
Every now and then I like to take a look at the current rumors and try to put my two-cent spin on them, not so much in an effort to confirm or deny them – often rumors pop up because they are real things that are about to happen that people can’t confirm for one reason or another – but rather to remove the breathless hype and look at them from a more logical viewpoint. This way, when a co-worker or friend repeats some rumor as fact to you, you can smile and say, “Well, that’s not exactly true…”
As you’ll see, there are LOTS of rumors running around Las Vegas right now, so this week’s column is all about the control.
Rumor: The Tropicana is closing.
Reality: Sigh. I’ve been dealing with this particular one for years now, almost for as long as I’ve been writing about Las Vegas. The current situation is that the parent company that owned the Trop filed for bankruptcy protection. Under the reorganization plan, the company is being split up and a new owner – one of those mysterious private equity firms – is taking over the joint. The company is called Onex and they are the third largest such firm in the country. Who knows what they will do to the hotel in the long run but you don’t generally spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a hotel just to shut it down and therefore turn off its revenue, especially in this economy. The Tropicana is staying put.
Rumor: The Sahara is closing.
Reality: You’ll remember that the hotel was purchased a couple of years ago by an LA nightclub impresario who announced plans to remodel the bargain-bin property into a hip and swanky joint catering to a well-heeled party crowd. Not much has happened since the ownership change, leading some to believe it never would. But recently, the hotel has been pulling back dramatically on its offerings, shutting down some services and amenities all together leading some to believe they are preparing to close it so they can start the remodeling in earnest. Management for the hotel strongly denies this as being even a remote possibility and I tend to believe them since the idea of not only shutting down a revenue source but spending a lot of money right now in this economic climate doesn’t make any sense.
Rumor: The Fontainebleau will not open as scheduled.
Reality: Construction on the $3 billion hotel-casino near The Riviera has all but shut down due to a series of lawsuits and financial shenanigans that have besieged the developers. While it is theoretically possible that it could all get worked out and they could still meet their scheduled October ribbon-cutting, every day that ticks by without a resolution puts that date more and more in question. If things aren’t settled by the end of May – and it’s looking like they won’t be – I would expect an opening date that ends with 2010.
Rumor: CityCenter will not open as scheduled.
Reality: It depends on what you call “as scheduled.” At first they had planned to open the entire property at the same time in late 2009 but that changed as things moved forward. The whole thing was in jeopardy for awhile due to financial concerns but that has all been worked out and now things are on track to open in stages starting in October. The first of the condo properties will open then and the main hotel-casino will open in December.
Rumor: Steve Wynn is buying back the Bellagio.
Reality: As I reported here a couple of weeks ago, Steve Wynn expressed interest in the possibility of buying Bellagio or Circus Circus, but that’s all it is right now. There are no formal negotiations and certainly no formal deal.
Rumor: Danny Gans did not die of natural causes.
Reality: The coroner has not released final findings on the cause of death yet. Let the guy rest in peace until they do.
Rumor: The Lance Burton show is closing.
Reality: The illusionist broke his foot and is out through June. Interestingly, that’s when his contract with Monte Carlo is up and according to some published reports the contract has not been renewed yet, leading some to speculate that the show will not go on. This is pure conjecture at this point so don’t let anyone tell you they know exactly what’s going to happen unless Lance Burton calls you himself.
Rumor: Criss Angel is leaving “Believe.”
Fact: The show, a partnership with Cirque du Soleil, has not been doing well from a critical perspective but what I’m hearing is that the ticket sales remain at an acceptable level considering the downturn in the tourism market. This rumor kicked into high gear after the very public in-theater feud with Perez Hilton, which apparently made the Cirque folks mighty unhappy. But again, this is strictly a rumor at this point and for now no one is going anywhere.
Rumor: Cirque is offering two-for-one tickets to all of its shows.
Reality: Close, but no cigar. To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, Cirque is offering a deal where if you buy a full price ticket to any of their Las Vegas shows, you can buy a second ticket for only $25. It’s good for shows through October and of course there are restrictions so be sure to read the fine print. You can find out more here: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/LasVegas/summerPromo.htm
Rumor: Holly Madison will go topless in “Peepshow.”
Reality: The Playboy playmate will be taking over the co-lead in the topless show at Planet Hollywood from the departing Kelly Monaco. But Monaco never performed totally topless so there’s no reason to believe that Madison will either.
Rumor: A performing arts center will be built in Las Vegas.
Reality: This one is true. Although it has been in the works for ages, the funding has finally been settled and the Smith Center for the Performing Arts will have a ground breaking at the end of May. It will feature a world-class concert hall and a theater and is going to be located near the Las Vegas Premium Outlets near Downtown. It should open in 2012.
Rumor: All the buffets in town are changing to all-day passes.
Reality: A few buffets are offering this deal, specifically MGM Grand, Excalibur, and Stratosphere. You pay a few bucks more than any single meal but it is good for you to come back all day long. If you don’t want to do the all-day thing, you can still get the per-meal price.
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