Antony Curtis nationally syndicated weekly column.
April 7, 2010
The newly appointed CEO of the newly renamed Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has confirmed that the condo-hotel will open in “mid-December” of this year. Up till now, it had been undetermined whether or not the Strip’s next megaresort would have a 2010 or 2011 debut. The $3.9 billion property will debut with only about two-thirds of its rooms ready to occupy; the remainder will not be ready until July 2011. In addition to a casino, the Cosmo’s amenities will include 13 restaurants, a spa, nightclub, retail stores, and 150,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. It’s likely to be the last major addition to the Strip in a long time, with projects like Fontainebleau and Echelon indefinitely on ice.
Lance Disappearing: After 14 years of performing at the Monte Carlo, magician Lance Burton will leave the resort in May. While it’s not been confirmed, rumors are that the show will likely move to another Strip property.
Rewards at Planet: Planet Hollywood is now on the Harrah’s Total Rewards players club system. If you’ve earned points at other Harrah’s properties, you can now use them at Planet Hollywood, while PH points will be converted for use throughout the Harrah’s system.
VP Nugget: On Fridays and Saturdays in April, Jerry’s Nugget in North Las Vegas is paying double for royal flushes on all quarter and dollar video poker games. This is a rare offer, since it severely cuts into the casino’s margin on these games and, in some cases (on the machines with the best schedules), erases it completely.
Question: Will the Lady Luck casino downtown ever reopen?
Answer: The Lady Luck has now been closed for more than four years. However, in March, the casino’s Los Angeles-based owners told city planners that they’d submit reopening plans within 60 days. Hence, there should be news by the middle of next month about the casino’s outlook in the foreseeable future.
