Las Vegas has a tradition of its iconic hotel casinos reinventing themselves through refurbishment or all-new construction from the foundation to the roof.
Caesars Entertainment (CZR) recently overhauled its Bally's property and rebranded it as Horseshoe, and Circus Circus spent $30 million on a remodeling project.
MGM Resorts International (MGM) plans to spend about $110 million on a transformation of its Spa Tower Rooms and Suites at its Bellagio property on the Strip. The Spa Tower redesign targets 819 guest rooms and 104 suites and is scheduled for completion in October. The first collection of remodeled rooms will be available for guest stays beginning in July.
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Hard Rock International plans to transform the Mirage and its iconic volcano into a 600-room, 660-feet-tall Guitar Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The planned Guitar Hotel won't be identical to the company's Hollywood, Fla., guitar-shaped resort casino. Instead, it will "resemble back-to-back guitars with brightly lit strings and would feature floor-to-ceiling glass panes," according to the Review-Journal.
In addition to changes in the hotel casino structures around Las Vegas, many of the headliner residencies in properties' theaters are eventually replaced as well. Superstar pop singer Celine Dion began long residencies on the Strip in 2003, which ended in June 2019 after more than 700 performances.
Lady Gaga performed her Enigma + Jazz & Piano residency on the Strip, which ran Dec. 28, 2018 through May 1, 2022, at the Park Theater at the Park MGM. Reports have said Lady Gaga is negotiating to resume her residency in Las Vegas in 2023, but no details have been revealed on when that may happen.
Adele opened her long-awaited “Weekends With Adele” residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Nov. 18, 2022, with a break from Christmas through Jan. 20, and concluded her shows March 25. After her final show in the residency, Adele extended her residency by 34 more dates, running from June 16, 2023, to Nov. 4, 2023, according to the singer's website.
Image source: Palms Casino
Celebrity Chefs Feeding Vegas Guests
In addition to hotels, casinos, and star headliner performances, Vegas is also known for its popular restaurants operated by celebrity chefs. The list of celebrity chefs who have restaurants in Vegas seems endless. The all-star cast of chefs includes Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Michael Mina, Thomas Keller, Buddy Valastro, Giada de Laurentiis, Tom Colicchio, Pierre Gagnaire, Nobu Matsuhisa, Guy Savoy, Mario Batali, Joël Robuchon, José Andrés, and of course, Guy Fieri.
Another culinary tradition in Las Vegas hotel casinos for years were low and mid-priced buffets that offered cheap meals to keep gamblers under the same roof and close to the tables and slot machines. However, guests tastes have become more sophisticated over the years, and many would rather try one of the many restaurants created by the celebrity chefs.
The covid pandemic also killed many of the buffet restaurants around the country, including in Las Vegas, as over 40 buffet restaurants ceased operations in Vegas after the pandemic in 2020, according to LasVegasHowTo.
Another Buffet Bites the Dust
The Las Vegas Strip alone used to host 18 buffet restaurants at one time, but only eight remain today, according to Casino.org. Those remaining eight include Bacchanal at Caesars Palace, The Buffet at Bellagio, Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan, The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas, the MGM Grand Buffet, the Buffet at Excalibur, the Circus Buffet at Circus Circus, and The Buffet at Luxor.
Among the remaining five buffet restaurants off the Strip is Carnival World Buffet at Rio, which will close and be torn down to make room for a food hall, Casino.org reported. The Rio also once offered Village Seafood Buffet, which is now a minigolf facility.
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