Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

June 20, 2005 2:13 PM Posted by detroit1051

I'm in my second day at Wynn and am favorably impressed. One needs to do more than a walk-through to appreciate the property. Revenues are strong, but it will be interesting to see the expense side when Wynn reports the Quarter. More later in the week after I get back to the real world.

June 20, 2005 3:10 PM Posted by tom

Ok I'll bite. Whats on the CD??

June 20, 2005 3:12 PM Posted by Hunter

Basically an electronic mailer - not much different than what you get in the mail typically but on a CD and playing with music instead of just a postcard.

June 20, 2005 3:31 PM Posted by Brian

I recently stayed at Wynn for one night after staying at Bellagio for two nights and in Sedona for two nights. Here are the comparisons between Bellagio and Wynn I posted on the LV Talk board......Detroit, I'll be curious to read what your impressions were:

Entrance: At Bellagio, whether you taxi/valet or self park (I�ve always rented a car on my LV trips), you wind up pretty much right at the registration area once you exit the vehicle at valet or take the garage elevators down. At Wynn, the self-park elevator drops you at a point where you still have to navigate around the north end of the casino to get to registration. I didn�t use valet so I don�t know whether any of the problems that had been mentioned in this area had been resolved.

Registration: The Bellagio of course has the big lobby with the Chihuly glass on the ceiling and the nice scenery behind the counter. The Wynn main lobby is much smaller with two counters on either side of the room. Artwork is behind each counter, and there is a big picture window on the other wall that looks out onto the waterfall and lake. I did wander over to the Tower Suites registration area and it has a more VIP-ish look, almost all white and a piano in the corner, with windows looking out toward one of the pools that is designated for Tower Suite guests. The entrance to Tableau, the restaurant reserved for Tower Suite guests for breakfast and lunch, is also in this area.

Flower Displays: The main flower display at Wynn greets guests immediately who enter via the main valet entrance and the display is pretty much located on both sides of the Parasol Up lounge. I never thought the Bellagio conservatory, while located adjacent to the lobby area, was as centrally located as it could�ve been, although it is more centrally located overall now that the Spa Tower has opened. Nonetheless, the Bellagio display is more in a grand setting than the one at the Wynn. I should add that I stumbled upon a Villa Atrium area at the Wynn that Tower Suite guests that enter through the south valet probably go through that looked nice.

Elevator Banks: Once one gets to the resort elevators at Bellagio, there are four separate banks of elevators for the 36 floors in the main tower, and I�m guessing each bank probably has about six elevators, and of course the Spa Tower has its own separate elevator. Wynn has two elevator banks, one dedicated to floors 5-27 and the other to floors 28-60 (of course, there are no 40-49 floors). Each bank has seven elevators. I did not experience any delays in waiting for an elevator during my brief stay at Wynn. The Wynn elevators do make a beeping sound as they pass through each floor. Of course, the Tower Suites (south part of the hotel tower) have their own elevators).

Rooms: The rooms at both properties are very nice. Wynn has a larger foyer area and the bed faced the large floor-to-ceiling window, which was a nice touch. The bathroom had pretty much the same features as Bellagio�s, with the addition of a separate water closet and of course the small TV. Still, I like the d�cor of Bellagio�s bathrooms better. Wynn has a comfortable couch and ottoman, but Bellagio has the nice big chairs which you can manuever to watch the lakeshow. Bellagio also has four large drawers in the armoire to put your clothes in. Wynn has three smaller drawers in the same piece of furniture that holds the minibar. I guess you can always use the nightstand drawers if need be�since we were only staying one night, we really didn�t fully unpack at Wynn. The beds at both properties are very comfortable.

Restaurants: Steve Wynn mentioned that a main purpose of his mountain was to block guests dining outside from the Strip noise and in this aspect he got it right. Dining on the patio outside the steakhouse was a nice setting and was of course made better by the great service and great food. I probably enjoyed SW more than I did Prime (I don�t recall Prime having outside seating) two years ago. I have eaten on the patio at Olives and was not terribly bothered by the Strip; however, the experience at SW was more tranquil.

Outside Show: Not even close right now. Steve Wynn mentioned that he wanted his attraction to be hidden from the Strip for the benefit of the hotel guests. But how then can Steve not include the ability to listen to the accompanying music to the show from the guest rooms? To me, this is a tremendous oversight that I hope will be rectified. As for the shows themselves, its probably not fair of me to judge them based on only seeing two without being able to hear the music. The colors were nice but the graphics looked a little too artsy in nature. I haven�t seen the Fremont Street Experience shows in some time, but I remember them having more of a wider pop appeal in presentation. Perhaps Steve can take a cue from the FSE and improve on his show, but I don�t think, despite the color aspect, that it�ll ever match the appeal of the Bellagio fountains.

Pools: As I mentioned, the notion of having to take two separate elevators to get to the pool area at Wynn is odd to me. The main pool area at Wynn seems plenty large enough, with the two large round pools connected by a long canal, and of course the larger pool on the other side of the Cabana Bar which allows the European sunbathing. The padded chairs are a nice touch, and there appear to be plenty of them. The Cabana Bar also appears to have the potential to be a happening place, with the big screen TVs, the booths for seating, and the two blackjack pits. In addition, the pool water appeared to be heated, which was nice. Having said that, I think the Wynn pool area is sort of blah when compared to the nicely appointed Bellagio�s. I like the fountain features present in some of the Bellagio�s pools, and I also like the fact that there appears to be some separation between the various pools there, as opposed to Wynn, which just appears to have one giant pool and then another large one.

Casino: Both are very nice, with wide walkways making it easy to get around. However, the obvious distinction is Bellagio�s emphasis on the table games. Slots are present at Bellagio but you barely notice them. At Wynn, you can definitely tell the prevalence of slots on the floor, even if they don�t make a lot of noise. The sports book and poker rooms at both places are comparable and are nice.

Final Analysis: Many people who talk about the prime Vegas properties mentions that it is the little things that make a difference in Steve Wynn properties. I will admit that Steve has built a solid property this time around and the quality one observes would probably lead you to probably put this property ahead of most of the joints that opened during the 1998-2000 timeframe on the Strip. However, the little things at Bellagio�..the easier access to the pool area directly from the guest elevators, the presence of the pastry shop next to the pool, and the turndown service at night�..plus the romantic fountain show still put Steve�s 1998 property as remaining at the top, IMO. That isn�t to say that Steve didn�t build a nice, solid property this time around��its just not as grand and special as the Bellagio. Unless MGM really starts screwing things up badly over there, the B will remain my property of choice. Another comment about the Wynn, for those who decide to stay there: The Strip view may appear desirable, but the construction at the Palazzo site which is expected to occur for the next two years is audible and may be something you find disruptive if you�re sensitive to that sort of thing. That, in addition to the fact that they don�t have this light show thing as being fully accessible from the rooms yet, may want one thinking about staying at Wynn to forego the $50 premium Strip view and instead get a view of the golf course from as high up as possible without being a panoramic view, which will also cost you $50.

October 21, 2005 12:43 PM Posted by ANNE RICALDE

DEAR MR. WYNN

I LIVE IN LAS VEGAS AND WATCHED AS YOUR CASINO CAME TO LIFE. THOUGH YOU WERE NOT MAKING A DIME AND DID NOT HAVE ONE GUEST I BELIEVED THAT A STEVE WYNN CASINO WOULD DO NOTHING BUT MAKE ME MONEY. ON THIS PREMISE I BOUGHT A GREAT DEAL OF STOCK IN WYNN RESORTS.

I LIVED THROUGH THE CRASH OF 1999-2000 AND LOST.
I COULD NOT BELIVE THAT THE MARKET COULD DROP AS MUCH AS IT DID. I WAS VERY, VERY WRONG AND LOST
6 VIGURES BY SEPTEMBER. I THOUGHT WAITING FOR THE ELECTION AND THOUGHT THIS WOULD BRING THE MARKET AND MY STOCKS BACK TO LIFE AT LEAST 50%. THEN CAME THE FIASCO IN FLORIDA. I LOST ANOTHER 6 FIGURES.

MY HUSBAND AND I RETIRED EARLY IN 1998 WHEN WE WERE IN OUR LATE FIFTYS. WE WERE COUNTING ON SOME OF THE MONEY, MONEY WE WORKERED SO HARD FOR AND HAD TRUSTED IN THE STOCK MARKET, WOULD CARRY US THRU. IN OUR BUSSINES WE WERE NOT OFFRED A RETIREMENT PLAN AND COUNTED ON THE MONEY IN THE STOCK MARKET TO GIVE US AT LEAST 10% EACH YEAR. AGAIN WE WERE VERY, VERY WRONG.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND WE ARE NOT BLAMING YOU. THE THOUGHT IS SILLY AND WE KNOW WHO'S HEAD TO PUT THE BLAME ON. I AM JUST WRITTING TO OFFER A SUGESTION THAT MY BE THE TICKET TO RAISING WYNN'S STOCKS AND MAKE US SOME OF THE MONEY WE LOST IN WYNN STOCKS.

EVERY HOTEL ADVERTISE THE BEAUTY OF THEIR HOTEL AND THE SERVICES EACH GUEST WILL ENJOY. OLD...
NEWS. WE KNOW THAT EVERY HOTEL ROOM IS ALWAYS FILLED, AND IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A RESEVATION ON THE WEEKEND. WE KNOW THAT EVERY HOTEL IS MAKING MONEY, AND WE KNOW THAT THE GAS PRICES ARE NOT KEEPING PEOPLE AWAY FOR SPENDING ANOTHER $25 IN GAS.

THE ONE THING THAT THEY ARE NOT TELLING THE WORLD IS THAT THEY SHOULD BUY YOUR STOCK NOW. TELL THEM YOU ARE A GOOD INVESTMENT AND THAT YOUR STOCK IS A GREAT BUY AT TODAY'S PRICES. I AM NOT A MARKETING WHIZZ, BUT I'M SURE YOUR MARKETING STAFF COULD WORK THIS IN TO A COMERCIAL AND BLEND IT WELL. THAT'S WHAT YOUR PAYING THEM FOR. (IT WAS A BRLLIENT MOVE TO PUT YOU ON TOP OF THE CASINO, THE ONLY ONE YOU PUT YOUR NAME ON).

I KNOW THIS WOULD MAKE YOU THE FIRST ONE TO USE THIS CONCEPT, AND THERE ARE PROBUBLY ARE SOME RULES TO TRY TO STOP A COMPANY FROM USING THIS KIND OF ADVERISING BUT YOUR LEAGLE STAFF COULD AND SHOULD FIND A WAY TO GET AROUND THIS LAW, IF THEY ARE DOING WHAT YOU PAY THEM TO DO.

THIS IS TO LONG. I'VE SAID WHAT I WANTED TO SAY. IT'S UP TO YOU TO BE THE FIRST ONE ON THE BLOCK TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT,(LIKE PINE TREES INSTEAD OF PALMS). YOU ALWAYS WERE.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIS E-MAIL.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT.
LET ME KNOW IF MY E-MAIL EVEN REACHES YOUR DESK.

SINCERELY,

ANNE RICALDE

ARICALDE@AOL. COM

October 21, 2005 1:20 PM Posted by Hunter

This is not Steve's email box or submission system, so if you're not sending this message through other channels, the chances of him seeing it are small.