Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

November 1, 2007 4:44 PM Posted by Kevin

Worst Closure:
BC!

/cry

November 1, 2007 6:17 PM Posted by detroit1051

Hunter, I'll vote early and often. You deserve to win all three categories.

November 1, 2007 6:27 PM Posted by detroit1051

OK, I followed the rules and only voted once.

November 1, 2007 10:45 PM Posted by mike_ch

My two cents. Kinda long, but this is sort of a good year in review moment and maybe somebody here will reply and we can discuss a little.

As usual, my favourite resort is still Bellagio. But this year, my top nomination for Worst Joint (overall) was Binion's. I'm kind of sad it didn't make it into the finalists. I feel it's earned.

If Bellagio or Rio take Best Buffet, I've once again got to guess that hype can win out over substance. Not that I expect my pick (MSS) to win. It's too unheard of. Paris or PH are perfectly understandable.

The Best Show category makes me sad. We really do suffer from Cirque overkill and a lack of recognizable culture. Voted Phantom just because it's the closest thing to real quality theater on that list.

Best Slots is sure odd. I like MSS but I wouldn't really rank it there. They had an odd machine mix and they've recently changed it up by removing the oldest machines that paid really well. Four Queens and even Golden Nugget have a better mix downtown.

Paris made best and worst for drink service. I think it's those themed "police officer" uniforms they wear. Guys are either really turned on or off, with little in-between.

If anything other than Station Boarding Pass wins Best Comps, it says more about the audience (i.e. tourists) than anything else. Then again, if Worst Comps is anything other than Club Coast, ditto. Suncoast sent me a letter last week letting me know that Boyd is FINALLY counting points by coin-in instead of that goofy coin-out system Gaughan had set up.

And finally for the bests, for Best Future Resort I say Fontainebleau, but not because of announced plans (what announced plans?) but because I'm interested in seeing Glen Schaeffer and his ideas return to what's increasingly becoming a three player monopoly (MGM, Harrahs, LVS.)

Pet peeve, traffic. (it affects me more than it affects you.) Person of the year, Kerkorian.

Worsts were mostly slamming the Riviera for being ugly and the Sahara for it's lousy restaurants. I give Worst High Roller to MGM just because it was never really built with high rolling in mind. I'd say Tropicana has the worst rooms of that lot for their "garden" motel 6 style rooms, which is what you'll get for their sometimes substantial rack rate. Worst low roller is Gold Spike since I can walk by Slots o' Fun without looking around for muggers. I can't remember what I voted for Worst Value but looking at it now I'd say Mandalay. Harrah's gets my Worst Tables nod for that "Party Pit" concept, which is just as unwelcome at Bally's and elsewhere. I'd say the Waynester is Worst Entertainer because at least Celine Dion has actual talent she puts to use making bad music, and I can't understand why Wayne ever got where he did in the first place. Trump is my least favourite new resort (where's the casino?)

Finally, in the joke categories, Britney Spears ought to just be banned from Clark County before she loses more than her children in a drunken haze, Luxor being rethemed into a pyramid-shaped ultralounge is heartbreaking, and Wynn Las Vegas is the most overrated thing in town but that's probably because I hang out with the crew on this blog.

You can guess who had the best blog, because I actually clicked the right button this year. ;)

So there's my thoughts. How about some loud argumentative noises below?

November 3, 2007 10:28 AM Posted by Mike P.

mike, you're right it's hard for us tourists to evaluate players clubs of properties that are mostly locals' oriented. I actually stayed at Red Rock this year and get pretty regular mailings with offers for Red Rock and GVR, but I'm not that tempted by them and don't know when or if I'll be able to use the points I accumulated. I should say I liked Red Rock just fine, it's just too far out of the way with too few nearby attractions to want to stay there regularly.

Actually the property that's tried hardest to earn my loyalty this year didn't even make the trippies list. The Venetian has been sending me regular offers ever since I made their lowest "elite" players club level earlier this year.

Wynn pretty much snubs me even though I've spent an unhealthy amount of time in the casino the past couple years, and I don't give MGM properties enough play to interest them. I've been snubbing HET by taking offers and not spending a dime in their properties thanks to their decision to not offer playable video poker at any LV strip property.