It has been a busy month on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Cosmopolitan introduced paid parking.
The SLS Las Vegas has been sold.
And MGM is trying to bring in more millennials.
Scott Roeben from VitalVegas joins us to break it all down.
SLS Las Vegas Sale:
The SLS Las Vegas announced this week it was bought by the Meruelo Group. The company already owns the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.
"[The SLS has] been struggling financially since they opened, to be honest," Roeben said.
Roeben believes the Meruelo Group is optimistic about turning the property around, but that could mean some of the most popular restaurants at the resort could change as their operating agreements were made by the previous owners. Roeben has also heard a name change may be coming.
"The rumblings I've heard is that they may go back to naming the hotel the Sahara," he said. "So they may be going in a completely different direction."
Paid Parking at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas:
Despite the outcry from locals and visitors alike, Roeben said it appears paid parking is here to stay since it is makes money.
"What I don't think you want to be is a casino on the Strip that has free parking," he said. "What happens is a lot of employees use these parking lots and they'll park in the lot and they'll go somewhere else."
He said more places along the Strip will start charging for parking, but it is unlikely that some of the off-Strip properties like the Rio, the Hard Rock Hotel or Hooters will start charging.
Roeben has also heard that bartenders, waitresses and retail stores have been hurt by the pay-to-park policy, although he does not have hard evidence of that.
Luxor replacing a nightclub with an e-sports arena:
Roeben doesn't believe it's a sign that the nightclub bubble has burst in Las Vegas, but he is surprised by the move.
"Of all the baffling things in Vegas, this has to be near the top of the list," he said.
Roeben points out that no one has been able to translate the e-sports arena idea into actual revenue. He said the e-sports venue affiliated with the Downtown Grand is busy, but people there aren't gambling or drinking at the bars -- or even buying a slice of pizza at the snack bar.
"I think it remains to be seen how it translates and how e-sports is any different from a concrete convention or a 'Star Wars" convention,' he said.
Scott Roeben, editor & founder, VitalVegas
