The long overlooked northern section of the Las Vegas Strip has seen a flurry of activity over the last few weeks. While for many it still remains a no-mans land between Encore and Downtown, for deep pocketed developers, it is one of the few places left to dream and build big. It also looks poised to comeback brighter and more profitable than ever as Las Vegas tourist demographics shift yet again.
New Beginnings
Resorts World-
May 5th wasn’t just Cinco De Mayo in Vegas this year, it was also the day that the former Echelon site finally received the ground breaking ceremony it had long promised us. Government officials and prominent local business leaders, including Steve Wynn, attended the joyous event which was marked by Chinese drums and lion dancers, a spectacle not seen since the heady pre-recession days.
Resorts World is planned to be a luxury themed resort complete with a Great Wall of China, a live Panda exhibit, and a gigantic pool complex. To start, Resorts World will open with approximately 3,000 rooms which are told to be split into three distinct wings of the tower. The largest section will be the “regular” section. By regular we assume this to be along the standards of Wynn or Aria. There will also be an all suite wing ala Delano or Aria Sky Suites, and finally a high end component to compete with Mandarin Oriental.
Lucky Dragon-
Per Vegaschatter, construction crews are active at the site and are working on laying the foundation for the 10 story local’s casino adjacent to the World’s Largest Gift store and Allure. While not on The Strip, this boutique property will add to the gaming and dining options in the stretch between Sahara and Downtown Vegas.
Rock in Rio-
The first Rock in Rio in America was just held last weekend in the “City of Rock” adjacent to SLS and Circus Circus. The event, which will span two weekends, has already brought in a near capacity 82,000 guests to hear artists such as Metallica, No Doubt, and Linkin Park. The weekend of May 15th looks to beat that number as Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars perform among many others. Over the last several years, live music and clubs have become a major source of revenue for the Strip resort owners. The
success of Rock in Rio affirms this will be the case for the foreseeable future.
Sad Endings:
Riviera-
The just turned 60 year old icon closed for business on May 4th of this year. The new owners, the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, plan to use the land to expand their convention hosting capabilities.
The Riviera, a former haunt of Frank Sinatra and Liberace among others, and backdrop of many movies such as Ocean’s 11, National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation, and Casino fell into hard times over the last decade plus, as business shifted away from the North Strip area to resorts more south. While Riviera wasn’t the most luxurious or modern resort in Vegas, okay it wasn’t even average by the time it closed, it will be greatly missed. With its closure, only the Flamingo, Caesars Palace, Tropicana, and Circus Circus remain of the hotels built in the 1940’s through late 60’s. The Riviera will be sorely missed.
