Circus Circus To Be Demolished?

The last time I stepped foot at Circus Circus in Las Vegas was in 2015 when I took my daughter Amber there so she could interview with the dolphin show at The Mirage. We stayed at the Circus Circus RV Park.

Three days ago, Las Vegas Strip - Trip Reports Facebook page posted the following:

BREAKING LAS VEGAS

While an official announcement has not yet been made, rumors are growing that Circus Cicrus Hotel in Las Vegas will be demolished and replaced with a new luxury resort by a world known brand that I cant directly say yet. I would stop in several more times if you have the chance. Circus Circus is apparently up for Sale!

Circus Circus has been a popular hotel and casino since the 1960s. It was featured the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever starring Sean Connery. We stayed at the hotel tower in 1986 when I got married.

It has been a bit rundown in recent years. This has also fed to rumor mill.  

It would not come as a surprise if the rumors turn out to be true. Too bad, if so.

Universal Monsters At Fire Rock Navajo Casino

Above, Bela Lugosi's Dracula slot machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Following Larry Lucier's physical therapy session in Gallup last evening, we headed over to Fire Rock Navajo Casino for dinner. Neither of us had been there for quite a while and we wanted to see what they had on their menu at their restaurant, Cheii's, these days.

He had fish & chips and I tried out their brisket sandwich special. Both were quite good and we found the meals to be less expensive than at the El Rancho Hotel. Another plus, they have a bar and we had Margaritas to start.

Since the majority of their clientele are Navajos, the restaurant has several lamb dishes for them to choose from. Navajos seem to favor lamb in their diets.

Above, Margaritas before dinner.

After dinner, we wandered around the casino and watched some players playing craps, blackjack and roulette. Each table game has a five dollar minimum bet rule. Neither of us played, just watched. Larry said the last time he was there, there were no table games, just slot machines. That was around 12 years ago when the casino opened. I told him that I had played roulette there a few times. I don't recall if they provided free liquor to players like Las Vegas casinos. They definitely don't provide free cigarettes as it is a non-smoking casino. The last time I saw free cigarettes at a table game was seven years ago at The Mirage in Las Vegas. 

Above, a Universal Monsters-themed slot machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In the casino, I noticed some Universal Pictures monster-themed slot machines. Each featured Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Wolf Man and Bride of Frankenstein. Occasionally, a small video clip of each movie would pop up on the screen. I was wondering as the time if they were properly licensed by Universal and, by extension, the families of each monster (such as Bela G. Lugosi, Sara Karloff and Ron Chaney).

There was occasional rains coming through the Gallup area. But it stopped by the time we headed back to Jamestown. 

Bye-Bye To The Mirage's Volcano

Above, a daytime view of the Mirage volcano in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Looks like the new owners of The Mirage hotel and casino in Las Vegas will be doing away with the iconic volcano that is situated near Las Vegas Blvd. on the Las Vegas Strip.

According to the Las Vegas Sun:

Hard Rock International will do away with the Mirage volcano once construction begins to renovate and rebrand the property, the company’s CEO said.

“While we’re very respectful of the legacy of the volcano, we recognize that that is part of the Mirage of the past,” Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen during a Nevada Gaming Commission meeting today.

“We will not be continuing to operate the volcano once we commence construction,” he said.

Allen made his comments during a special meeting to consider approval of the $1.075 billion purchase of Mirage operations from MGM Resorts International.

Commissioners voted to OK the deal, which is expected to close as soon as Monday.

To read more, go here. 

Hard Rock To Purchase The Mirage Las Vegas Hotel and Casino

Above, The Mirage Hotel and Casino. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that The Mirage Hotel and Casino will soon be a thing of Las Vegas history. Say goodbye to the volcano.

From Travel Agent Central:

Hard Rock International (HRI) on Monday, December 13, announced its agreement to acquire the operations of The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from MGM Resorts International, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Through the acquisition, Hard Rock plans to build a guitar-shaped hotel, which will be located on the Las Vegas Strip. When it opens, the hotel will be named Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and will cover an 80-acre plot.

According to a press announcement, Hard Rock International will pay $1.075 billion in cash for the operating assets of The Mirage Hotel and Casino, subject to customary working capital adjustments. The hospitality and entertainment brand will enter into a long-term lease agreement with VICI Properties Inc. for the real estate property of The Mirage.

I've stayed at The Mirage once and attended "The Beatles LOVE" show. The hotel is noted for the volcano in front that erupts periodically.

To read more, go here.

From USA Today:

Hard Rock said it plans to build a 1,000-room guitar-shaped hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, but chairman Jim Allen would not confirm whether that means the company would demolish the Mirage or add new construction.

 

Above, yours truly in front of The Mirage in 2015.

20% of Hotel Reviews At Trip Advisor Are "Suspicious"

Above, one of my reviews at TripAdvisor is of The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Have you ever wondered about whether those online "reviews" posted at such places as Yelp and others are real or posted by shills for those places?

I have seen some reviews of restaurants and other places and found that a number of "reviews" are indeed fake or very misleading.

Japan Today has posted an article on a study of hotel reviews posted at TripAdvisor and found quite a number of them to be suspicious.

They wrote:

HONG KONG —Around 20% of online hotel customer reviews may be unreliable or fake, according to Dr Markus Schuckert and Professor Rob Law of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a co-researcher. 

After examining more than 40,000 TripAdvisor reviews of all star-rated hotels in Hong Kong in a recently published study, they warn that the high proportion of suspicious reviews should ring an “alarm bell” for customers. 

Although these reviews are not necessarily fake, they can be misleading and waste customers’ decision-making time. Given that many customers depend on online hotel reviews to make their purchasing decisions, the problem has serious implications for the hotel sector. 

E-commerce platforms have become so popular that online sales of travel products, particularly by hotels and airlines, have become the “biggest part of their business”, write the researchers. 

One reason for this rising popularity is the availability of online reviews and feedback posted by customers, which help potential customers to make informed decisions. From the service provider’s perspective, online reviews provide “fast, instant and easily accessible customer feedback”, and good reviews can increase their revenue.

I have posted reviews at TripAdvisor (The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is listed at TripAdvisor) on restaurants, attractions and hotels and I try to be as accurate and fair as possible. I have also posted reviews of RV parks and campgrounds at RV Park Reviews.

To read more, go here.

Hotels Wooing Guests To Book Directly With Discounts

Above, we booked our room at this Tokyo hotel directly with the hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hotels are looking to book rooms directly with travelers rather than rely on online booking agencies like Expedia and Priceline by offering tempting discounts.

According to Japan Today:

NEW YORK —Hotels are getting more aggressive in their fight to get travelers to book reservations directly with them instead of through online travel agencies such as Expedia and Priceline. 

Hyatt Hotels Corp has become the latest chain to offer guests a discount for booking a room directly on its own website. Members of its Gold Passport loyalty program can save up to 10 percent at hotels in the U.S., Canada and Australia. 

The move follows similar campaigns by Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. 

Hotel companies have a tortured relationship with online travel booking sites. They rely on the sites to bring travelers to their properties and fill rooms. But companies like Expedia and Priceline charge commissions of 15 percent or higher. The hotel chains would rather keep that money themselves.

I have only booked a hotel room through an online travel agency once, with Travelocity, and that was for The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas last December. The room was bundled with round-trip air fares, so some money was saved.

Above, our room at The Mirage was booked through Travelocity. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Our upcoming Hawaii trip was booked through the Automobile Club of Southern California. It was a great package (lots of money saved) for our flights to and from Hawaii, Oahu and the Big Island and one week's hotel rooms at two different hotels included.

I generally book hotel rooms in Japan directly with the hotels.

To read more, go here.

New Year's In Las Vegas Photos

As promised, here are more photos from the New Year's trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, known also as "Sin City".

Above, our New Year's party headquarters, The Mirage. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Kiara receives a visit from ex-boyfriend Joey. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

                

Above, a shot of Denise and I before heading out. Photo by Joey.

Above, even Chewbacca showed up in Las Vegas. Photo by Denise.

Above, Denise dancing in The Mirage to wrap up 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Kiara and Denise at Rhumbar. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Denise blowing a kiss to the cameraman. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, what happens in Vegas... ends up here. Photo by Armand Vaquer.