Stratosphere Sky Jump Videos

The new Sky Jump at Stratosphere officially opens on Tuesday, but test jumpers have already been spotted taking the plunge.

The jump costs $99.99 and you can purchase photos and a DVD recording at an additional cost. Not a bad price, but I would be interested to see if the "half price ticket" places around town will have these for sale after the buzz dies down a little bit.

It looks like an amazing experience, but I don't know if I would be able to go through with it. I wonder if you get a refund if you chicken out at the last minute and refuse to jump?

Update - the videos that were previously attached to this post no longer exist, but check out this footage of Imagine Dragons riding Sky Jump and the other rides at Stratosphere.

Gilley's re-opens at Treasure Island

Gilley's - the country bar with the trademark mechanical bull and slogan "Cold Beer... Dirty Girls" has re-opened at Treasure Island.

Gilly's was previously at the New Frontier, but it closed down along with that hotel in 2007. When former New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin bought Treasure Island he decided to bring Gilly's to his new property.

Ruffin reportedly spent $10 million to remodel and open the new version of Gilly's, which will feature great views of the strip.



Image Credit: Byron Edwards.

Vacancy at Aria

Today MGM Mirage released preliminary expectations of financial results for the first quarter of 2010.

I'm not going into the revenue and earnings numbers, but lets just say they aren't great. The thing that stuck out in the report though, was this tidbit:

"Occupancy percentage at Aria was 63% with an average daily rate of $194."

That's right, only 63 percent of the rooms at Aria were filled. The room price is probably too high, but that still seems poor for a brand new hotel with the massive hype of CityCenter surrounding it.

It will be interesting to see if these rooms will get filled eventually, or if they will have to slash prices even further to get people in.

Source: MGM Mirage Release.

Harmon and Veer Delayed

Completion of the final two elements of CityCenter have been delayed.

Veer Towers:


The Veer Towers condo units will begin closing in May. The condo units were scheduled to sell earlier in the year. According to MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman, "The closing date was modified to accommodate a large number of interested buyers wanting to participate in our seller financing program, which was just announced this past December."

Harmon:


The Harmon Hotel on the other hand is delayed indefinitely. Said Feldman: "Harmon Hotel has been postponed until such time as CityCenter determines to proceed with its completion." It had been speculated ever since CityCenter opened that MGM Mirage would hold off completion until their financial situation improved.

Source: Las Vegas Business Press.

Tiger Woods good for Vegas Sportsbooks

Tiger Woods' return at the Masters last weekend was great for Las Vegas, as the sportsbooks took full advantage.

M Resort reports that wagers on Tiger possibly set a new betting record for the property.

Las Vegas Hilton says that it was the biggest golf tournament in history, with a 30% increase over the previous biggest, but still fell way short of the Super Bowl and March Madness.

Source: KXNT.

munchbar opening at Caesars Palace on 4-20

munchbar, a new casual dining restaurant and bar will be opening at Caesars on April 20th. The location will be near the sportsbook and Pure nightclub. The bar will be specializing in "munchies" and other appetizers. The bar will be open from 11am to 5am daily.

It's probably a good fit to have a place like this next to the sportsbook and nightclub, both places where people might want to stop off for a snack after a long day of watching games, or a long night of partying.





Check out munchbar for a menu and more information.