Editors Notebook: Penn & Teller & Airport

Long time Las Vegas performers Penn & Teller are due to get honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. The long time resident headliners at the "Rio" are one of our favorite shows in town which we always recommend as one of the shows not to miss in town so congrats to Penn & Teller. Today is the big day as the new terminal 3 opens at Mc Carren Airport which will be home to airlines such as Jet Blue and Virgin America well at least the years of construction is over. 

"Rio" Needs Some Paint

Click on the photo to see larger on the Rate Vegas twit pic site, you will notice that the "Rio" looks a little rough and needs some paint. This has become a fairly common site in Las Vegas as the hotels have cut back on maintenance and is especially noticeable at some of the Caesars properties. The inside of the "Rio" looks good but you would have think they would have put a coat of paint on the outside before the World Series Of Poker started at the property oh well guess not.

Rate Vegas Site Link

Total Rewards All Night Pass

Following up on Caesar’s ‘Buffet of Buffets’ twenty four hour food pass is their version for clubs called “All Night Pass’ which grants you access to seven clubs for one flat fee. The Caesar’s clubs that you can gain access to are Pure (Caesars Palace), Chateau (Paris), Gallery and Pussycat Dolls (Planet Hollywood), Crown and Voodoo (Rio), as well as Carnaval Court at “Harrah’s.” The pass costs $44.99 per night for Total Rewards members which is free to join or $49.99 for non-members and is available Thursday to Sunday. Each night pass starts at 8pm and is valid until 8am the next morning when I guess you go back to your room to pass out. For Total Rewards members they just add the pass to your card and if you are not a member you get a wrist band to wear. At each club you stand in a special line which will help you gain quicker entrance although all dress codes still apply and if you are drunk they won’t let you in. Here at Las Vegas Inside Out were not big club goers but if you are it’s a good deal but you might want to plan out the clubs you’re going to in advance.

‘All Night Pass’ more information link

2 For 1 Tickets To Chippendales Today Only

If you are a fan of half naked oiled covered men dancing then the Cyber Monday deal for Chippendales at the "Rio" maybe for you. This deal is for today only and is a 2 for 1 ticket deal just enter the code 'CYBER' at checkout this deal is valid on any performance just visit their website or call (702) 777-7776 to order.

Is 'Buffet Of Buffets' A Good Deal?

About a year ago we wrote about then "Harrah's" buffet deal called 'Buffet Of Buffets' where you could eat at many of their properties on the strip with an all access pass for twenty four hours by paying once. The original deal was $19.99 for Total Rewards members and that soon became $29.99 which was still a good deal. Then this time last year the price had been pushed up to $39.99 for Total Rewards members so what has changed in the year since; Well "Harrahs" has been renamed Caesars and, the price now is $44.99 for Total Rewards members or $49.99 for non members. The deal includes seven hotels on the strip as well as the "Rio" off the strip but is it worth the money? The answer is yes its still a deal but less so and only if you manage to get two dinners out of the twenty four hours. Dinners are more expensive and if you manage to get a late dinner the first night and a early dinner the next night it could pay off. What will another year bring for this deal most likely it will be pulled at some point as if the price rises again few people will take this deal.

"Rio" Goes After The Locals Market

A locals hotel and casino is one that is away from the strip or downtown and caters to local residents of Las Vegas instead of tourists. The "Rio" since it opened because of its location is technically a locals property but is still fairly close to the strip and has mainly gone after the tourist visitor. Recently the "Rio" has been making a big push for the locals market which is a great idea especially in this economy. Right now being a Nevada resident gets you things with your such as 25 percent off "Rio" restaurants and 50 percent off 'Carnival World Buffet' or "Rio" casino bars. Other discounts include 2 for 1 tickets to the entertaining Penn & Teller show or $25 tickets to the oily men of Chippendales check out the riolocals.com website for more details.

Credit/Debit Card Holds

More and more hotels are putting hold amounts on your credit/card for stuff you may charge to your room and at some properties its not an option its required. This hold amount can be released as soon as you check out or take up to two weeks to clear which is annoying to say the least. These hold amounts arn't always disclosed on companies web sites or if are its in tiny print and the desk clerk doesn't always tell you before they run the amount on your card. One interesting point is the amounts and rules can differ from property within the same chain; One such difference is i have not been charged at the "Fremont" downtown but am charged $100 at "The Orleans" both owned by Boyd's. I have my own internet and can watch movies on my laptop and don't use room service unless i have a comp credit so mostly don't want to charge stuff to my room. Here are some recent experiances at some properties.

El Cortez: $50 charged to my account that took two weeks to be credited back

Rio & Flamingo: They run your card but dont charge deposit if you don't want

Fremont: No charge

Orleans: $100 charged to my account released moment you check out

Las Vegas Club: No charge

Golden Nugget: No charge

Rules at different properties change all the time check with your hotel if its an issue for you.

MGM Players Club Needs Work

Recently MGM announced they will be updating their players club and improving the website which in my opinion is long overdue. MGM announced that they would start with smaller properties back East and then in the next year get to the Las Vegas properties. The MGM website for players is no where near as easy to use or as advanced with offers as Harrah's Total Rewards or even Boyd's B Connected website which is a shame. Before you think i just prefer those companies in fact i often stayed at MGM properties at the Luxor for example either every month or every other month (yes i travel to Las Vegas a lot). Then late last year my MGM card became locked so i asked at the players club in the Luxor if they could unlock it so i could book rooms in the future, they said i would have to call they couldn't fix at the hotel. Once home i called and got a recorded message that said because of year end and tax season they weren't taking calls until the new year this was end of November. I called several other times in the new year and, got a voice mail that said they are busy assisting other customers and leave a message. I did this several times and even though the message said they would call me back between 9am-5pm PST they never did. I receive email offers all the time from the Luxor and, other MGM properties all the time but as i cannot log in to receive i now book rooms at the Flamingo, Rio and Orleans. The point of me sharing my personal experience is the players club should breed loyalty to a company and MGM should consider getting the new website going in Las Vegas as soon as possible.

Harrah's Buffet Of Buffets

Paris Hotel & CasinoHarrah's owners of many of the Strip properties recently came out with an all you can eat buffet deal for seven of its properties; The properties are as follows Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood and the off strip property Rio. The deal was for $29.99 for a twenty four hour all access pass which is a great deal especially if you can fit four meals in that twenty four hour period. After the deal was announced there was much speculation about how long it would be before Harrah's either raised the price or removed the deal all together. Well about sixteen days later Harrah's raised the price citing long lines and wanting to improve the experience for its customers. Other than weekends at certain locations my opinion is they raised the prices to make more money but either way the new pricing isn't bad just not as generous as before. The new price for a twenty four hour period at all seven locations is $34.99 plus tax if you are a Total Rewards member or $39.99 plus tax for non members. My suggestion is if you aren't a Total Rewards member which is their slot club you sign up for free so you save the five dollars.