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Welcome to MtM #Vegas – Our weekly look at the cool #news and happenings in Sin City.
The blockbuster news this week was the announcement that Hard Rock International is buying the operations of Mirage from MGM Resorts. We covered the full news earlier this week in another video, however we have new details on what is going to happen including how Hard Rock plans to fully gut The Mirage and what will happen to the animals.
In other big news the NFL formally announced that Las Vegas will host the Super Bowl in 2024 in addition to hosting the Pro Bowl and NFL Draft in 2022. We also discuss a brand new casino announced for Fremont Street, how my Allegiant ticket package may be too good to be true and how MGM Resorts is using VR in their hiring now.
Produced & Edited by: Shawn Coomer
Episode Guide:
0:00 Welcome to MtM Vegas
0:10 MGM Resorts is now using VR when hiring new employees
1:25 Super Bowl coming to Las Vegas in 2024
3:10 Is Vegas going to become a regular Super Bowl city?
4:40 Is my Allegiant Stadium hotel & ticket package too good to be true?
6:20 Update on Mirage sale to Hard Rock – Total gut job?
7:55 Can the new guitar tower fit where the volcano is today and what about the dolphins & tigers?
9:30 MGM Resorts will have $11 billion in cash once all sales go through
10:25 A new casino is coming to Downtown Las Vegas
12:35 The old Showboat in Vegas was a cool property with a 100+ lane bowling alley
13:20 More mandatory fees and tips – How they should be handled
Relevant Links:
MGM VR Hiring –
Super Bowl in Vegas –
Mirage to be gutted –
New Fremont casino –
Resorts World mandatory tip –
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Host – Shawn Coomer – @MtM_Vegas
Host – Mark Ostermann – @DetroitMark
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39 comments
WHOA, our first Super Bowl!
Gonna be epic!
While losing the Mirage is sad, the property is 32 years old at this point. Nothing is permanent in Vegas, I’m excited for what’s next.
I always remember the old AWA Wrestling shows on ESPN were filmed at the Castaway Casino in the 1980s.
When we built a new stadium here is Seattle we didn't get a Superbowl. (Probably because it's not indoors.) I'm not surprised that Vegas gets one, it's a beautiful facility. I wouldn't be shocked to hear that it gets another it the future. The city was MADE for this type of thing.
Hard Rock was excellent when Morton ran it. It back into hell when it was sold to Morgan. Mirage is a beautiful property and they’ll ruin it too.
And people wonder how the casinos have been making record profits with less visitors. Fees, higher table minimums, tighter slots, poorer/slower drink service… It all adds up.
Does the Service Charge actually go to the wait staff?
I've never stayed at The Mirage but I'm excited to see the guitar building if/when it gets built. As for Vegas hosting the Super Bowl regularly like Miami or New Orleans, I think that will happen. The city will make tons of money during the Super Bowl week, so I"m sure they'll want to keep hosting the big game as much as possible.
Don’t book anything from alegiant in 2000 in bought my girlfriend and I a trip to Reno on New Years for Christmas they called on Christmas Eve and said they filed bankruptcy great gift
When does the hard rock deal close?
In a city of 99% concrete, sand, and asphalt, it's refreshing to walk in front of the cool water breeze from Bellagio and Mirage's water features. A shame to lose one.
Yes, gut! Gut! Gut!.. only way to do it ! 🤘🏽Hard Rock!
The NFL use to have three criteria for hosting a Super Bowl, 75K seat stadium, a certain amount of hotel rooms and about 70 degree weather on average in February, which is why New Orleans, Miami, Tampa, Arizona, LA/SD were on the regular rotation. Then the NFL started going to the one-off locations like NYC, Minnesota, Detroit to throw them a bone for building a new place. Vegas will be in the regular rotation every 5-10 years because of the decent weather, plenty of hotel rooms and party reputation.
Fire has been a part of rock & roll, especially at rock concerts with shooting flames, the volcano could be incorporated in to the theme of the Hard Rock Casino. Nothing is sacred on the strip.
Mandatory TIPS, i will not pay. Service is usually crappy with very few exceptions.i tip very well for good service, not for "here it is" service…i get that at home.
Any word about changes to the indoor decor, especially the aquarium behind the main desk? It would be a damn shame to lose one of the place's most interesting inside features, imho.
Station Casinos has owned that Showboat land all this time and have also maintained the gaming license!! They legally have to build some kind of casino on that site in order to keep the license. For several years they had to periodically set up a trailer with slot machines there to fulfill the minimum requirement of proving they still operate a casino there. Building a small Wildfire sounds like a cost-effective alternative to building a larger resort, which I imagine they had once hoped to do with that land.
The "tipping culture" by any other name is still a mandatory tip. A thousand booo's to LAS for doubling down on that fraud, and also a large part of why I'll not return to that city until sanity returns there.
Is there a more specific timeline for the Mirage closing or is “next year” all they are committing to at this point? Next year is only a few weeks away.
A few thoughts on the things you guys discussed:
1. The thought of the volcano & animals leaving the Mirage makes me genuinely sad. 😥
2. Regarding the small bathrooms in the Mirage, I can deal with small bathrooms, as long as the bathroom has a REAL door that closes. I once stayed at a Hilton in Norfolk VA that had a sliding bathroom door with long open strips on the top and bottom that were about 2 inches tall.
3. I am in full agreement with both of you that it's wrong to take out your anger at service charges on your waiter or waitress. When I see people do this, I generally lose respect for them.
It would be wise for that proposed Casino on Fremont to run a themed trolley to and from the experience.
Also, so much for the Seminole's keeping the proceeds from gaming here in Florida, as the anti-casino expansion adds on TV say.
Thanx for the updates. Have a great weekend. Karen
Hope they fill the casino with collectible guitars owned by famous artists. NOT!
The Big Question about the Mirage…..what about the statue of Siegfried and Roy??????
Will Miles to Memories buy the statue and put it in his Livingroom??????
They should build that guitar in that huge parking space between TI and Mirage.
Tbh based on this path I wonder if Hard Rock will eventually buy Treasure Island.
Regarding mandatory tipping. Buyers need to beware of the entire bill. Sometimes, the business sequences the items so that sales tax is charged on the mandatory gratuity or service charges. That's a scam! Because when they file their sales tax returns, they exclude the service charges from reported taxable revenue… and pocket that revenue collected as tax. That does not appear to be the case on the Resorts World example, but I ate at a Strip restaurant recently and was charged sales tax on the mandatory gratuity.
Super Bowl in Vegas there will be at least 1 million people. People will be driving up in pickup campers. Luckily I intend to be retired by then.
They could keep the volcano and incorporate fiery guitars and music to fit the rock theme.
I don’t consider Fremont and Charleston downtown.
Las Vegas coldest month’s average high is still 50 degrees or more, most would say that’s warm which it is. It’s already a given the Casino is going to be gutted.
Hi guys! Thank you so much for posting this video – you're my favorite channel! I was so happy to hear you talk about the Showboat! When I first moved to Las Vegas I lived very close to the Showboat and it was my go-to place. The staff was very friendly and always took care of me. I saw Gary Puckett and Chubby Checker perform there. The buffet was actually decent – raw oysters and free (draft) beer! The bowling center and bingo room were amazing. When they built the multi-story hotel I thought the place was becoming world class. I spent a comped night at the hotel and was very disappointed – the walls were paper thin! I could hear everything in almost every room on my floor – including people doing the wild monkey dance! Next thing you know Boulder Station opened and crowds at the Showboat thinned. The Castaways was a joke – ugly gray exterior, etc. But did they have to raze it? I hated that. Great memories of the old Showboat – thanks again and it will be interesting to see what springs up on that land. P.S. – I'm living in the Philippines right now – can't wait to get back to the land of fun! Go Golden Knights!
I wonder why Phil Ruffin didnt buy the Mirage. He should have bought it.
It will be interesting to see if the guitar tower will block TI’s view of the strip. I don’t think they will like that at all.
7:42 Love that the guitar neck blocks the name of the hotel behind it
What MGM property gets LOVE as I can't see that show going away.
They should build that guitar tower in that huge parking space between Treasure Island and Mirage. Honestly why dont they just incorporate the Tropical and Polynesian theming of Mirage into Hard Rock. A Tropical/Polynesian music resort world be awesome.
I remember going to the Showboat Casino back in the 80's for bowling.
i just recently visited las vegas for the first time and mirage was the only hotel that I truly liked everything about. I was happy it was still so nice for its age, and 'preserved'. Sad to see it get sold and rebranded, theres plenty of other spots for a guitar hotel to go, to remove such an icon.