Yo-11 Minutes: Episode 13 "Circus Circus With a Twist"

Yo-Eleven Minutes
Mostly Vegas. No BS. Casino Experience +more
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Yo-11 Minutes: Episode 13 "Circus Circus With a Twist"
On this episode:
-Circus Circus Paints Its Roof After 55 Years
-Do you have an obligation to a property when you arrive (revisit, check-in) on a comp offer?
related article: Casino Comps | The Big Play Casino Gambling Day

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Yo. Eleven minutes, mostly Vegas, no BS casino experience and more. Michael Trager is a casino and travel loyalty expert who also helped people turn their travel dreams into reality. And now Michael Trager, how's it going, michael?

Speaker 2: 0:20

It's going great. I'm going to Vegas. Did you know that I'm going to Vegas this week?

Speaker 1: 0:26

I think you might have mentioned that to me a few times that you're going to Vegas. I'm glad to see that you're even. The closer you get to it, the more excited you are. So I think you're definitely ready for Vegas absolutely.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Well, I'm ready because I'm going to get a haircut and a shave. So, other than that, I'm not. You know, I don't care. That's my main reason. But also, before I forget, I want to make sure that people check out our last episode, which was episode 12, because we asked a question about five star casinos if there is such a thing or what it would be, and that is something we're going to be addressing on an episode later this week, maybe with me at Win Las Vegas. So I'm just giving that's my quick reminder for today.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Sounds awesome. So basically that that haircut and that shave is kind of a renovation in a way, right A self renovation of, like, your facial area maybe it is.

Speaker 2: 1:24

it is a self renovated. I feel that I need to be renovated and I go to Vegas to be renovated.

Speaker 1: 1:29

Thank you for playing along. I was desperately trying to find a segue for our new story and now it is time for the news and views. Major renovations are underway as circus circus, and they can be summed up with one word revitalization. The more than 50 year old Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is known for its kid friendly amenities, such as the adventure dome theme park and, living up to its name with a quirky circus name. Now the strip staple is getting a makeover inside and out to get it back to the glory days of what it used to be. Per general manager Shawna Garity, that included refreshing circus circus's classic pink and white tent roof for the first time in his 55 year history.

Speaker 1: 2:08

The 43,500 square foot roof tent top visible from passersby on the strip have become an eyesore over the years. So circus circus started from scratch and painted it a new in its signature colors. I just want to point out that for the first time in 55 years they painted the roof 55 years, I mean. That's really putting things off. Anyways, other renovations to the property include those at circus circus and adventure dome, which has grown to 28, plus rides, with more on the way, and furniture upgrades across the hotel's rooms. That's going to do it for the news, and now for the views. Michael, what are your thoughts on circus, circus, taking 55 years to paint the eyesore of its head top it had?

Speaker 2: 2:52

My thoughts. My thoughts this is my first thought is that you picked a topic and, just so people know, I often have no idea what the topic is going to be for the day until a few minutes before we record. And circus. Circus is one of my most favoritist topics in the entire world of casinos.

Speaker 1: 3:17

But why though You're so freaking, bougie? No-transcript, but I am saying that you know.

Speaker 2: 3:33

But wait a second. Is circus, circus Morghetto than the resort side of wind?

Speaker 1: 3:40

That's a good question when they never know.

Speaker 2: 3:45

Well, you know you bring up a point, but circus circus opened up as a fucking bougie of bougiest casinos, sort of it really did. I hear you, you're laughing at me, bovestro, you are, you're laughing at me, but let me explain and then I'll give you your and then I'll give you the microphone. Okay, so a couple of things about. So circus circus was Jay Sarno's amazing idea about Casinos, you know, and he had. He had created Caesar's Palace and it was supposed to be a adult themed Circus Casino. There were some great quotes. There's a great quote about it from fear and loathing, las Vegas. Go look it up, it's really good. Anyway, when they first opened, they didn't have a hotel and you actually had to slide down a slide to get into the casino. Most people which I think is like a super cool idea to do it. They stopped that shortly thereafter because people were leaving like glassware and drinks down there, and you would slide down and then like get shards of glass. Not cool, at least as the story goes. The other thing is that circus circus was featured in a James Bond movie called diamonds are forever and there's actually a cameo of Jay Sarno in that movie and which is really really cool but but it was supposed to be like. It was just supposed to be a cool concept for a casino and it actually was sort of fancy and bougie, even though it was a circus. And Also one of the things that really hurt it is it did not open up with a hotel when it first opened. But unfortunately things really didn't take off for circus circus and it never really caught on and the casino property was eventually then least to why don't know if was least or it was purchased. Yeah, I think it was least. It was least to William Bennett and William Pennington and these are. And Bennett would go on to like create like the whole, like Mirage kind of before it became MGM Mirage.

Speaker 2: 5:55

He's the one who did, he's the one who did Luxor, he's the one who did Excalibur. That's why Excalibur is so like the idea of circus circus. But he came in and he decided to make circus circus on non bougie casino on purpose. He wanted that casino to be for every, the everyday person and they did a number of things that circus circus which would attract people. One was they had a super low room rate and they guaranteed that they would never sell out. They did that by allowing people. They would allow people to book rooms and they would put them at other places, even if they did sell out, and they had all kinds of incentives and things for families and for like just the average what he would say like the average working staff to come. And one of the most symbolic things they did when they took over this casino is they took an axe to the big Baccarat tables to basically prove that circus circus was no longer a Really cool bougie casino, but it was a casino for, like, the average guy or gal.

Speaker 1: 6:58

You love bakara? I do, yet you're happy about this place that took an axe to bakara tables. I'm just trying to understand. Did you get stuck as circus circus, trapped in a room for three weeks and you got that weird syndrome that happens when you're held captive and you start to sympathize with your captive? I forget what it's called, but anyway, I'm just trying. I still can't. Okay, okay, it's got a nice history, I get it. Vegas history is great stuff, great stuff. I fine, I'll give you that. What about it today that you that you do you absolutely love? Do you love it so much that on your current trip to Vegas that's coming up tomorrow that you have plans to book a stay at said circus?

Speaker 2: 7:48

circus. Actually, one of one of the things on my bucket list if I did have a bucket list would be to stay at circus circus in the suite that Jay Sarno built. That is a duplex suite which is still there and is an amazing suite. There's an amazing duplex suite. But you know what? I actually am going to stop by circus circus because I'm down on that end of the strip. I love the place. I have lots of pictures. There are tons of details that are like Sarno details and some of those details are similar to details of the original Caesar's Palace, las Vegas, and some of those other concepts come from the original fountain blue in Miami. So, yes, I love the place. I think the steakhouse is pretty good. I think it's slightly overrated but it's cool. But you know what? Movestro? We're fucking meeting at circus circus for drinks. Okay, that's what we're doing. That's where you're meeting me, okay.

Speaker 1: 8:45

So you better be prepared. What day is that I'm going to be sick, you see?

Speaker 2: 8:50

I'm not going to tell you. You know what? Actually? We're going to go to the steakhouse, and if we don't, if we don't have dinner there, we're going to go to the bar and I'm going to show you some details of circus circus, which are super cool, and this is Vegas history that you do not want lost.

Speaker 1: 9:08

As long as you can do with the smell, Okay, I will go there for the history, okay, and to hang out with you, of course. Okay, of course I don't want to end the history, but honestly I just don't. It's just a freaking sea of children, dude. It's a nightmare. I just can't. Yeah, that is a problem.

Speaker 2: 9:26

That is one of the problems, but it is an interesting property, it is rather historical and also they've been incredibly profitable over the years. I mean, they do fill in a niche and I think that's one of the things about the development of Vegas which I like is that there are different casinos, different properties for different kind of people, and that's one of the things I think is so interesting about Vegas, which allows even the super fucking bougie people to love Vegas, as well as the non bougie people to love Vegas. That's why Vegas gets like over 42 million visitors a year, because it doesn't just attract one market. Millions of people have amazing times and amazing visits to Vegas from all different walks of life, and that's what makes Vegas amazing.

Speaker 1: 10:22

Vegas has a place for everybody. Maybe that's the moral of the story. The 42 million visitors a year thing is that from the LVCVA.

Speaker 2: 10:32

Probably yes. Oh, I know where you're going with this.

Speaker 1: 10:36

So they like to count people landing at the airport as Vegas visitors. But the thing is that airport is an international hub, so a lot of people land at the airport and then transfer to another flight, but they tend to not count that. I think what they need to do is look at hotel stays versus people who are landing at the airport, and they'd get their true number that way. But whatever, that's interesting, but you know what it's still.

Speaker 2: 11:01

I mean, in a general sense, the number of visitors to Vegas is incredible, even if that includes the convention and the tourists and all that. But your point is extremely well taken and I would be interested, and maybe it's out there the difference between pure tourists, convention visitors, that kind of stuff. So that's an interesting thing. Actually, that's a great topic for another one, but you made me happy today when you decided to do a new story about Circus Circus. So for that, movestro, I thank you.

Speaker 1: 11:32

You're very welcome, Michael. That being said, it is time for the tease.

Speaker 2: 11:49

So today's tease is a really simple one and it's something that we'll have to revisit, probably on another episode or many episodes, but that teases do you have an obligation to a property when you arrive, ie when you've come back to a property and checked in using a comp offer? And obviously, when you get offers, especially marketing offers, from properties and we're focusing on marketing offers we talk about. You know, those offers are based on your prior play. So basically, you've played, you've lost, you've won, you've done whatever, and the casino is saying come back, come back, we want you to return. So the question is, you know, do you owe the casino anything for that offer? And I'm not necessarily going to totally answer that question, but it's definitely something to think about. I can not totally answering it. I will tell you that my opinion is that you have earned the offer and what you do with the offer is your choice. Now, of course, logically, you would like to continue to receive offers from the casino. So if you don't play up to the level you used to play, or play much at all, you're probably not going to get offers or, worse, the casino could really not like you at all and restrict you from marketing offers to begin with. So that's something interesting to think about and I think you should think about.

Speaker 2: 13:12

We do have an article at Travelzorg, called the Big Play Casino Gambling Day, of how you should approach a new property to get the best offers. That's a great topic. If people want to talk more about that, that literally could be a full 11 minutes. But anyway, I think if you get an offer, you've earned that offer. I do think that you shouldn't be a pig. You should be reasonable and you should be playing at a property when you come back with on an offer.

Speaker 2: 13:42

I also think that you should be disciplined about that. You should keep track of things. You should have loss limits maybe not obsessively, but you should do a little bit better than you've been doing before at tracking things and also realize that if you did follow the advice in the Big Play Casino Gambling Day, you might not be able to play at that exact same level, but that's okay. I mean, that's fine. So what do you think, Movestro, if you get a casino offer? What do you think? It's like you don't have to do anything. It's cool, it's a gift. How do you relate to that really quickly?

Speaker 1: 14:22

I think I'll debate about this. The way I see it, if I got a casino offer, it was because of my previous play, so I earned it, and it is mine Now. A lot of people also say you also want to make sure that you're putting a lot of money into the machines or you're gambling a lot to sort of for your average daily theoretical and that has lots to do with the points that you earn and so that if you want to keep getting offers, you have to do that. But that's also known as chasing comps, and so I don't really like to be locked into one property Out of mind going across a portfolio of properties like MGM side or a Caesar side. Is it still Caesar's? It's still Caesar's right.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Yeah, caesar's are rewards.

Speaker 1: 15:14

Okay. So I don't like that. I mean, as of when I was visiting, I wanted to go to as many places as possible. You know, it doesn't matter who owned it, I want to go everywhere and do all the things. So the idea of like having to be locked into the flamengo and, you know, play video poker and and slasher in just one place, it's kind of like a staycation at one resort, and I'm not about that, I'm just like, hey, I earned something, I'm gonna make full use of it. You know, thank you for that. You know, tuesday through Thursday stay, because that's really all I ever they would have get was midweek offers. But, like I don't think you owe the casino anything. I think whatever they offered you, you earned it based on your previous play. If you choose to chase comps, that's on you. I personally never did, but I still managed to always, you know, get like at least midweek offers.

Speaker 2: 16:05

Yeah, and I think there's a lot. Your biggest, your best point there is you shouldn't chase comps. If You're gonna play, that's fine. Maybe you should be a little bit smarter about the way you play, especially if you play heavier. But you shouldn't be chasing it. You shouldn't be doing anything which could potentially cause you to lose an Extreme amount of money, more than you regularly would. And everything's relative right. So if your loss limit is like you break 300 for a trip, you shouldn't be doing something that would cause you to lose $800, you know, just so that you could get enough points, because that's not the goal of it. And then you're honestly, you're not optimizing anything and you have to be real. You know you have to be cognizant of that kind of thing, but anyway, it's a great topic. Something will talk more. We'd love to hear what you think if you get a casino offer. Was it just an offer and you have no obligation? Let us know.

Speaker 1: 16:56

All right, and before we get going, do you have any closing remarks? Anything that's on your mind?

Speaker 2: 17:02

Yes, I'm gonna see you this weekend and I'm gonna put $100 in a slot machine and we're not gonna tell anybody what happened.

Speaker 1: 17:08

But we're supposed to. With YouTube rule, you have to say what happened when you put $100 into a slot machine. It's got to be the title of the video and you got to have that shocked. Look on your face.

Speaker 2: 17:19

So we put $100 at a slot machine at circus circus, circus and this happens.

Speaker 1: 17:26

We watch the child predator get arrested. Oh no, wait, no, sorry. Sorry, sorry, hey, that was mentioned in fear and loathing.

Speaker 2: 17:41

And you know what bonus points to anyone who shares the quote about circus circus from fear and loathing what circus circus is or would be if. Anyway, I'm curious if anyone gets that reference, but it's been great. I can't wait to get to Vegas. Thank you, as always. More, vestro. It's a, it's a good time, and I never know what to expect as Always, happy to do this, this, this here program with you.

Speaker 1: 18:06

I don't know why I thought of the word program a Mme at the end, like it gives a British thing or like a UK thing, but it did so, I don't know. But yeah, always, always, happy to do this. I look forward to it every day and that's gonna do it. If you're enjoying the audio version of this podcast, check out the video version on our channel, youtubecom. 4 slash at travel Zork and head on over to the yo 11 minutes playlist luxury travel booking, travels or travel. Visit us at travels or travel comm to plan your next amazing vacation and please join the conversation on social media. You can find us easily. All social platforms are at travel Zork. We'll see you next time.