Post opening thoughts on Cosmopolitan

I'll be staying @ Cosmo this weekend...got a great deal on a suite...I'm lookin' forward to it...I hope it lives up to the hype.

Enjoy your stay Baller....

Had reservations this past Sun & Mon check-out set for tues. Got to the Cosmo @ 3:15pm, they said my room was not really and will be at least an hour. I was very upset and the lady was rude. I went back @ 4:45pm got my room and another worker...i told him how I waited and the lady was rude...he upgraded our room to 63rd floor nice view.
I had a suite...it was decent thought it would be bigger...but good. They ran out of rca cables to play my ipod the day before. View and balcony was awesome. There is a pizza place that was pretty good. I checked out the regular pool it was nice...then went to Marquee dayclub me and some buddies got some lounge chairs...it was packed...pretty girls everywhere! I wanted to go to Marquee nightclub but it was $100 even if you stood at the hotel...so not worth it at all. The experience was good but I would rather stay @ Palazzo or Venetian next time I've heard very good things about both those hotels.

My whole weekend was awesome though! Sat I checked out Nikki Beach (small pool) and Surrender @ Encore...had a blast. Sun checked out Tao for dinner and club. Dinner was good...club was too crowded! Mon Marquee pool awesome! Night...went to XS got a sick ass table...buddy dropped 5K on a table...best time of my life!!! Fine chicks everywhere on our table.

It's late and don't feel like sleeping yet..so reading some posts and have to ask a question that I have never asked yet...

WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT A ROOM/SUITE?

Other than bringing someone back to your room to have sex, I just cannot understand the reason why rooms (and comps for rooms) is so damn important......and if you are good at what you can do, the lady won't care either.

As many hotels/casinos are understanding, comping for the room is BS.....I see so much bitching here about lack of room comps and free bottles of Bud Lite.....and all from people that just want to get laid using a fake name.....amazing.

Rockford.....

Just reread some of the earlier posts and, no, I was not writing about you....I was just using the vast amount of postings that are always in this forum as the basis for my...sorry to say...rant.

I just, as I have said too many times in this forum, have real difficulty with guys wanting watered-down service-bar drinks after betting 5 dimes on a game.

ONce William Hill and Cantor absorb all the books in this town, you are going to see no more free drinks anywhere (they have already eliminated them at The M) and comps will cease to exist. These companies will run the books as a business, which is a far cry from the way that they are being run today.

Their ultimate goal, obviously, is to be the two forces in the US for online sports betting; but, until that time...and it will come....you willl see a major difference in sportsbooks in Vegas.....

Make your bet and leave.....that will be the philosophy. If you want a drink with your bet...go to the bar and watch the game there.

I totally agree, (as I mentioned earlier) about the irony of betting large sums of money on a game and wanting a free watered down drink - but on the other hand I also understand why some people feel that said bet should come with a few free cocktails. ( especially when a few feet away a $10 bet on a hand of blackjack or a spin of a .25 slot gets you one )

I have also read up on how W. Hill & Cantor plan on doing business in Vegas and the future you speak of is not that far away.  It seems that W. Hill is willing to take "all action" large or small and I've also read about how Cantor has already reduced comped cocktails. Yes, it does seem that their business models will be vastly different than those of today.

When you say "comps will cease to exist"  what exactly do you mean?  Comps as in free drinks? or comps as in RF&B? As discussed earlier the SB and casinos operate as separate entities, so I would think that the casino comps will always be available to casino players.... I'm reading in between the lines here because as far as I know most properties don't comp rooms on SB action.  ( If there are properties that regularly do so please educate me... )

This also brings up a conversation that goes far off track from the original title of this thread. "The role of alcohol plays while gambling".  We all know alcohol flows freely ( pun intended ) in casinos for one reason only.  It makes the casinos more $$$. You must be able to see how many people place wagers on sporting events after having a few cocktails. ( especially on football weekends )

I also have another point to make and it was part of the reasoning behind my initial question at the beginning of this thread.  I for one choose a sports book based on several factors.  The first two are always the lines and the odds.  Yes, I do shop around.. ( It's OBVIOUS that's where the W. Hill & Cantor's will come in - maybe they want the action but not the party?) Next, I consider the vibe of the SB.  I have made larger bets off site from where I'm watching because I want to watch in a fun environment. ( Yes, I know that's your point)

I like the vibe of the Hilton and yes I feel comfortable in MGM properties ( Bellagio & Mirage ) I guess what I'm trying to wrap my head around is whether or not "Vegas SB's" as we know them will cease to exist.  I would think there will always be a few SB's that will be willing to create a fun atmosphere to watch games in order to attract action ( square or not ) and there will be the others run by the big two that will be willing to send you packing if you want a cocktail to go with your bet. The future success of Hill and Cantor sure will determine how things unfold.  It will be a sad day in Vegas when/if all the sports books are stale because everybody's drinking off at a bar.  I don't care if the guy next to me has $5 or $5000 on the game, but if he's excited about it, it adds to my experience.

My favorite times in Vegas have been at invitation Superbowl party's.  I remember the atmosphere as well as the action I had and the game.  It's an important part of the experience.  I remember those times and the casino usually gets my repeat business because of it.

As to your question about what's so important about rooms ... I can speak from my point of view.  If I'm going to Vegas on vacation at this stage of the game, I want a nice room to go with it.  As I also mentioned earlier, I've stayed in my fair share of dumps when all I needed was a place to crash, when I go with the guys fine, when it's a party trip fine, but this trip isn't going to be about that as much.

I also think the same people that are willing to chase tail at a club where VIP and bottle service starts in the four figure range want to be able to seal the deal somewhere other than a room in the basement of the IP. People do go to Vegas to escape and pretend that they're more important than they are.  My buddies call them ten thousand dollar millionaires.

I'll respond in pieces to your...exceptionally well written.....thoughts.

I go back to when Vegas had SPORTSBOOKS...and not these areas in a hotel/casino that took bets on sports and racing. Some of the sharps/runners would hang around; but the vast majority of bets were made by clients who would bet and then go back to The Sahara, Riviera, etc and catch a show, dinner or whatever.

The corporate suits thought that they should bring these sportsbooks into their casinos, over this as a much better "convenience" to their customers..and, if run by someone who knew what they were doing, make a few bucks.

We have reached a point where the suits would get rid of every book and replace them with slots if they could...since they cannot, the next best idea is to lease the area to Cantor, Hill, or whoever, take a piece of the action and rid themselves of having to run something that they have minimal ability to do.

Since these new operations are NOT connected to the casino/hotel directly, then the more that they can eliminated internal charges (drinks, food comps, room comps)...they will. They will focus on taking bets....at whatever level....period.

And, trust me, no sportsbook that I know of in this town wants someone drunk or high placing bets....it, ultimately, becomes a problem. As Lee Amaitis was quoted recently,,,"The days of the 25,000 square foot sportsbook are over."

As far as room/food/limo/show comps....Baccarat, Craps, and Blackjack take care of that....and most operations are creating severe tier levels in their "rewards programs" that limit the level of comps being given out....As to SB comps, there are ways that it gets done....100 dimes on a game does count for something still. However, the guy betting that much on sports is, typically, putting much more into the casino also.

Be back later today....

Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience with the hotel and entertainment options. What are your opinions on the SB and casino?

The sportsbook looked very nice but to me kind of small for such a nice and new hotel. I was kind of shocked it would be so small with the M's so big. Casino was nice, the waitresses were very friendly and served the drinks pretty fast for a busy weekend...dealers were ok...some fun...some boring...just played some blackjack. I didn't get a chance to get on the Craps table. I seen Vince Young shootin' some craps with he posse.

That's funny Baller. I worked with VY on a show that aired on BET a few years back that followed him before, during and after the NFL draft.

I've only seen pics ( the ones I posted ) of the sportsbook, and it did seem kinda small which led me to wonder what it would be like on football weekends.... One of the reasons I started this thread.

Thanks again for your feedback