- One of the great things about Las Vegas
is it's always changing.
There's always new things opening
so it's a different city every time you come.
And in this video,
I'm gonna tell you all the new things
that have opened in 2022
and all the new stuff that's coming in 2023.
Hotels, restaurants, casinos, attractions, shows and more.
All right, let's get right into it.
Okay, first up, let's talk about new hotels.
And in 2022,
there have been no new hotels opening in Las Vegas.
It's all the ones that are here.
But what has been changing quite a bit
is the hotels have been changing hands and changing names.
Bally's is being rebranded, the Horseshoe.
And so depending upon when you come,
it might be done completely.
Or like now it might be in a state of half rebrand
where some signs say Bally's, some signs say Horseshoe.
But Caesars who owns Bally's
is investing a ton of money into this property.
They've got a new poker room.
They've also got a new video poker bar in the casino.
But one of the most significant things
to come to the new Horseshoe Hotel
is the video game arcade in the back.
Why is this significant?
'Cause this is really nice arcade.
They spent a lot of money on this, which really shows
that they're trying to brand the Horseshoe
as a family friendly destination.
There's also a new glow in the dark mini golf place.
They've got some bowling alleys in it.
And so if you're bringing the family,
you know, I think the horseshoe might be a good bet.
The rooms here are also on the less expensive side
for a place with a really good center Strip location.
Oh, and for the big kids, right next to the arcade,
there is a video poker bar.
So parents, you can hang out over there
while your kids hang out in the arcade.
And before we move on to the next hotel,
I just want to point out two places
I really like to eat here at Horseshoe
in the Grand Bazaar shops.
One is Dirt Dog.
This is from Los Angeles.
They have really delicious bacon wrapped hot dogs
about nine bucks.
But if you like hot dogs, trust me,
you will like these and you can see them cooking them up
right there on the grill.
The bacon wrapped on that hot dog.
Yes, it is a magical, tasty treat.
And if you're more in the mood for chicken,
check out Dave's Hot Chicken.
Another chain from California.
They specialize in Nashville hot chicken
sliders and tenders,
and you can get 'em in a few different spicy levels
though be careful of the Reaper
if you can't handle the heat.
Changes are coming to the Mirage Hotel.
It's another one that changed owners
and it's no longer gonna be the Mirage.
It's now gonna be the Hard Rock Hotel.
And eventually they're gonna be building
a guitar-shaped hotel tower in front of it
which means the Volcano might not be around much longer.
And while Resorts World itself isn't new this year,
it opened in 2021.
It is the Strip's most expensive hotel in a long time.
They spent 4.3 billion on this place
and they're continuing to build it out.
One of the newest things that did open here this year
is the Las Vegas Loop,
the underground Tesla tunnel
that goes from here to the convention center.
I'll talk more about that in the future section.
But definitely check this hotel out
if you're considering a hotel to stay at.
I really like the Conrad part of Resorts World.
There's three hotels here, Hilton, Conrad and Crockfords.
Check out the Conrad, you'll like it.
I've got got a whole review of that hotel and room too.
Caesars Palace has completely remodeled
their grand entry lobby.
There's a new dome ceiling,
a big statue of Augusta Caesar.
The casino areas right off the lobby
are new and fresh with statues to match.
And there's also a new lobby bar with video poker.
If you want to get one of their signature cocktails
in this lobby bar, not cheap,
those are gonna cost you 26.95 a drink.
Answer what you might be thinking,
yes, if you're playing video poker,
you can get those expensive drinks comped.
Oh, and there's also a new statue of David on Appian Way
right behind Nobu.
Palazzo has just announced a $1 billion upgrade
in renovation starting in 2023.
So expect a lot of construction
and new things to come here.
Now another thing is going extinct across Vegas are coins,
Coin operated slots, thing of the past.
Coins from ticket breaking machines,
you know, the ones that you get your ticket back
from the slot machine to get your money back.
Those don't have coins in them now either.
But one place that is really doubled down on coins
is Circus Circus.
They've had dollar coin slots for a while now,
though they're tokens, they're not real silver dollars.
But what they just added in 2022,
they have added $5 coin slots.
Yes, this is a $5 token from Circus Circus
and they have slots that you can put this $5 coin in
and play with coins.
It's fun to hear the noise go cheek, cheek, cheek, cheek.
Though, what's so bizarre is that the max bet
at Circus Circus on these $5 coins is
you can bet $15 per one pole
on the slot machine in Circus Circus.
Oh, where do you get these?
You have to go to the slot attendant
or the cashier to actually get these coins.
And you know what?
They're new, they're shiny.
Maybe bring one back as souvenir.
That's where this $5 one's going with me,
back home to California.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel has a new owner.
It's been purchased by MGM.
And so if you've been a member
of the Cosmopolitan's Identity Rewards Program,
we'll expect that to be ending real soon now
and MLife to be taking over
as the primary rewards program here at the Cosmopolitan.
I've also heard that they've been cracking down on
influencers or YouTubers here
particularly ones that are doing things
in front of the slots saying,
"Hey, we don't want you recording here anymore
due to privacy concerns of the other gamblers."
I've heard the same thing at the Wynn
although they didn't stop me videotaping on this escalator
at least not yet.
Now in the category of It's About Time,
the Travel Lodge Center Strip has finally been torn down.
This has been torn down
to make way for a new 40 storey high rise hotel here,
brought to you by the owners of the Golden Nugget Hotel
in downtown.
It's gonna be where the Travel lodge was
and the Tex Mex restaurant on the corner
here at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon
right across from Planet Hollywood.
I would expect that 'cause like
they haven't even started breaking ground yet.
This is more like 2024 or out.
Now, right next to the Travel Lodge Center Strip
that's gone that I talked about earlier,
something that's also closed awaiting refurbishment
is the Hawaiian marketplace.
This shopping center behind me
used to be home to a bunch of restaurants, shops,
really touristy things.
And when you come in 2023, it might be refreshed and new
but here at the end of 2022, it's pretty much nothing.
The whole, the whole plaza, nothing.
There is a lot of construction along the Strip right now.
There's never been a time in my life coming to Vegas
over the last 20 some years
that I've seen more things closed
awaiting development of something else than right now.
And so that's a significant trend
you're gonna see as we go through here.
The number of things like this
that are just boarded up shut awaiting some future project.
And just next to the Hawaiian Marketplace,
the Cable Center shops,
this classic Las Vegas Strip mall
also boarded up and closed.
Now this is also the former location of Fat Burger
that I know many of you love for their burgers
and their Strip side bar.
It's closed too.
The much anticipated under construction forever
67 storey Fountain Blue Hotel is almost ready to open
in quarter four of 2023 is when it's currently scheduled.
If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on 2024
but this one is sure to be exciting once it's finally done.
And another recently announced hotel in the works
that they've started construction on is the Dream Hotel.
This one's over across the street from Mandalay Bay
gonna be much smaller than the Fountain Blue.
This one's gonna be 650 rooms, a boutique hotel.
Since they just started construction,
I'm gonna peg this one more about 2024.
Now let's talk about some of the new things in food in Vegas
and celebrity chef restaurants are taking over.
This is nowhere more apparent
than at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel
where behind me is Bedford by Martha Stewart
which is kind of a American cottage in a Parisian Town.
I dunno, but people love celebrity chef things
so they're gonna love this Martha Stewart restaurant.
Vanderpump à Paris,
Bobby Flay opened a burger restaurant.
Actually, Bobby's burgers has like
taken over the Las Vegas Strip.
And then, there's also Nobu here at the Paris.
Now, while I guess it's not a celebrity chef
it's definitely owned by celebrities.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the Paris Buffet is
that reopened yet?
Nope, it's not.
That's the space on the right
That's boarded up, shutted.
There's not even a sign anymore.
Many Vegas buffets have gone the way of the Dodo
and I think this one's probably not gonna reopen either.
Gordon Ramsay is expanding his celebrity chef empire
to Harrah's with Ramsay's Kitchen.
This takes over the former buffet spot here.
Signature item on the menu, Beef Wellington 69.95.
Now in addition to celebrity chef restaurants being popular,
a new trend is celebrity chef vending machines.
Right here by Buddy,
you can get a slice of pepperoni pizza, $10.95,
cooked up hot or cold.
If it's hot, takes a few minutes
and it comes right out of this slot here.
And then just on the other side of that same hallway,
the Linq Hotel,
they've got Carlos's Bake Shop vending machine
from Hope Open......
How much are these cakes?
$8.95 cents.
And you can get one of Carlos' signature rainbow cakes.
As a pastry snob, I'm really excited
about this new addition to Caesars Palace.
Dominique Ansel, creator of the Cronut,
the half croissant, half donut pastry, from New York City
has opened a bakery in Caesars Palace.
And you'll find this right at the end of Appian Way
next to the food court.
In addition to the cronuts that are eight bucks,
they've also got really tasty other pastries
that look amazing.
I just bought them, I haven't tasted them yet
but I'm sure they taste just as good.
Oh, by the way, they're not cheap though.
Cronut eight bucks.
The other pastries, somewhere between 10 and 12.
And now another thing we're really looking forward to
in Caesars Palace is Peter Luger Steak House,
the iconic New York Steak eatery coming to Caesars.
And in case you didn't know
that probably my most hated video
was the review I did of Peter Luger
where I said it wasn't worth the money in New York City
'cause at that time you had to pay cash only for the steaks.
You know, I'm looking forward
to actually retrying that review
maybe just wasn't good the day I had it
and it'll be so much better here in Vegas.
Coming in 2023, you're gonna find a new rooftop bar
on the Strip called Brew Dog,
right above Target and Olive Garden,
that's gonna have 96 taps of beer, free-flowing
and even a rooftop swimming pool.
You'll find this right across from the park MGM.
The Aria is replacing their buffet
with a 24,000 square foot food hall.
When it opens this winter,
it's expected to have 12 food stalls and a bar.
Also, I'm really excited for Zippy's,
the Hawaiian plate lunch chain.
They've resumed construction of their restaurant here.
It's gonna be off the Strip, seven miles off the Strip
but they're training people already
so I do expect that to open in 2023.
And sorry for the loud noises, but you know what?
Some people drive really loud cars
around the Las Vegas Strip.
Now one of our favorite places
for new attractions in Vegas is at Area 15,
the Cool Immersive Mall.
And while this place opened in 2020,
there's been a whole bunch of new experiences opening here.
The Spunky Princess just loves this place
but the newest thing that's maybe not yet ready
for the Spunky Princess
but looks really neat is called Lift Off.
It is a bar that is part of a tethered balloon.
This tethered balloon rises 131 feet in the air
and then the bar area that you sit in actually rotates
for a 360 degree view.
Rides are $15 and there's a bar downstairs
where you can buy or drink to take it up on top.
Rides are about 10 to 15 minutes
and you go all the way around.
So if you don't finish your drink in that time,
you can finish it down at the bar area at the bottom.
All right, now let's talk about what's new with shopping.
And from this one spot,
I can hit both things I want to talk about.
First is at the Planet Hollywood,
they are remodeling their Miracle Mile shops.
That's gonna be under construction through 2023.
So expect a lot of work going on inside there.
And then just turning right around here,
between the Cosmopolitan and the Aria in front of Crystals,
there's this new shopping center called Project63.
It's gonna be a four story retail complex
opening at the end of 2022 for phase one.
Second phase in spring of 2023.
All right, let's talk about new shows.
And by the way, I'm in front of the Siegfried and Roy statue
in front of the former Mirage Hotel,
the masters of shows.
Now, there's a new show at the Wynn.
It's called The Awakening Dancing Music
narrated by Anthony Hopkins.
That's sure to be really cool.
If you like sports,
F1 racing is coming to the Las Vegas Strip.
They're actually gonna do the race down the Strip.
They're gonna set up bleachers on the Strip,
that's sure to be neat for racing fans.
The MSG sphere is finally slated to open this year.
That's the big dome looking thing
that they've been building behind the Venetian
and the Palazzo, MSG for Madison Square Garden.
It's the new concert entertainment venue.
U2 has announced
they're gonna be the first big act playing there.
Some other big acts that are coming to Vegas in 2023
announcing residencies are Garth Brooks and Keith Urban.
And then in Entertainment Closure News,
over at Mandalay Bay,
one of the really neat nightclubs over there, Light,
shutted its doors permanently.
It did open for a little bit after the pandemic
but just couldn't quite make it.
All right, so let's talk about some of the trends
coming to Vegas in 2023.
And the first one is parking prices are going up
here at the New Horseshoe Hotel, formerly Bally's.
You can see here the self parking is now $23
on the weekends.
They're charging different prices on weekdays
versus weekends.
The MGM hotels have also all increased
their prices for parking too.
Now, good news,
there still is some free parking on the Strip.
You're gonna find it at the Tropicana.
You're gonna find it at Treasure Island, Venetian, Palazzo,
Wynn, Encore, Sahara, Resorts World
and down at the Stratosphere
though the Stratosphere is charging
for premium parking spaces.
If you want the ones like on the lowest levels
and closest to the elevators,
then you gotta pay with like a QR code
and by your phone or something like that.
I don't know, it's all kind of weird.
Let's talk about trends in gaming.
One that I'm seeing a lot of are table games
being replaced by these kind of virtual multi seat games
where you've got big screens
and you can bet on a roulette wheel
but the roulette wheel is virtual.
I've seen this at a number of casinos on the Strip.
The other trend I'm seeing is I'm seeing skill-based games
that look like they're skill,
but actually are like a go-go clock proliferate more.
This game, I played it and I picked up a ball
but then it dropped it because it turns out
that you only win if the game wants you to win
whether you actually pick up a ball or not.
I don't know, kinda lame, feels like it's cheating to me.
Just a geeky side note, if you ever wondered
what runs these bill breaking ticket vending machines.
Turns out it's Microsoft windows.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to make this work.
I don't have a Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
A trend I really like in buffets
is that more and more of them
are starting to take reservations
instead of having you line up like a cattle call.
Why? Well, because you don't generate any money
in the casino when you're standing in line.
They'd rather have you make a reservation, do some gaming
and then come when it's your time to sit.
So before you just stand in line at the buffet of choice,
check and see if they take reservations.
Oh, by the way, number one buffet in Vegas,
Bacchanal Buffet.
Video review of this one coming out soon.
In front of the past, let's talk about the future.
By the way, why do I say this is the past?
This is in front of the TI.
This is the former Siren Show.
This really neat show that used to go on these ships
that is no more because it just was too expensive
and cost too many people to put on this show.
But what the future holds for Vegas like 2024 and beyond,
number one, the buzz is Elon Musk's boring company
Las Vegas Loop.
Las Vegas has just approved that
for them to build like 29 miles of tunnels,
50 some stations.
That's already operational between Resorts World
and the Convention Center
and then around the Convention Center.
So you can expect these automated Teslas
to be running around Vegas.
It's gonna replace the Las Vegas Monorail.
They're gonna tear down the Monorail.
There's a new NBA hotel coming,
the All Net Resort and Arena.
It's gonna be a hotel with a basketball arena built into it.
It's gonna be over by the Fountain Blue.
What it won't have is it won't have a casino.
That's right, it's gonna be a big resort hotel
with a basketball arena, but no casino.
What about the train to Vegas?
Look, they've been talking about that train for a long time.
I don't think we're gonna see that
in either of our lifetimes.
And since Vegas has turned into a really big sports hub
with you know, NFL teams and other big teams here,
there's been a lot of talk about when is baseball,
when is major League baseball coming to Vegas?
And there's discussions about maybe over by the Tropicana.
Nothing is certain, but that's one to keep an eye out for
if you are a baseball fan.
Well fellow explorers, if you enjoyed this video
and you wanna see more of my videos on Las Vegas,
you'll see links in the description
or right here on the screen.
Check out some of my favorite luxury hotels,
some of my favorite budget hotels
and more, over a hundred more videos on Vegas
in my playlist right here.
Well fellow explorers as usual, won't say goodbye
'cause I'm gonna see you in one of those videos.