“Once upon a time, Caesars Palace was the Gucci of gambling. Now, it’s K-Mart.”
This is outrageous. Truly mind-boggling.
Watch this video:
My good friend Joel Alpert posted this video today from Caesars at the main lobby hotel check-in. For years now; this corporation has been running its properties into the ground, constantly understaffing, slashing maintenance, downsizing perks, and turning its casinos into giant shopping malls by leasing every available space to retailers and vendors. They’ve squeezed all the fun out of what used to be a legendary name.
Can you imagine looking forward to your Las Vegas vacation and then spending your precious time decaying in this line? This is but one of many horror stories of things I’ve heard about Caesars-run properties across Las Vegas (visit the Rio sometime, it’s sick). Gee, I remember when the “Caesars” name was the gold standard of casino entertainment. Caesars is where everyone wanted to work, that is, after you paid dues someplace else while working your way up the career ladder. It was the Gucci of gambling. Now, it’s a K-Mart.
Caesars can try and rebrand (yeah, right — “branding”) all they want and play “guess that name” with its shuffleboard of properties — calling themselves Ballys or Paris or Harrahs or El Dorado or Apollo, or Caesars (and now, the Horseshoe across the street — which is a joke…..Bally’s is the LAST thing that reminds us of the legendary old Horseshoe days).
Caesars continues rug-pulling and playing shell games with the public. Who knows, perhaps enough advertising and existing prime locations on The Strip will mask bad management and chronic understaffing, Just so long as the suits and shareholders are happy, that’s all that matters to this corporation with no human face (quick–name the person in charge of Caesars). Maybe they don’t care. Perhaps they don’t give a damn. The nameless execs make their bonuses based strictly on meeting targets and profits, and that usually comes from slashing labor costs, including the basics. What to they charge for a bottle of water now, $4? $5 for a banana? $25 to park a car?
There is NO EXCUSE for ever seeing a casino lobby look like this, especially on a Sunday afternoon.
I would be embarrassed by this. But I suspect Caesars is way beyond the shame stage.