Lots of Changes at TI - Treasure Island

I would always tell my wife that staying at the Mirage was like a vacation on a tropical island only (stolen from Ocean's 11) "you're in the middle of the fucking desert!"
If anybody has never seen it and wants to, just watch Chevy Chases Vegas Vacation.....that was the Mirage at it's best, even the rooms.

 

I agree with you 100% Dean and Grid. My wife and I not only have felt the same way that you do but we moved on to other properties for the exact same reasons. We went back to the Mirage for our last trip in June just to see if we could get the same feeling back but came away saying the old gal just isn't what it used to be. In September we will be going back to two of our new favorites Wynn and Aria. The Caribe was the best cafe in Vegas and we also liked to tram over to Treasure Island and have breakfast at the Black Spot Cafe which was also very good. Of my 50 plus trips to Vegas I bet at least 20 were at the Mirage.

 

Amazing isn’t it.... you just have to wonder WTF were they thinking. MGM had the premiere property in Vegas at the time and screwed the pooch.

 

New thread: name three things at Strip Property XYZ that just got better for visitors, guests and players.

 

DM-which time period are you referring to? pre bellagio? I think mirage and then mgm/mirage did pretty well with the property until 07/08ish when as a whole mirage just unfortunately settled into that melange of midlevelness with MB and MGM, likely due to the corporate focus being on Citycenter/aria development.
Like you I held the mirage in a high regard, probably based on nostaglia. the rooms worked for me, pool, restaurants, sports book, and location. dealers were a little gruf but I don't go to vegas to make new BFF's.

 

So my question is why are they making these changes? Is it to target a certain demographics because during recent TV news story they discussed the need to target the millennial dollars. I think over the past 12 trips to Vegas we stopped maybe twice in TI and Mirage combined, I just have no desire for that section of the strip including Caesars Palace.

P

 

Sorry that statement was a little vague wasn't it... Yes, I was referring to the 07/08 time period when the Mirage became just another MGM brand hotel. They pretty much took all of tropical theme out except for the pool and it just became this mish-mash of colors and décor where (for me) nothing went together. We used to go in there one night of our trip for nostalgia sake but even quit doing that because the place was so boring.

 

i think the saddest part of the transition was this was coming up on the 20 year anniversary of the place that made vegas what it is today. they could have made the mirage almost like a caesars-type property, slightly older but still sexy. instead it was just homogenization on virtually all fronts. i will still go back for the sports book and the cheesecake from carnegie deli. other than that, there's not really a draw for me anymore.

 

I've tried to figure that out myself. My daughter is a millennial and she used to love the Mirage but prefers the MGM these days because of all the pool choices and says the Mirage is too dark now... but then she doesn't even go every year. I always chalked it up to somebody MGM had running their design/décor division that just had horrible taste. I mean that blue/green thing they did to some of the Bellagio rooms was enough to make you in my humble opinion.

 

We stay exclusively at the Mirage every year and while the rooms are good and we generally are treated nice, it's a comfortable place to navigate and at least feel secure. The pool is one of the best and we like that the crowd is not a bunch of kids. Other than that, it's lost some of its lustre.

 

Some corporation, in the past 15 years, decided "Theme's" are silly and represent the way things were. And the if they are going to invest in a new casino resort, upscale and modern would attract higher end shopping establishments, fancy restaurant owners and a clientele with deeper pockets that would pay more to stay at a place with those offerings.

More money per square foot generated and people with more money staying on property.

Steve Wynn proved that concept in Vegas when he opened Wynn in 2005. Followed by Palazzo, Aria and all the City Center places & Cosmopolitan . Insert the concepts of Echelon Place & Fontainebleau and every place that came up, or would have come up, followed the same model. Same goes in other casino resorts in other cities. No themes, just high end touches and luxury throughout.

What Resorts World planned, and all the rich China themed things they originally promised, was a throwback to themes. And many theme fans were very excited about it. But the more market research they did, the more they pulled back on all those plans. Panda exhibit, gone, Fake Great Wall, gone, ancient Chinese architecture now replaced with "Modern China high tech".

Same goes in other markets. New and Classy has replaced themes.

Think about it, if you were putting up a new resort worth billions of dollars, would you use a fun Pirate theme? Would you have gone with silly things like King Arthur's castle or Coney Island? Fake New York or Fake Egypt? And if you did, would Gucci or Prada want to open up high end stores there? Would you attract the likes of Emeril Lagasse or Mario Batali to open up fancy places to eat there?

No, you would have a swatch store and a McDonalds. And those wont bring in the dollars, or the clients, that a Modern Luxury resort would.

Those places that were already built with themes underwent a "refreshing" with an attempt to bring those properties inline with all the newer places.

The problem with chasing millennial dollars is the fact that they dont want to spend their money. They would rather buy a $250 hand stitched fedora than drop $250 into a slot in a day. They would rather go out of their way to find a hip local pizza place then step foot in a cheesy Gordon Ramsey place.

What casino resorts offer is not the experience these people chase. Well, maybe clubs. They do like being seen in cool places.

Point being, casinos are spending money chasing that group. But that is a group that is not spending money at casinos. Not yet. They will when they get older. Ever pass by one of those new E-Game lounges in Vegas? I have and they are empty!

 

grid- as a millenial i can't even put my finger on what they want from a marketing perspective. but millenials are the largest group going to vegas. i think some people (not just millenials) enjoy physical things whereas others enjoy experiences. i know im much more in the latter group as i collect nothing.

 

Have to admit that we did not get the chance to visit TI in its heyday. Would have gotten a kick out of the pirate show at least once I am sure. 2 years ago we made it for the first time and wasn't impressed with the casino floor itself. Maybe it was the color scheme, or time of day or something but there was no energy. We didn't stay long.

On our last trip we wanted to give it another chance and hang out for a while. Now we didn't visit anywhere besides the casino floor; but we felt the same. We find it has an odd musty smell. Lighting is also quite dark. Drink service was FAST though which is a plus. I'll say slots were kind to us, but we didn't gamble all that long. Right now there isn't anything to draw us back to TI. If I am missing something that we really should see or do I'm all ears.

 

You hit the nail on the head. Except I never noticed any smells, good or bad, and I've stayed/played with them dozens of times over the past few years. They are targeting the value minded Vegas shoppers right now. Book the TV ad special and you can opt out of the resort fees. They are usually the largest hotel with some of the best nightly rates, even during peak times. And your overall experience (to add to the value factor) will be no frills. The spa, Oleksandra, is nice but basic. The food options are nice, but basic. The rooms are nice, but basic. The pool is nice, but basic. The buffet is nice, but basic.

Point being they have most everything that other major casino resorts have, just much more basic versions. No frills. Some shopping, some pool loungers, a show ETC. Again, based on the value minded shopper.

So what are you missing? Depends on if you are in the value category or not. I dont like clubs, so I like that ti doesn't have one. I prefer lowbrow dining, and that is pretty much all they have to offer. So I have more choices of such. I hate paying $7.50 for a Monster Energy drink in the Aria sundries shop, so I like that ti has a CVS on property where they are 2 for $4. But the biggest draw, for most, is the gaming as you pointed out. Being independent and feeding that value draw, their table game rules are better than most on the Strip. The slots seem looser, and my past 5 years of coin-in VS losses attest to that. At least for me. I can play longer and lose less there. And their comps are, for the same play I give, twice as good as the big players on the Strip.And their players club returns better than most as well for points.

So if you like "normal" dining, want an easy to score comp room, appreciate getting more in Free Play, like staying near all that action (it is a great location) and want to get more bang for your gambling buck, it is one of the best options in town. If you like clubs, celebrity chefs, all suites, the hottest of bars and needing to be surrounded by beautiful hip people. You would NOT like ti.

 

That is the craziest part, millennials are NOT the largest group going to Vegas. Not by a long shot. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in 2017 the average visitor's age was 44.3. 3/4 of all visitors were married. 60% of all visitors were 40 years old or older. Less then a third would fall into the millennials category. And that catagory spends less then the 40+ crowd that makes up the majority of visitors.

Make no doubt that the millennials crowd will continue to grow in Vegas, but that also has to do with logistics as they replace the older crowd that dies off.

But also looking at logistics of how millennials get grouped into these numbers, technically (by most all recording accounts) millennials are grouped from birth years 1982-2002. I'm Gen X, just a few years under the starting point. But I associate next to nothing when it comes to the generic expectations of the millennial set. If you were born in 1982, and are now over 35 years old, when people talk about the social media driven, selfie taking, hipster attitude and the snowflake mentality, they are not really talking about "you". But "you" will still count into the numbers of a millennial.

All of the millennial cliches, in my opinion, are directed to those born in the early 90's who grew up with the internet, smart phones and participation trophies. That group is roughly 25 years old right now, and that makes up fewer then 10% of all Vegas visitors. THAT would be the group these casinos are now targeting, the 22-29 crowd. The unmarried ones who like to do things in groups, like the esports thing. So the casinos are now catering to those that make up just 1 in 10 people staying with them.

 

if the four age groups of SG,BB,GX, and millenials are divided, millennials are the largest group. this is from the same document you are quoting.
the graph for this is on page 1, sorry im having a hard time posting the image

 

Grid, thanks for the reply. As always you are a 'no frills' poster. We never investigated the dining options and I am 100% in the category for my maintenance meals of not wanting to get destroyed on cost. That is a huge plus for me.

As for the value side of the coin our home property is Luxor. We have always stayed there. One of the main reasons is that we feel we get HUGE value for money there. That said though on our next trip we are staying further north on the strip to give that a go. Maybe TI will make the list.

We are NOT club people. Couldn't give a damn if they have one or not and glad that they don't. MGM for instance drives me bonkers any time around when the club is picking up or letting out. Fighting for a machine with a 20 something that is wasted and falling over themselves is not my idea of fun. Being near the "in" place also doesn't much fizz on us. For instance we couldn't be bothered with Aria. I find the staff there difficult and full of themselves and bordering on downright rude. I don't care for the casino floor there either. Sure it is new with all the bells and whistles but I don't much care about that.

We almost exclusively play slots and our coin in/out proves to us that Luxor ALWAYS treats us better than any other MGM/CET property on the strip. In fact I am actually up overall in 3 years. My wife is only slightly down. That said we stay there so most (85% or more) of our slot play is done there. Mirage on our last trip also was incredibly kind. TI seems worth a few hundo.

We love to drink when we are playing slots. Drink service is important to us. What has been your experience with service there? As a comparison from my perspective Luxor and Mirage have been quite good. Nothing worse than having your glass run dry while on a hot streak.


I give it a third look with those things in mind on my next trip and hit you up on my slice.

 

I see your point. But if you also divide that group among people on the face of the earth, they are also the largest. Youth does have the upper hand here!

Just depends on how you view the numbers. And when the majority are ages 40+, that age "group" are the largest in income, spending, gambling and visiting Vegas. And every year the millennial group grow closer to that 40+ demographic

 

"maintenance meal" I am SOOOO going to steal this from you on my next trip report Eating for me in Vegas is more of the "I really should" then anything else. Purely utilitarian to keep me from dying so I can get back to gambling and acting the fool..

I like Luxor as well. But more for nostalgia then anything. I think I just like the idea of Luxor, since it used to be my favorite place. But much of what I loved is long gone since they too have de-themed. I really havent been back there much since I lose my ass every single time in that casino. I'm glad to see you do much better there.

As for drink service at ti, I'm the wrong one to ask. I play late at night or early in the morning when the casino is next to dead. And I'm almost always there on a weekday, so I get my mudslides (go ahead and laugh) pretty fast. Even if that means I have to whistle across the casino at a waitress. But they do come by often enough from what I can tell.

But no frills! If you ask for a drink you usually get no name booze as a pour. But I cant tell much of a difference outside of it smelling off.

 

like with all things time will tell. bellagio, V/P, and wynn were timed well for the babyboomers. im not sure if the next generation of properties will be focused on gen x or possibly millennials, but come 2022 things will be different with a lot more onvention space,new properties on north end of the strip, the raiders, and likely an nba team as well.