Monte Carlo; changing name but is it closing?

So I was reading some news and little confused I am aware that MC is changing their name along with trying to be more high end hotel right? (Please tell me if I have a wrong)
If so are they closing for renovation for some periods of time? How long are they closeing? My mlife shows they are open and if they are making it high end...is it Aria type? Can some one make it more clear please?

I played there for like 1 hr of BJ but didn't like th low ceiling out dated decor... etc.

 

Everything I've read says they don't plan on closing the hotel during the renovations, but are closing shops, restaurants, pool, etc for construction.

A few articles and first hand observations are in this thread:
https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/monte-carlo-closures-timeline.135365/

 

Thanks scott for quick reply.. I see.. yeah I know thought they will be still open during renovation.. do you know how high end this would be? Mlife website shows hotel pricing very reasonable even for next year..

 

I think they are aiming for it to be a 4* property when it's all said and done, putting it under Aria and Bellagio but marketed above Mandalay Bay and MGM. I wouldn't be surprised if their pricing is near what Aria and Bellagio bring in now when they make the brand change, but will drop down with time much like Linq did.

 

Linq was weird. They priced significantly too high at first, but then prices dropped fast because they had to shake the bad IP connotation. Now its consistently a slight notch up ($10-20 more rack on weekdays) from the "value" tier, Flamingo/Harrahs/Ballys/Rio.

 

I never stayed at Linq however, i hear mostly good things about Linq it's probably one of the best hotel for the money..

 

I'm interested to see how Monte Carlo/The Park is going to try to spin this into a "luxury" resort when the standard room size is just 400 sq ft. That's on the small side even for lower end resorts on the strip.

I agree w/tringlomane, I think they're going to overreach on rates at the start because they can say "ooh, look at the new!", but then rates will drop as people realize they're paying a premium for a small room.

 

They can spruce it up, but they can not change the basics. Will not be high end, just better than it was/is.

 

HI Drew, here is a decent synopsis of their plans.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2016/06/06/bye-bye-monte-carlo-las-vegas-casino-resort-being-replaced/?client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us

I wish them the best, but they've made some really poor player retention problems the past couple of years.

We stayed there for years, and the staff repeatedly bemoaned how Aria and other properties (but especially Aria) were "poaching" their good players. But even we found from experience, unfortunately Aria and other properties flat focused on player retention more than MC. If they don't correct that, they'll keep losing any players they win...rebranding or not, there are flat too many high end Mlife properties for them to rebrand without adopting a better player retention approach, so we'll see.

I do think nostress has it right, it will be nicer, but they flat can't go toe-to-toe with Aria, Cosmo, Bellagio, etc. The architecture (no floor-to-ceiling windows and smaller rooms for most rooms ) flat sets it a tier below, no matter how spiffy they make it, but I don't think they see that. And the lack of aggressive (or even tepid) player retention is another whammy.

BUT others mentioned Linq, which is a great example of a rebrand and breathing fresh life, and now it's hopping.

I DO wish them the best. Even though it wasn't the nicest spot on the strip, we still have a soft spot for MC as it was our first Vegas haunt together!

 

Like everyone mentioned, they're pretty much following same plan as CET did with the Linq and the Linq Promenade. While the redoing of the hotel is essentially putting lipstick on a pig, the real draw is the bars and restaurants on the path to the T-Mobile Arena as well as the T-Mobile Arena itself, which mirrors the Linq Promenade and the High Roller.

 

I think MGM management is looking to go more in the direction of the Cromwell like CET did with Bills.
Somehow, Cromwell has managed to keep their room rates up despite the small rooms and some with virtually no view.
They will shoot for unrealistic rates at first but the market will figure out where it settles.
Not sure how much lipstick they are going to be able to apply to the MC.
Rooms are tiny,bathrooms are really tiny and walls are paper thin.
Mix this in with the bad attitude of the casino employees and it is questionable how much they will be able to upgrade the place.

 

Agreed but that's much easier to do with 188 rooms at the Cromwell compared to the 3,000 MC has.

I think the second bolded point is the bigger issue. We used to be Monte Carlo regulars but the staff from dealers to pit bosses seemed to absolutely hate their lives and it shows to customers.

 

Monte Carlo has a couple of really friendly dealers... but yeah, many of them are just completely miserable. I've been there countless times and they're often bickering with each other over who gets to go on break when.

 

They not only hate their own lives, they hate the customers even more! Worst on the Strip.

 

The negative,unfriendly,culture at MC must go right to the top casino management there.
It is widespread around the casino floor with a few exceptions.
No way it would be tolerated at Bellagio,,MGM,or Aria.
If they don't gut casino management with the building they will lose their investment.

 

I think they rushed the Park into opening. TMobile was ready to open but the Park was seemingly pushed to open before it was ready, it's even now a LONG way away from being the Linq. The same 4 restos/bars that opened the place are still the only ones open. There's still NOTHING on the Monte Carlo side. Surely the theater, when it opens, will help, but it's weird walking through the Park, you get through those few places and it's like "whelp, guess that's it, I'm outta here".

 

Exactly this. We walked through The Park our last trip and pretty much that's what happened. Nothing to do or see there, really.

 

Just got back from Vegas grabbed these photos detailing the death of the MC pool from Aria tram station. Can still see the remnants of the lazy river and wave pool.

 

I've been Downtown for a while now but I remember the MC pool area being one of the few things I liked about the property. Are we too cool for a lazy river? Shall we put in three hundred glass front hot tubs with private cabanas so we can all see how much money we spent?

 

Surprised they are tearing up the lazy river after keeping it around for a couple months demolition. Originally, it looked like they were keeping it. Even the week before last, it was untouched and roped off.