Today I'm kicking off a new series here at VegasRy.com called "What If We Ran Vegas." This is where you'll find our specific complaints, changes, and suggestions for those fortunate few who are actually in charge of Las Vegas. If we had the power of say a Steve Wynn or MGM, many changes would be made. Please also note that this series will be presented in no particular order.
"Good things come to those that wait." Growing up, we all no doubt heard these seven words countless times. Of course, it is not necessarily true. Patience is a virtue, but it doesn't guarantee anything. For instance, a tight poker player may sit patiently waiting for a big pocket pair such as two kings or aces, but they can't be certain that they'll get paid off with them due to the image they have created of themselves. Most likely, the tight player will win a small pot or lose a big one because it is easy to read the strength of their hand.
Similarly, one complaint I have is how long it takes to get inside of some Las Vegas casinos. This is especially true of the long entry into Ballys. Let's look at this complaint from two perspectives.
As a frequent Las Vegas vacationer, I've always been astounded at how long it takes to get inside of Ballys from the strip. Even with a combination of people movers and escalaters, what seems like a 50+ yard hike from the strip takes a minimum of five minutes to cover. This may not sound significant, but when you consider the destination, it is unacceptable. As a result, since I last stayed at Ballys nearly 7 years ago, I've only been back a few times. Additionally, I typically end up spending less time actually in the casino than I did entering. In March when we were there, we had some time to kill prior our dinner reservations at Paris so we wandered straight through Ballys. (the only pit stop was for VegasRy to hit up the ATM...they made $4 on us due to ungodly Vegas ATM fees)
Any patience you might have for the entry will certainly be lost upon entering because Ballys just isn't worth the wait. It's an older casino that is in need of a makeover. An entry of such could be somewhat acceptable if the prize of waiting was the Bellagio or Wynn, but in reality it is completely unacceptable anywhere. One could argue that the entry to Bellagio from the shopping area on the North side takes just as long to get to the casino as the walkway at Ballys, but the difference can be found in the scenery. It is more scenic around the people movers at the airport than those at Ballys. Bellagio has glamorous stores and restaurants that make the walk seem much less time consuming. Ballys on the other hand has nothing to offer, but a view of the parking garage below. Conversely, many other casinos require almost no walk from the strip like Paris (Ballys' adjoining neighbor) and NYNY.
Let me now tackle this issue now as a new owner of Ballys. As a businessman, I see several problems with this entryway. First, it is slow and time consuming. This troubles me because time is money (sorry, it's cliche but very true). The sooner I get would-be gamblers onto my casino floor, the sooner I'm getting paid. Additionally, the lack of scenery while entering cannot make anyone any more eager to play here. Some may still play out of laziness due to the extremes already taken to get inside, but they may be less inclined to return in the future. This may seem vague and completely intangible, but my competition in this city is ever-evolving and I cannot win under these conditions.
Lastly, and most importantly, I would follow the recent Las Vegas trend and build a new tower. This tower would not be located behind the main building as is customary. Instead, this new tower would be a state of the art new face of Ballys that is located where the entryway is now. It would become the main tower and would solve many issues I have with Ballys inside and out. As a result, the entry would be shorter, morale would be higher for those entering, and I'd now have a new casino that could compete with the big boys. Additionally, I'd have the luxury of remodeling the existing structure in the future without sacrificing much business.
Ballys is in an ideal location for becoming an instant hit if it took the time and money to institute the changes I've described. It would greatly benefit from them financially, while building a much larger loyal following of vacationers. Hopefully our patience until Ballys finally makes some changes will pay off. Until then, I don't intend to go back; ATMs are a dime a dozen in this town.
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