Mirage to be sold to another operator, will no longer be MLife property

[mickeycrimm]

With the Jackie Gaughan hotels, El Cortez, Ogden House, Western, Ambassador East, Gold Spike, local ID was not accepted. And no ID more than 5 years old was accepted. They also had long 86 lists.

[kewlJ]

With the Jackie Gaughan hotels, El Cortez, Ogden House, Western, Ambassador East, Gold Spike, local ID was not accepted. And no ID more than 5 years old was accepted. They also had long 86 lists.

Different time periods, but sounds very different than when I stayed there. You are calling Ogden House a hotel. It most definitely was not a "hotel" when I was there. At that time, most of the "residents" were locals and were living there somewhat permanently or at least weeks or months at a time. I think there was an old, wooden sign out front, in need of some paint that simply said "Rooms" or "Rooms for rent".

When I stayed there I didn't even know it was associated or owned by El Cortez. There was nothing that indicated that. It appeared to be an independent type boarding house. But since that property and building, I am sure completely gutted and rebuilt on the inside, is now Cabana Suites at El Cortez, the property must have still been owned by El Cortez at the time I was there.

I love all the stories and pictures from you guys of your Vegas adventures from the 90's and 80's. God I wish I could have experienced THAT Vegas. If I ever get a time machine....

[redietz]

When mickey and I were there, I think it was part rooming house, part spillover for when the El Cortez was full, which was often. This was pre-tower times for me at the El Cortez. So without the tower, they were often full capacity, and they would offer you the Ogden option. It was a big deal when the spiffy tower was built

[mickeycrimm]

When mickey and I were there, I think it was part rooming house, part spillover for when the El Cortez was full, which was often. This was pre-tower times for me at the El Cortez. So without the tower, they were often full capacity, and they would offer you the Ogden option. It was a big deal when the spiffy tower was built

I used the Ogden House from 92 until 98 off and on. The price was $22 after tax per night. There was a limit on the number of consecutive nights you could buy. Can't remember what it was. Then you had to check out.

The rooms I stayed in had full baths. I never seen a "bathroom down the hall" situation there.

Jackie sold out in 2004. I don't know what changes were made after that.

About the 86 list. If you made the 86 list of one Gaughan hotel you were 86'd from all of them. I had a friend that made the mistake of renting a room in his name for a couple that didn't have proper ID. He didn't stay in the room just them. They got drunk, got in a fight, security showed up. Since the room was in his name he was placed on the 86 list. He was never able to rent another Gaughan room after that.

[redietz]

When mickey and I were there, I think it was part rooming house, part spillover for when the El Cortez was full, which was often. This was pre-tower times for me at the El Cortez. So without the tower, they were often full capacity, and they would offer you the Ogden option. It was a big deal when the spiffy tower was built

I used the Ogden House from 92 until 98 off and on. The price was $22 after tax per night. There was a limit on the number of consecutive nights you could buy. Can't remember what it was. Then you had to check out.

The rooms I stayed in had full baths. I never seen a "bathroom down the hall" situation there.

Jackie sold out in 2004. I don't know what changes were made after that.

About the 86 list. If you made the 86 list of one Gaughan hotel you were 86'd from all of them. I had a friend that made the mistake of renting a room in his name for a couple that didn't have proper ID. He didn't stay in the room just them. They got drunk, got in a fight, security showed up. Since the room was in his name he was placed on the 86 list. He was never able to rent another Gaughan room after that.

The time or two I stayed there were in the 80's. My rooms had a bath. It's possible certain rooms for E.C. spillover had baths and the "residential" rooms did not.

[kewlJ]

Well it certainly doesn't seem likely that they 'removed' bathrooms from the rooms.

All I can tell you is where I was there were no bathrooms in the rooms, only a common bathroom. What was even stranger, or at least would be today is it was one bathroom, not 'mens' and 'ladies'. While I didn't get to know many other people staying there, there were a few females (part of a couple).

There also was another "hotel", Dragon Hotel a couple blocks away (maybe 9th street), that while I didn't stay there seemed more like a boarding house from the outside. I think Dragon Hotel may have closed in the past few years.

[mickeycrimm]

Someone put a video up on youtube of the old fleabag hotels on Fremont Street. A lot of them are shuttered.

[MaxPen]

Someone put a video up on youtube of the old fleabag hotels on Fremont Street. A lot of them are shuttered.

Brings back memories,,, huh?

[mickeycrimm]

Someone put a video up on youtube of the old fleabag hotels on Fremont Street. A lot of them are shuttered.

Brings back memories,,, huh?

Do you have anything positive to contribute? No, you don't. Lonely petty little man crying out for acceptance. Don't you have some step and fetch to do for the team?

[mickeycrimm]

Someone put a video up on youtube of the old fleabag hotels on Fremont Street. A lot of them are shuttered.

The Ambassador East on Fremont between 10th and 11th was about as far east as I would stay on Fremont. But I remember all the fleabag hotels because I went to the Showboat quite a bit.

[redietz]

Someone put a video up on youtube of the old fleabag hotels on Fremont Street. A lot of them are shuttered.

The Ambassador East on Fremont between 10th and 11th was about as far east as I would stay on Fremont. But I remember all the fleabag hotels because I went to the Showboat quite a bit.

The farthest east I ever stayed was the South Cove apartments that showed up a bit after the five minute mark. I may have spent a couple of weeks there. That was probably the nicest place in the area. When you get to the Western on the left, there's a sign for the Downtowner, where I stayed for two months when I was in my early 20's. The Downtowner was not one of the nicest places in the area -- LOL. The Downtowner gave out food coupons for the Gold Spike and El Cortez, I believe. You could almost recoup the housing costs by pillaging the coupon books in the lobby, which had various little gambling coupons in them.

I had one season where I was in a football contest at the Showboat, so I had to trek out there every week. Back then, I was taking the bus -- I'd go to the Showboat, then head to Sam's Town, which had its own contest. If I hadn't been in the Showboat contest, I would have just hitched the comp shuttle from the Cal to Sam's Town.

[alpax]

Today it was announced that Hard Rock will be acquiring the Mirage

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/mgm-...1-billion.html

[Dan Druff]

A few notes about the Mirage sale:

It's for 1.08 billion.

It was bought by "Hard Rock International", which is actually the Seminole tribe, which owns the brand.

They will place a big guitar on the front of the property, and rebrand it Hard Rock. However, they have 3 years to get the rebrand done, as they have rights to the Mirage name for 3 years. The old Hard Rock is now "Virgin Hotels Las Vegas", which is mostly failing.

Indian tribes are notoriously hostile to APs, and are also paranoid about any customer getting over on them, even short term. That's why Mohegan Sun, which runs the Virgin Casino, alienated so many players right off the bat, with policies such as losing your existing room comp if you don't play enough!

I don't think tribal expansion into the LV market is a good thing for players and APs, even if it somewhat holds back the consolidation trend.

[accountinquestion]

Bummer. Saw on twitter people saying they were going to make a guitar shaped hotel. I was like.. no way that can be true. I mean, maybe that much money can be that stupid, or maybe I'm assuming the financials of these things are far different than they are.

Given how no one finds it financiailly viable to make more hotels on the strips and all the half-built buildings etc, it'd be crazy to do construction and right on the strip. Especially given how nice the Mirage seems to me. I don't really detect a 'this is aged' feeling when I'm staying there. Also, it is a shame because it let me get MGM rooms in central strip. Now to get to stuff where I'm not hemmoraging $$ I have to be south of the city center.

I used to stay at the IP. Flamingo is good. Lately I've been staying in MGM properties but before that it was a lot of Caesar's stuff.

If there wasn't chinese guy camping every casino with railroads I could get plenty of free rooms but damn thats a hustle out there. (lol)

[alpax]

A few notes about the Mirage sale:

It's for 1.08 billion.

It was bought by "Hard Rock International", which is actually the Seminole tribe, which owns the brand.

They will place a big guitar on the front of the property, and rebrand it Hard Rock. However, they have 3 years to get the rebrand done, as they have rights to the Mirage name for 3 years. The old Hard Rock is now "Virgin Hotels Las Vegas", which is mostly failing.

Indian tribes are notoriously hostile to APs, and are also paranoid about any customer getting over on them, even short term. That's why Mohegan Sun, which runs the Virgin Casino, alienated so many players right off the bat, with policies such as losing your existing room comp if you don't play enough!

I don't think tribal expansion into the LV market is a good thing for players and APs, even if it somewhat holds back the consolidation trend.

Thanks Dan for sharing the insight about tribal casino management. I did not know they were that hostile.

The other major tribal expansion into the LV Market that happened earlier this year was Yaamava (aka San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and their acquisition of the Palms Resort.

I was possibly looking into playing locally at Yaamava and possibly using it for comps at Palms as a new go-to place in Vegas, but I will have to think some more about it.