Within the fall of 1999, my spouse, daughter, and I, went to Las Vegas for a trip. We hadn’t been there for a pair years so we have been utterly shocked on a cab journey from the Mirage to Mandalay Bay once we drove by the newly renovated MGM Grand. Gone was the enormous lions head entrance; changed by a extra conventional entrance and a bronze statue of Leo the Lion to maintain with the Lion theme 온라인사이트.
The resort had solely opened in 1993, which to me, was nonetheless a really new resort. Why on earth would they spend hundreds of thousands to renovate a 5 yr outdated resort? I bear in mind first trying out the resort on a go to in 1996 and being enchanted with the Wizard of Oz theme. With the yellow brick highway walk-through full with the cornfield, apple orchard, and haunted forest, in addition to audio-animatronic figures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Depraved Witch of the West. It was all nonetheless so new and elaborate so why spend hundreds of thousands to alter all of it?
The cabbie informed us that the Asian gamblers have been staying away in droves. Strolling by means of the mouth of a lion was thought of dangerous luck of their tradition and created dangerous feng shui. I stated to the Cabbie that these renovation will need to have value hundreds of thousands and that I could not get my head round it. The cabbie simply chuckled and stated “In Las Vegas, it would not matter how a lot it prices. You simply must maintain the gamblers coming again and spending. That is the one factor that issues in Vegas.” I assume he was proper!
Later that week, my daughter Laura needed to take a look at the MGM Grand adventures theme park. It was unimaginable! This was a full dimension superb theme park. Nevertheless it was additionally empty. Laura had all the time dreamt about having an amusement park all to herself. This was a dream come true for her. We had an enormous totally staffed amusement park all to ourselves. We went on the water raft journey 5 instances as a result of there was no lineup. There was no line up for something!
And once more, I could not reconcile my easy understanding of actual world economics with the truth of Las Vegas. Why would a Resort property lay our a fortune to completely employees an empty over-the-top theme park. This might solely be doable in Las Vegas the place the income from playing could make some very unusual and superb issues doable!
On our subsequent go to to Las Vegas a pair years later, have been weren’t stunned once we drove by the MGM Grand in a cab and observed that the theme park was gone.