Goodbye Charley Varrick
At the risk of contradicting everything I’ve ever said in the past about not moving too quickly to leave the older and grittier downtown Reno behind, I think raising the casino hotel rates as Ellen Oppenheim, the president and chief executive of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, advises is a great idea. Let’s face it, Reno is already well on its way to removing all vestiges of Charley Varrick’s Reno–we might as well commit to the idea and go whole hog so to speak. Raising rates should slowly improve Reno’s image as a tourist destination and attract a better class of tourists. Reno has enough cheap, drunk, skanky residents, we don’t need to keep going out of our way to attract tourists fitting the same description. Throw a few benefits to the locals to maintain some goodwill like special weekend packages, but improvement is never a bad idea. Attracting more hotel chains also seems like a very important part of Reno’s future because of the customer loyalty and possible convention business they would undoubtedly provide.
Of course, the casinos also need to improve their hotel rooms accordingly. You can’t expect people to pay more for some of the crappy rooms I’ve seen in this town. It won’t be easy, Reno is no Las Vegas thank god. We don’t need something like The Bellagio or The Venetian here, but Reno can be better and attracting a better class of tourists is a big part of that. It looks like The Grand Sierra is going to show the locals how to do it–I hope they succeed. Oppenheim is showing the kind of vision the RSCVA needs to make some fundamental changes to how Reno approaches its future as a tourist haven. Plus, Oppenheim is a blogger so she must know what she’s talking about.
Oh, and Grand Sierra? When is Dolce going to open? Last I heard, it was in October.
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Grand Sierra does seem to be heading in that direction. We had the PLEASURE of attending Greg Allman there on Saturday. We were pleased that there was no smoking and that people were treated with dignity. Two people tried to “sneak” their smokes after the lights went down and the staff was right there asking them to take them out to the casino area. Many friendly folks from Auburn and beyond made the trip BECAUSE it was at the Grand Sierra rather than see Greg Allman in Sacramento or Oreville. BY THE WAY - GREG ALLMAN AND FRIENDS IS GREAT - what a show - and he has a very talented son - Devin.
Ellen’s been on target since day 1. She probably won’t be popular with the family owned casinos, but her point that our average room rate is below Tuscon Arizona is a sad fact. Gaming isn’t our draw anymore (nor is it Vegas’). We have to sell our lifestyle and provide a higher level of service to try and return to our “glory days” when Bill Harrah set the standard.
Maintaining rate integrity will definitely take trust and teamwork between the downtown casinos. They look at occupancy and revenue, compare it to past years, analyze what other casinos are charging for a room, and then adjust accordingly. Casinos know that they can typically make-up for lost room revenue with gaming and food. Needless to say, it won’t be easy.
Does someone really think people will pay $110 a night for a room at the Sands or Fitzgeralds?
And the comparisons the RSCVA used looks like cherry-picking to me. How many hotel rooms are in Tucson and Sacramento? I would wager there are a lot less than in Reno, hence the cost would be higher. Plus, Sacramento’s hotels would be almost exclusively for business (M-F), which always pays through the nose, seeing how it is the capitol.
Finally there is the implication that it will help with all the rich skiers that will flock here. But hasn’t every one of the local ski resorts touted already been around for decades luring skiers to Reno? Perhaps it is the low prices that draw them.
I think the real reason Ellen is complaining is simply because she wants the RSCVA to receive more dollars.
Have you ever stayed in a $110 a night room in Vegas? Much worse than anything you could find at the Sands or Fitzgeralds. Granted, Reno rooms generally need revamping to make the grade. But if we don’t raise room rates, tax revenues don’t go to the RSVCA, and in turn, marketing budgets get cut. Without more funding, how can we reach a broader market?
What’s going to happen is that some brave souls are going to try it, and if it works, others will follow. If it doesn’t, the thinking will begin again.
Dolce has been open for a while now. I would say it isn’t worth the drive (from downtown Reno), but I would like to hear your opinion. If you haven’t been to Sezmu, next to Bibo on Mt. Rose, you should stop in for dinner. I would say it is the best new restaurant in some time.
Well put Juice. Been there, done them, stick with Sezmu.
Oh wow–wasnt even aware of Sezmu. Thanks! Until two days ago, the grand sierra website said that Dolce was “coming soon.” It appears they finally updated it.