Wednesday, July 26, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Strip business
A majority of locals aren’t regular visitors to the Las Vegas Strip, mostly limiting their outings to the Resort Corridor for an anniversary dinner, to attend a sporting event or if an out-of-town friend is visiting.
They instead frequent local properties, where parking is free, it’s a shorter commute, and there’s a little bit of everything: high-end restaurants, notable entertainers in concerts, and food and gaming specials.
Locals also have access to pools, where off-Strip properties like the Palms offer free admission for those ages 21 and over. It’s the same on certain days at Red Rock Resorts and Green Valley Ranch.
The Mirage, under new ownership with Hard Rock International, is hoping to tap into the locals market with new specials aimed at bringing them to the Strip property.
The resort this year introduced local discounts on some of its shows, spas and salons, as well as upgrade opportunities for its Unity Rewards Program members. For example, locals who are part of the program receive 20% off tickets to the Friday and Saturday performances of magician Shin Lim; it’s also 20% off spa and salon service Monday through Thursday.
“There’s always been this real perception that Strip properties can be more expensive than some of the local properties, so offering happy hours and specials like that have been really helpful,” Mirage President Joe Lupo said.
More important: In April it reinstituted free parking for locals.
“When I started asking questions and learning about the business, this impediment of parking and paying for parking seemed like a real intrusive piece of the process for locals,” said Lupo, who noted that he was a Las Vegas resident 20 years before leaving town and eventually returning to lead the Mirage. “I understood that. So, my first goal was to just be more accessible.”
Since announcing the latest promotions for locals in April, Lupo said he had seen a positive response and believes the new opportunities have “spoken to them.” The Mirage has already seen about three times as many local card members as the resort previously had, he added.
There’s a balancing act that many Las Vegas properties practice, Lupo said, which includes busy, tourist-packed weekends on one end and midweek lulls that open doors for local specials on the other.
The thousands of local workers in the casinos each weekend likely don’t have the chance to take advantage of resort amenities themselves until the middle of the week, he added.
“So, we wanted to give back,” he said, noting that locals are not just customers but partners in the community. “Our employees, their friends, their children, their parents, their loved ones — many of our customers live in this community. So, it’s really important to be a part of that.”
Joe Yalda, vice president of guest experience at Station Casinos, said the “local favorite” brand has seen Strip properties change how they cater to locals through different promotions and packages many times.
Locals looking for a good deal should consider the value proposition of any promotion, he advised, noting that any Station property is aimed at making visitors feel “at home.”
A similar mantra is employed by other local operators, whether that’s Boyd Gaming with Sam’s Town on Boulder Highway and the Orleans on Tropicana Avenue, or South Point on Las Vegas Boulevard South.
Going to the movies, eating in the coffee shops, or playing a favorite slot machine has become the favorite form of recreation for some locals — year in and year out.
“Our properties are built on the ability for our team members to build relationships with our guests, to where they can come and feel like they’re at home,” said Yalda, who added that many Station customers were Strip workers.
About seven months into its ownership of the Mirage, Lupo said, Hard Rock is excited to be on the Las Vegas Strip, to better understand the issues of the property and to open it up to whoever wants to enjoy it — locals included.
“The effort was not to compete with Red Rock and Suncoast and be a ‘local property,’” Lupo said. “We’re a Strip property. However, the effort was to make it more accessible, and we have some really good amenities.”
