MGM & Caesars Are Leaving Wall Street — The New Era of Las Vegas + Rio's Questionable Buffet!

Save big on Vegas with Las Vegas Advisor — get 10% off a membership with code MTM (new members, affiliate): lasvegasadvisor.com I went on vacation and they sold Las Vegas. Live from Montenegro this week because the news would not wait — both of the Strip's biggest operators are heading toward going private. Barry Diller's People Inc. (the former IAC) has put a non-binding, all-cash offer on the table to buy the 73.9% of MGM Resorts it doesn't already own at $48.30/share — an ~$18 billion deal — and take the company private. Pair that with the Caesars / Fertitta Entertainment take-private we covered last week, and Las Vegas may be entering a brand-new era owned by the billionaire class instead of Wall Street. Is that good or bad for the guest experience? I make the case. Plus: the Cromwell has officially reopened as the Vanderpump Hotel (new lampshades, the Gigolo cocktail garden, and why it's still the best Caesars property to base yourself at), the Rio's new $27 buffet that's drawing comparisons to a highway motel breakfast, and a little Star Trek: The Experience nostalgia. Episode Guide: 0:00 They sold Vegas while I was gone (live from Montenegro) 0:25 Cromwell is officially the Vanderpump Hotel 1:44 Inside Vanderpump: the Gigolo bar & saved Cromwell chairs 2:50 Best Caesars property to base at — comps, parking, rates 3:30 The "headless man" at Park MGM 3:47 Star Trek: The Experience & the onion ring tower mystery 4:31 Rio's new buffet: the Hyatt Globalist breakfast backstory 5:24 $27 for THIS? Rio vs. the Carnival World Buffet 6:46 Hyatt keeps letting standards slip 7:08 The big one: two Strip giants going private 7:42 Barry Diller's People Inc. bids $48.30/share for MGM 8:50 Hornbuckle stays — what the deal needs to close 9:44 Why Diller wants MGM 10:28 Big picture: the billionaire era of the Strip 12:16 "Best thing to happen to Vegas"? The guest-experience case 13:29 Wall Street, Macau & MGM's crown-jewel assets 14:34 A new era for Vegas — could the land come back? Want more MTM Vegas? Get our exclusive weekly aftershow and join the community. 📧 Subscribe to our newsletter ▶️ Watch on YouTube 🎧 Apple Podcasts 🛍️ Merch 🌐 milestomemories.com Links Dragon lives - https://www.tiktok.com/@mikebennettart/video/7643579160794959134?_r=1&_t=ZT-96fcIFTbXoc A's update - https://x.com/seventensuited/status/2059029362113208573?s=20 Baker thermometer - https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/worlds-tallest-thermometer-between-las-vegas-and-l-a-is-for-sale-3827368/ UFO Hotel - https://www.ufohotel.com/index-2#home-page Tacos Escobar - https://www.tacoescobarlv.com/hours-and-location/ Ellis Island pit boss - https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/a-gentleman-to-everyone-beloved-casino-workers-career-spanned-nearly-7-decades-3828927/ Vegas Loop firetruck - https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/clark-county/vegas-loop-expansion-ready-to-explode-with-countys-adoption-of-ordinance-3826639/  Caesars purchase - https://investor.caesars.com/news-releases/news-release-details/caesars-entertainment-enters-agreement-be-acquired-fertitta