Latest / Vegas Revealed / Vegas Visitors Enjoy the Strip and the Deals | Ep. 21

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Vegas Visitors Enjoy the Strip and the Deals | Ep. 21 · Vegas Revealed

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome everyone to Vegas Revealed episode 21.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_04: We are out and about on the strip today, isn't this fun, John?
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're walking around talking to tourists to get their first hand account of what it's like in Las Vegas now that the town's opened up again.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and we also asked the burning question, are the slots loose?
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_03: I won a hundred dollars and I didn't pay for I was twenty dollars and I won a hundred, so I was good.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Coming up on Vegas Revealed.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: This is Vegas Revealed, and we are talking travel with Expedia coming up, the Las Vegas trends, the flexibility, and what has changed since the pandemic took over.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for being here with us today.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Sean McAllister.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm Dana Roselli.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you're gonna notice some changes when you go to book your next flight, your next hotel.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_04: It's a great interview coming up shortly.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_04: Plus, we met a few tourists on the strip that we talked to.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_04: One was here because she was feeling all cooped up in California.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_04: The other was here with his girlfriend, which is nice, doing uh she's doing some business in town.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_04: So it was fun to chat with both of them, and we're gonna tell you what they had to say about their experience here in Las Vegas in a little bit.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and Dana, you uh had some friends in town also, so you were able to experience a bit of the strip kind of from a uh tourist point of view, so I can't wait to hear all about that.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and you did a little venture out on the strip as well, right?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: And you walked it even.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I did.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: And it I there are there are some observations that I was very uh pleased with and some that left some uh uh where things could be improved a bit.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think we both have a lot of notes in both directions, so we're gonna chat about that in a minute.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_04: First, it was a lot of fun.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, things felt the same, other things felt different, and we wanted to get a take from, you know, kind of the tourist perspective as well, not just us.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_04: So we want to introduce you to Teresa.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_04: She drove in with her family from California, and we talked to her outside of a souvenir shop, and here's what she had to say.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, for us, yeah, we live in the high desert, but we needed to get out.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: We were going crazy.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: We were just going crazy.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: It was getting 95, 99, I think it was 103 the day we left.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: We're done.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: Now, do you guys usually visit Las Vegas normally?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we come up here just but everything, it seems like everything's just slowly like opening up.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: So we went to downtown and there's nothing open.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_03: So we're like, okay, well, we can't walk here.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: So we came down here, and then when the kids wanted to walk along the strip and stuff, and then we went to Treasure Island.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna go to Mirage and walk down there.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_03: But there's not a lot to do.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's like everything shut down, some of the um entertainment things.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's a thing called the void or something like that.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_03: And we wanted to go on that, and we said it was closed today, so and we're leaving tomorrow.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: So where are you staying?
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're over at the um Boulder Station.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, how is it over there?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's like does it feel that yesterday?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: It was it was pretty crowded.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: I was surprised, and there was a lot of people with kids.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I was just telling my daughter, she texted me and she says, Is it crowded over there?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: I said, No, but there's a lot of kids, people with kids, because we're going insane.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, like I said, I have my five kids plus my grandson.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_03: We had to get out.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: We're going crazy.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: It just we have I mean, there's only so much you can take and you've got to do something.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's only so much football you can throw, so much baseball you can have a little game with, but no, we had to get out.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_03: And you guys are wearing masks, you feel safe.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean I don't think I it I tell the kids if there's somebody without a mask, steer walk around them because they're not protecting themselves from me if they sneeze.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: And I had a lady sneeze on me and I was so so mad.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_03: I was so mad.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_03: I had to go in the bathroom and wash off because I was so mad.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um but yeah, I mean, if as long as somebody's taking care of themselves and protecting, I I don't see why we can't just be cautious about it, really.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and I honestly I think in my husband and I and my older son, I think we honestly had it because we had that stupid cough back in January, and we had a not a big fever but a low-grade fever, but we were like lethargic, we our bodies would not move, and that was for about I don't want to say about three weeks at least.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: That was back in January before all this started coming out, and then we started thinking, God, did we have it?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: We must have because my son and I went to to um Las Lara to uh Florida, and that was one of the hardest hit places, and we had just come back from a football camp, and there were people over there that were doing that sick cough thing, and we're like, guys, people have allergies over here or what?
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: And so we didn't know what was going on, and then we came home and it wasn't very long after that that we got sick.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_03: So I don't know, you know, anything could have happened, you just never know.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: But I feel good, my kids feel good, my kids are cautious.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: I've got you see, I have my own sanitizer right here.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: Put the sanitizer on.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: You're ready.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: You know what?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: The hotels are really good, they have wipies.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, most of them I know the Boulder Station does, they have door wipes where you pull them out and you can push the buttons and everything, and then they have sanitizers everywhere.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_03: So, and if you want, like if I went and sat down and played a couple machines and they come over there and they wipe them for you and clean them.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_03: I would just say, just come prepared.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Come with your own sanitizer.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_03: When we got into the hotel room, we brought our own wipees, we brought our own disinfectant, our own Lysol can spray.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: Before my kids were allowed to touch anything, I went in.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_03: I know they clean them and they put a sanitized on the room, but we went in and we I wiped down everything again just to make sure.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: And then I felt comfortable, you know, and even on the bedspreads, I sprayed it with Lysol.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I was happy, I was like good.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, we've been here a few days, so we're not coughing and happy.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: So I guess we're okay.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_03: Good to go.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, I would tell everybody just make sure you're cautious.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and don't touch everything.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we're in a souvenir shop right now.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_03: My kids are touching, I'm sanitizing the heck out of them after they touch.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: So and Dana, didn't you love that Teresa had her little pump bottle of hand sanitizer shoved in her pocket?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was it was hilarious.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_04: The pump was sticking out, the bottle was in her pocket, she was rearing to go.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was like a sanitizer holster she had going on there.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's what I was trying to think of.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And we also spoke with Chris from Nashville.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: His girlfriend had to come here to Las Vegas for work, and he tagged along for a little R.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: This was his first time here in Las Vegas.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh supposedly it's pretty cool.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: She's been here several times, so we've been able to go around and see a lot of the stuff without any uh huge crowds or anything.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: We went and saw the fountains last night and we were able to like walk right up, so that was pretty cool.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_04: Have you done any gambling?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a little bit.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just uh I mean uh uh first night in, I just played some of the slots.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm about to go try to do some craps, maybe some poker, uh have a little fun doing that.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_04: And do you feel safe?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_04: Do you I mean, because a lot of people are like, oh, you know, people we're in masks, there's enough sanitizer, all that kind of thing.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I feel perfectly safe.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I I haven't seen any issues.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: I looked at the uh the current daily cases for COVID and they're uh like very low here, so I wasn't worried.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I am a little concerned maybe like further on with more international travel it might uh spike up again, but you know, it's just something to be on the lookout for.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: But right now I'm having a lot of fun, beautiful weather.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's gorgeous, right?
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_04: Now where are you staying?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh right now we're staying uh we stayed in the Hilton uh Grand Vacation last night, and then tonight we're staying at the MGM Grand because the rooms are super cheap there, so it was a good opportunity to get to stay in a cool place for a cheap rate.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you won't get that rate probably again anytime soon.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I don't think so.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure as uh as soon as everything picks up, uh people will start uh like visiting more and then the rates will go up with that.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_04: So now did you hit the pool at all?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh no, no, and as I'm thinking about on the way back, I've been walking around all over.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm starting to get pretty sweaty, so definitely pools on the agenda for today.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_04: And how about everyone where you are?
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_04: Like, is everyone do you notice a lot of people just kind of living life normal, or is everyone masked up and sanitizer?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: So where I'm at, you know, it's it's kind of gone back and forth.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there was a period where everybody was walking around with masks, then I noticed a lot fewer masks, and then the masks were back up again.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's just, you know, part of all the craziness going on in the world right now, you know, there's people are just generally paranoid.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just trying to stay neutral, present, and just enjoy life.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, if you're fearful, you're not enjoying life.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: So what would you say to anybody who's considering coming to Vegas?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Come on down, it's a lot of fun.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he just had a smile on his face and he was happy to be here, Chris.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, ready to hit the pool, as we heard.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that uh that's something that that you did, Dana.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I did.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_04: My I had a friend in um visiting, he is from New York City, and so boy, they've been shut down even longer than we had, and so he just needed to get out.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but he's been working in Florida because he does um live streams from there.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_04: And so um, after being there for a while, he thought, let me come to Vegas for the weekend.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and he was staying at the win.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_04: So we went over to the pool.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_04: You know, the Encore Beach Club is normally, you know, pool parties all summer long, but not allowed to have pool parties this year.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_04: So um, they've opened it up for just, you know, regular guests.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_04: So we went to that portion because a lot of times you don't really get to get in there without all the busyness of it.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_04: So really beautiful inside.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, we made reservations for chairs.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: So you have to reserve just even a lounge chair.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_04: It's free, but you have to, you know, let them know that you're coming.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, waitresses were all masked, tons of staff um all masked and cleaning the pool, cleaning cups up.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, drinks came in plastic cups with a wrapped straw.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: So there were a lot of precautions taken.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_04: People were separated, the chairs were set in twos.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_04: And then when you were in the pool, everyone was very respectful of different group space.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_04: So there was definitely space in between.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, something funny uh that I post a little bit on social media was they did have like a staff member there carrying around this like flotation noodle.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_04: You know, those noodles that you put in the pool and they float and they're long.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_04: Well, he had one.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: And apparently one of the waitresses was telling us it's to, it's like a six feet indicator.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_04: So like if you hold it out, you can tell if people are really being six feet feet apart.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_04: So it was like the six feet social distancing noodle.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: And that's hilarious.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_04: I know it was so funny because we were like, oh my gosh, what a good idea.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_04: But he circled that pool all morning, all night, all day long.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_04: I tell you, that was his job.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, we were laughing because we didn't really see him have to use it.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_04: So we were joking, we're like, this is a showpiece, this isn't real.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_04: But I mean, luckily he didn't have to use it because everyone was pretty much doing the distancing on their own.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_04: So um, but it was funny.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they had the six feet noodle.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_04: They weren't messing around there at the Encore Beach Club.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and let me ask you this.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: I know that um, you know, day clubs as we've come to know them here in Las Vegas, that scene isn't happening right now.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned there was still a lot of space uh out at the pool, but were there still the girls showing up in full hair and makeup, a bikini and high heels?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah, there was lots of uh Instagram influencers there getting their picture taken in the pool, posing.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_04: We were watching that go down.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_04: There's plenty of people watching still available, FYI.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, good.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we don't want that to go away.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_04: No, we don't.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_04: We don't, that's for sure.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, that was a lot of fun.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_04: I also went to the Mayfair Supper Club at the Bellagio, and that was great.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_04: The booths had plexiglass in between them, so you were separated from the party that was sitting next to you.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_04: So you were able to have uh that full restaurant experience with the separation.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_04: They did have entertainment uh in the middle, and the band was masked.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_04: Um, the singers were on the stage, they were not because they were singing, obviously.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but you know, they would come on and off, and it was it was just a great vibe.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_04: And then the fountains were going off, and uh the experience was you know socially distanced, but still felt like togetherness.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_04: That's the best way to explain it.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_04: So so that was cool.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_04: And then people are going, well, is entertainment back?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_04: Is entertainment back?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, no, you're allowed to have entertainment.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_04: We talked about this last week, as long as it's not a ticketed event and all as long as you're being safe.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_04: So that was one example of that that I saw.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_04: The blaggio was great.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_04: I love the sinks um in the middle of the casino because even I gambled a little bit and I was sitting down and I noticed I had kind of my elbow up on the resting.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_04: And so after I went and washed my hands and I was able to, you know, use some soap, water, wash all the way up to my elbow, a nice dry-off, and felt like good when I was about to get in my car and drive home.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_04: So there were not a lot of people in masks, I must say, a lot of patrons, because people were, you know, um drinking and talking with each other and things like that.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_04: The plexiglass in between the tables um at the table games seemed to work because I when people would win, there would still be the cheering and the excitement, and people just seemed so happy to be out and be gambling.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_04: So that was good.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_04: And Sean, I know you said that that was something that you really noticed as well, is people just are not wearing masks inside the hotels and casinos and even the fashion show mall when you were there.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because that's what uh we went down to um do a little bit of shopping at uh fashion show and inside the mall there, I would say 95% of people, um, and this was on Saturday, um, ninety-five percent of people were not wearing a mask, which I thought was a little surprising given that it was um indoors.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think in an outdoor space it's it's you know it's understandable, especially um given the heat and everything.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: But uh indoors, I don't know, I feel like people would be more inclined, especially when they're waiting in line to get into stores, because stores can only have a certain uh number of people inside of them, so there's a line for most of the stores.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um you can't just pack them.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, very few masks there.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then we um walked up the strip a little bit.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: We uh stopped into Treasure Island.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and you said that was not the best as far as safety went, right?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Surprised.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um first of all, very few face masks from the patrons, the workers were wearing face masks, um, but I did not see the dividers that you talked about at the Bellagio, the table games were cut down to three chairs, but there were no plastic dividers.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um there were some added saniti hand sanitizer stations um throughout, which is good, but I didn't see I not to say that it wasn't there, but I did not see somebody like going around and actively um cleaning machines once people were done playing.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: So with the absence of face masks from uh the patrons, not seeing somebody who was wiping down machines, and not seeing the plexiglass, um you know, that wasn't the that wasn't what I uh was expecting to see or nor was it what I had hoped to see.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um a little bit different.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: We we kept on going down to Caesar's Palace, and there were some definitely uh more of those precautions that that you'd mentioned um that are in place at Caesars.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it really is property by property, and you know, uh Treasure Island is not owned by uh MGM Resorts or Caesars Entertainment.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's a another uh operator.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, understandably, I guess there would be different procedures there, but um, yeah, I don't know.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: I was I was a little surprised that that the standards weren't kind of as high as other other places there.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_04: Right, yeah.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I must say the wind was very welcoming and friendly, and and there was sanitizer at every single corner that you turned.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_04: Same thing with Bellagio, really.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_04: And they were handing out masks if you needed it.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so I felt like both those properties did a really, really good job.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_04: And they did have the every other machine with a sign up that said, you know, this machine is is not operating for safety.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: So um, for and there were a lot of people cleaning as well.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_04: So so that was good.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_04: Although, you know, it was regardless, full of people.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_04: You know, there were people out there, were people enjoying life and eating and gambling, and the restaurants were full, and you know, full as full as they could be, as full as they were allowed to be.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_04: So um, you know, if if you're ready to do it, and it seems like a lot of people are, then again, like we've talked about in the past, it's choice, and there are precautions in place that I think will probably stick for a long time, if not forever.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_04: Why not have a sless sink in the middle of the casino to wash your hands, right?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a good point.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: And and it really is a stark contrast to a couple weeks ago.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we rented bikes and taken a bike ride up the empty strip one weekend, and now being back uh a couple weeks later and seeing visitors, those yardstick margaritas are back, the music that's pumping out from the properties is back.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: There is definitely a vibe that has returned to Las Vegas, not quite to the extent that it was before the the shutdown, but that vibe is back, it's there.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's definitely an atmosphere of people wanting to come here and let loose a little bit.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, and we have a great um interview coming up with Expedia, but one thing I did want to mention is the experience, like you said, the vibe is back, people are back, and it's it's full of people, but it's not to the extent so many people that we were chatting with were saying, you know what, I kind of like this kind of Vegas.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_04: I don't feel so stressed out with so many people and so many things to do and places to get to that it feels a little bit more relaxed, a little bit more social, a little bit more personal.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_04: And so, you know, we don't know how long it's gonna stay this way.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, we don't want it to stay slower than normal, but if that's something that you're looking for, now might be a good time to come.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: And if you are looking for, you know, a good time with a few less people, there could also be some great travel deals to get you here.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: Coming up next on Vegas Revealed, we're talking with experts from the travel booking site Expedia about what you should be looking for right now.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for listening to Vegas Revealed.
• 18:19
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• 18:22
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• 18:24
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• 18:28
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• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: and around the world.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you can always find video interviews, content at Vegasrevealed.com.
• 18:40
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• 18:44
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• 18:45
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• 18:47
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• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have an idea or a question for us, you can email us at ideas at vegas-revealed.com.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_04: All right, everyone, welcome back.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_04: We are ready to talk travel.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_04: I'm actually at the wind while we're recording this interview.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_04: I'm excited because we're doing a travel interview with Expedia Sean, and I just happen to be embracing the Las Vegas drip.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I love that.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: How perfect.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: We're uh joined today by Nizrina Tasi, who's senior director of global public relations and social media at the travel booking company Xpedia.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: She's also host of Expedia's podcast called Out Travel the System.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: Nizreen, how are you?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: I'm doing well.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for having me on the show.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Very exciting topic.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_04: It is exciting, and you know, I think a people are excited to be talking about traveling again.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_04: And so we wanted to chat with you first uh and foremost about kind of you know Las Vegas, but also we just kind of want to get an overall picture.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: How is the travel industry looking right now?
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's definitely not where it was, you know, pre-COVID-19, but every single week we are seeing it starting to pick up, I think, um, from a both from a bookings perspective, but also from a search perspective.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: I think last month for July trips, when we looked at our search data, it there was an average gain of 20% week on week of more and more people just looking at booking trips for July.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: So clearly that intent is rising, and clearly people are just getting more comfortable with um exploring some summer vacations, which you know, which we love.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's obviously a very confusing time.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: I think there's a lot of uncertainty, but travel is one of those things that um is always around, and we know travelers are incredibly resilient.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: So while the industry obviously still has some ways to go before it's completely back to normal, we're definitely seeing some positive light.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's definitely encouraging news, especially uh for a city like Las Vegas.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, our the bulk of our economy is based on travel and tourism.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: And and and specifically in regard to uh our city, have you seen uh uh a uh growth in interest in Las Vegas since uh casinos have started to reopen?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_02: We absolutely have.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um Vegas has actually always been one of our top destinations for our travelers.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and so it's not surprising for us to see it start to recover faster than some of the other destinations have in terms of booking.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: In fact, we're now seeing, you know, week over week in increase in room night volumes in terms of bookings, and hotels like the MGM are even you know escalating their opening days sooner because they're trying to match the demand that they just didn't necessarily anticipate coming so quickly.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, back in April, we looked at uh, you know, just what people were searching for and um going into May as well.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Vegas was one of our top five most search destinations for flight and hotel booking.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: So Americans are definitely looking to take those trips, and it's clear that each week they're searching more and more, and they're actually booking more and more.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and when we when we talk about Las Vegas, um obviously the city's put in, you know, many, many measures as far as um making people, you know, to make people feel safe coming here.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um, can you talk about some of that and and how you guys also help push that too when people are on Expedia booking vacations?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: I think you know, everyone's got to make decisions that make themselves the most comfortable.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_02: So we try to look at all of the key, you know, areas where we feel like our travelers are telling us that they're the most concerned about.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_02: And some of those things are, you know, first and foremost, flexibility, right?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: These again, I as I mentioned, these times are a bit uncertain.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so you don't know what's going to happen, you know, a week from now, or let alone a couple a couple of weeks from now.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: So what we've been trying to do is really surface the hotel and flight options that have the most flexibility for you.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: We've added filters as well.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_02: So some of the airlines have sort of added in new terms and conditions where they'll allow changes, you know, one or two times before your trip with no penalty fees, which is really great.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: So we've given that option so you can actually sort by those airlines now, which is a new feature that we have that we're really excited about.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: I think, in addition, we're trying to make it really clear what type of airfare you're booking.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when basic economy flights first came out and those types of saber fares, I think it was really confusing for travelers to really understand sort of what the limitations of that ticket were in terms of no carry-ons or no absolutely no changes.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_02: So we're trying to surface those restrictions much more clearer for the travelers so that they have a really solid understanding of the type of fare that they're purchasing.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: And the other piece that's really a focus to customers is that cleanliness and hygiene factor, right?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: Especially when it comes to the hotels.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we have we created a survey that we send to all of our hotel partners that ask them to sort of fill out all of the different measures that they're taking.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: So that information is actually now going to be featured when you go and look at some of the details and the amenities of the hotels that we're offering, you'll be able to see how some of the hotels are going above and beyond from a cleanliness perspective.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: I know some of the resorts like the Bellagio and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas are actually even giving guests sort of these free swag bags with resort-branded face masks, basks, tiny bottles of hand sanitizer, or you know, even special tools to help guests like open the doors and push buttons without touching.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: So they're definitely taking steps to help customers feel more comfortable.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: And isn't it interesting that that there's this shift happening in the travel and hospitality industry right now that you know, where just really a few months ago, um, properties were rated based on uh the the types of accommodations they have and uh the quality of the restaurants that are inside the properties.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: And now all of a sudden it it's all about cleanliness and how safe these properties can make you feel.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: And even, you know, especially for Las Vegas, when you choose your hotel because you want to go to the nightclub that's there, or you really like the casino, or you're choosing it because the show or the pool is there.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_02: But now people are, you know, searching for these different types of amenities and different types of attributes.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_02: And we actually went and we looked through um all of the types of reviews that we've been getting for the hotels recently, and we actually noticed that you know, when looked at the qualified reviews for for Vegas, it was the destination that had the most um mentions of spotless or good housekeeping or, you know, very, very clean.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: So Vegas in itself was actually ranking really high in terms of cleanliness already.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: So it's really good to see these hotels really take these extra steps because they understand the um, you know, the the nature of the environment that we're in right now.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: They want to help travelers feel reassured while also enjoying themselves and taking that vacation.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_04: And it's interesting when you when you talk about just kind of um all of that, and then going back to what you had mentioned before about um even when you're booking things on Xpedia or you're looking for that perfect trip when you were talking about the basic fare and then this, it all became very complicated.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_04: And and just like you mentioned, I was on Expedia looking for a plane ticket home, and I noticed so much uh so many different things that offered flexibility.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_04: And do you feel like really right now the travel industry has to offer flexibility in order for people to feel confident to book a trip?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: They are table stakes.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, I was talking to a colleague about this when COVID first hit.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, before a lot of travelers sort of felt like there was no flexibility in the travel industry, right?
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_02: You you couldn't make changes, or if you spelled your name wrong, it was a whole big ordeal to get that adjusted.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_02: And we were sort of at the mercy of the airlines or the hoteliers and things like that.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: But now that flexibility is table stakes, right?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, customers are are not going to accept anything less because that's the current state of the travel industry right now.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_02: So it's really great to see that.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and it kind of feels like the tables are turning in the favor of the traveler almost to a certain extent.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, it's a it's a really complicated industry, and it's really great to see partners recognizing that and making these adjustments to to uh accommodate the new demands.
• 27:57
  unknown: Yeah.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: And Nizreen, in addition to the information that we find on um the Xpedia app or online, uh you also have a podcast that we mentioned off the top here called Out Travel the System, where you have some uh really uh great advice and insights on uh how to travel and um some uh really good information about specific destinations.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we do.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, the reason why we called it Out Travel the System was because we recognized that we there are 40,000 and you know, sort of travel enthusiasts that are working at our company.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_02: And we have access to not only the data, but the sort of inner workings of what's going on with the airlines and the hoteliers and the industry as a whole, that you know, we felt like can actually really give travelers that advantage.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: And we wanted to give them the opportunity to sort of get that peek under the hood and to sort of reveal all these sort of secrets or debunk any myths that people had.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: So out traveling the system is really all about giving travelers the edge that they need, where you know, I think again, they felt like maybe the um, you know, the airlines or the hoteliers had the upper hand where we're trying to actually give the traveler the upper hand with the podcast.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_04: That's really cool.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_04: And maybe something you can chat about.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_04: But this weekend, um, like I mentioned um to you offline, I have a friend staying here and and he was saying he's been talking to so many other uh tourists and visitors to say, you know what, this whole calmer kind of Vegas is kind of a nice change because I don't feel pressure to go do everything.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_04: It's like I don't have to be at a show by seven o'clock and and and fit in my dinner reservations and rush here and rush there.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_04: And so, I mean, that could be, you know, maybe even an advantage to some people is kind of like a little bit more about living back in Vegas to be able to enjoy some of the things that you didn't really get to put all your eggs in one basket before.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think, you know, especially with Vegas, it's all about managing expectations now, right?
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: So that the types of vacations you're gonna have and the types of um, you know, trips that are are happening nowadays are gonna be different and the environment's gonna be different at the destination.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: So Vegas is gonna have thinner crowds, right?
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the nightclubs are closed, the restaurants, you know, are gonna have different types of seating.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_02: So as long as you go in, sort of knowing and having a solid understanding of what um what it's gonna be like and what that what that new sort of environment's going to be, I think you can have a really fantastic trip.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: I know I every time I talk to one of my friends about Las Vegas, it's always like, oh my God, this is gonna be such an overwhelming weekend, so much to do, the crowds, you know, we need to make sure that we get access here and there ahead of time.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I can see how it would be very relaxing and refreshing to not have to really worry about that as much because that adds a lot of stress to the booking process, I think, when you've also got to take into account, you know, getting tickets for shows and and those types of things.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_02: So I can I can definitely see how it'll give you the opportunity to also explore a different side of Las Vegas as well that you might normally not do because you know, so I I have been guilty of this as well, where I go and I'm like, I don't even know if I've left my hotel all weekend long, right?
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: Because they put everything in these hotels for you so you don't have to leave.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: But it might actually give you a chance to, you know, take a step outside and and go and see different parts sort of off the strip that you might not necessarily have experienced in a normal sort of travel time.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and to that point, I'm looking at a a review that was posted on the Las Vegas page of expedia.com uh from Lynn.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: This is just within the past week.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: And uh she says that it's very quiet after reopening, but it was nice not being elbow deep in crowds, not having to wait for lunch or drinks.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: And she says that uh the staff has been super friendly too.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of an opportunity uh for these properties to make a new first impression with travelers.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's a great, that's a really great point for sure.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, listen, we love our shows, we love our excitement, we love our crowds, but you know, if we've got to ease into something, you always have to look at, well, the bright side, you know.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, I didn't tell you this earlier, but I didn't want to tell you before the interview, but I am an Expedia fan and I am a uh points member, and I book all my travel through Expedia.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm a big cheerleader of your site.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_04: I love it.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: Good, good, good.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_02: We I love to hear that.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: I love to hear that.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's amazing.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_04: Always been a staple, yeah.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, there's different ways that people can book, and Expedia is definitely one of them.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_04: And you guys often have Vegas deals on there, right?
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_02: Specials and things like that.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: And we, you know, we took a look at um some of the deals for Las Vegas, sort of right before I came on the show.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: We um, I know you guys mentioned that most of your listeners are from Los Angeles, and we are actually seeing some amazing, amazing deals out there.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, if we were looking at July 4th weekend, sort of that Friday to Sunday, two nights, you can get a round trip flight from LA to Las Vegas for$334.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm even seeing a Delta flight that's$114.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's it's actually quite amazing.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_02: And um, we took a look at some of our top hotels and saw what their average daily room nights were.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and they're about 40% cheaper than they were last year.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: So there are some amazing deals out there to be had.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um and if you're if you're ready to sort of have a bit of a different experience, if you're ready to, you know, wear the mask, sanitize your hands, you know, practice social distancing, I think you can see some really great parts of the country on a you know on a much smaller budget than if it were last summer.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think summer travel in the United States is a such a popular time.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_02: It's definitely more expensive.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: There are definitely more crowds.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_02: So I love I'd love to encourage people to sort of think of this as a as an opportunity to uh you know experience experience the states, experience Las Vegas um under a different lens.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, listen, Nizreen, you're gonna have to uh hit us up next time uh you come out to uh do the strip.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: I will, absolutely, absolutely.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: I'll I'll talk to you guys for tips.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: Excellent.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: Nizrina Tasi, Senior Director of Global Public Relations and Social Media at Expedia, also the host of Expedia's travel podcast called Out Travel the System.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_01: Nizreen, thank you so much.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: And Vegas Revealed, we'll be right back with our two tips.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, it's time for Dana and Sean's secret tips.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_04: And we've got a couple places that you can go for information that you'll want to know about.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_04: Something I talked about earlier was my trip to the win this weekend.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_04: And I wanted to let people know there's an actual website called winsocial.com.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_04: So it's w ynnsocial.com.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_04: And that's where you can go to book a reservation at the pool, the Encore Beach Club Pool.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_04: If you want to reserve a chair for free, you can do that online.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_04: And they also have a lounge open there called the Intrigue Lounge, uh, which has great booths and a bar and beautiful fountains and colors and a little lake in there, um, beautiful area that they have open if you want to go for drinks and meet some friends.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_04: And you can make a reservation there for free too.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_04: So you want to book these ahead of time so that they know you're coming for spacing, but you can do that online as well.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_04: And that way you go in, you say, Hey, I'm here, Dana Roselli got a reservation for three, and boom, you're right in the door.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_04: Nice and easy.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_04: Again, it's winsocial.com.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_04: So if you are local and you want to go to the strip or you're coming into town, go there first and make sure you're all set up so you don't have to have any worries.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so are they are they turning people away if they don't have a reservation or uh for for walk-ups?
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: Is it just based on availability?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_04: I think I want to say the pool one said that it you there was no walk-ins, like general admission allowed.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_04: You had to have a reservation.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_04: However, you know, if you get there and maybe there's room, I'm not sure how that works, but it was pretty full to the capacity as far as they could be.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_04: So I have a feeling there's not a lot of wiggle room and that you have to reserve and hold ahead of time.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: It's definitely the best way to go.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_04: I know for people at the Encore Beach Club, if you wanted to pay for, you know, what they call the lily pad that sits in the middle of the pool or you wanted a an area, a cabana or something, um, you might be able to purchase that when you're there because you're purchasing it.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_04: But just to secure your space, you need to do it ahead of time so that they can make sure that they're at 50% occupancy.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so just go ahead, be safe, make those reservations.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, another sign that we just talked about with Expedia for the demand of Las Vegas is the fact that even this past week we've had new resorts opening back up.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, MGM Resorts reopened Excalibur and the Luxor.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: Also, we saw Caesars Entertainment reopening the gaming floor and uh the food and beverage at the Link Hotel, which is right there across the street from Caesars Palace.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_01: We also know that come July 1st, there's also going to be additional openings.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: Mandalay Bay and Aria are uh set to reopen as well.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, what's the best place to stay on top of all these openings and the places to stay, what to do, where to go when you come to Las Vegas?
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there's a great site that you should bookmark.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's called VisitLosvegas.com.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it's kind of a one-stop shop for everything here in Las Vegas, whether it's meetings and conventions, uh, whether you're looking for hotels, you know, shows, food and drink, uh, experiences.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's all in one place on that website.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: Again, it's visitlosvegas.com.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: And they're keeping uh a running list of all the properties that have uh reopened and that are ready to welcome you back here to Las Vegas as well.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a great resource to uh keep right there at the top of your browser list.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because we do see so many people wanting to know the answers and specifics and specific dates and what time do they open.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_04: So this is a that's a great place.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_04: And before we go, I just have to say when you go on that site, you see the amazing new ad for Las Vegas.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_04: And wasn't that incredible?
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_04: They released it about a week ago.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_04: Everyone's been sharing it.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_04: What a spectacular, what is it, like 30 seconds, but it does the job, right?
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and this is the one that uh we're talking about is like where the the light switch flips on and you see the lights going on up the the Las Vegas strip, and then all of a sudden uh the whole strip is illuminated, and you know, as we mentioned, the vibe is back.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we are now open.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_04: So we talked about a lot of stuff today.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_04: It was fun talking with some people that were visiting Las Vegas.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_04: Keep coming in, and if you have any questions ever, hit us with an email, ideas at Vegas-Revealed.com, or you can contact us on any of our social sites, which are all Vegas Revealed.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and we will be back uh with a new episode next week on Vegas Revealed.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, we'll know by then if Las Vegas is a hub city for the NHL playoffs.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, I hope so.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_04: Have a great week.