Latest / Vegas Revealed / Head of Resorts World Answers our Questions about New Las Vegas Casino | Ep. 65

Transcript

Head of Resorts World Answers our Questions about New Las Vegas Casino | Ep. 65 · Vegas Revealed

• 0:00
  Dayna Roselli: Resorts World Revealed.
• 0:02
  Dayna Roselli: We talk with the president Scott Sabella this week on episode 65.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's the best project I've ever seen.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I'm here, but the way we've programmed, designed it, it's going to be special.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm more excited that we're opening at the right time to help the city recover faster.
• 0:18
  Sean McAllister: We reveal details for the first time about the actual setup of Resorts World and how the property is different.
• 0:25
  Sean McAllister: Plus, you will hear new information about entertainment, food and beverage, the shopping experience, and nightlife.
• 0:33
  Dayna Roselli: From the sounds of it, this property is gonna blow everyone away.
• 0:37
  Dayna Roselli: Let's spin the wheel and get right to it.
• 0:58
  Sean McAllister: And you know, there is excitement in Las Vegas.
• 1:01
  Sean McAllister: There's electricity, there is a buzz that is reverberating across the entire Las Vegas Valley, and for good reason, Dana.
• 1:09
  Dayna Roselli: And I love that you said electricity, because you know we're known for that, all our neon signs, right?
• 1:13
  Dayna Roselli: The the strip is electric, and that's how it should be.
• 1:17
  Dayna Roselli: So many announcements coming out and so much buzz about Resorts World.
• 1:21
  Dayna Roselli: And we are thrilled to have a guest on today that you and I were like kind of we're we're sitting here after the interview and our minds blown a little because we're like, we learned so much about Resorts World after we talked to the president.
• 1:34
  Sean McAllister: I mean, uh Scott Sabella is the president of Resorts World, and our conversation that you're gonna hear in just a couple minutes, uh we there were so many nuggets that have never been reported.
• 1:46
  Sean McAllister: And we got so much information about what the experience is gonna be like for guests when they step on property and how Resorts World is gonna be like no other property on the Las Vegas strip in terms of the experience that guests have.
• 2:01
  Dayna Roselli: I know.
• 2:02
  Dayna Roselli: The one thing that I really took away from it that Scott uh goes into is how it is different from other properties on the strip, and I love what he was explaining.
• 2:11
  Dayna Roselli: So we have all that coming up in just a little bit, but we want to get to some things that also happened this week, and one of them was the return of Cirque.
• 2:20
  Sean McAllister: Yes, Cirque du Soleil, of course, the world-famous performance troupe that has so many shows under its umbrella, but many right here on the Las Vegas Strip.
• 2:30
  Sean McAllister: They have announced the return of two of the tent pole shows, a Mysterio at Treasure Island and O over at Bellagio.
• 2:39
  Dayna Roselli: Both great shows.
• 2:40
  Dayna Roselli: We look forward to them returning to the stage.
• 2:43
  Dayna Roselli: I think during the whole COVID year, everyone wondered is you know Circ going to be able to come back and and hit the stage again.
• 2:50
  Dayna Roselli: And they're coming back July 1st, so not too long from now.
• 2:54
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, so that's uh Myster and O that are coming back the beginning of July.
• 2:58
  Sean McAllister: But even before that, another show that's under the Cirque umbrella is Blue Man Group.
• 3:04
  Sean McAllister: A lot of people didn't realize that Cirque had acquired Blue Man Group a few years ago.
• 3:09
  Sean McAllister: Uh Blue Man are back on stage drumming their pipes and splattering their paint and you know, just having the full sensory overload experience.
• 3:18
  Dayna Roselli: Staring at you in silence.
• 3:19
  Dayna Roselli: I always say when they stare at me in silence, I'm like, oh man, they're so right.
• 3:24
  Sean McAllister: And the marshmallow goo that shoots out of them.
• 3:26
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah.
• 3:27
  Sean McAllister: Uh so Blue Man Group back on stage at the Luxor starting June 24th.
• 3:32
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, such a great show.
• 3:34
  Dayna Roselli: So we're happy to hear all of this.
• 3:35
  Dayna Roselli: I had some friends in town this week, and they're saying, you know, I was looking around for shows, and I was noticing some were back, but you know, I'm looking forward to more choices.
• 3:45
  Dayna Roselli: And I think that's a big deal for Las Vegas.
• 3:49
  Sean McAllister: More choices are are definitely on the way as we uh head into the next few weeks and definitely the next couple months, once we get into summer, there's gonna be so many options, which uh, you know, it that makes the Vegas experience the Vegas experience.
• 4:06
  Sean McAllister: It makes it what it is.
• 4:08
  Sean McAllister: True.
• 4:08
  Dayna Roselli: And even my friends that were in town, they said I did things in Vegas this week that like I didn't do in the past or normally do because we had to kind of get creative and they they like they went to Area 15 and you know they're like that.
• 4:22
  Dayna Roselli: Obviously that wasn't there before, but they probably wouldn't have maybe ventured off the strip in the past.
• 4:26
  Dayna Roselli: But they're looking for activities.
• 4:29
  Sean McAllister: And and it's been an incredible opportunity for people to uh experience and even realize that there are a lot of activities in the outskirts of Las Vegas, a lot of outdoor activities that people maybe didn't you know associate with Las Vegas.
• 4:45
  Sean McAllister: The glitz and glamour, you know, the gaming and dining and retail that we always talk about.
• 4:50
  Sean McAllister: But there is a lot to do when you get off the strip, and people have been experiencing that fortunately.
• 4:55
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah.
• 4:55
  Dayna Roselli: And on June 24th, there's going to be a new place on the Las Vegas Strip, on the north end of the strip, which I think makes it even cooler because we've watched this go up for quite some time now.
• 5:06
  Sean McAllister: So it's not just Blue Man Group coming back on the June 24th?
• 5:09
  Dayna Roselli: No, Resorts World is going to be opening.
• 5:11
  Dayna Roselli: Uh, huge announcement.
• 5:12
  Dayna Roselli: We didn't have an official date in the past.
• 5:15
  Dayna Roselli: There was talk and this and that.
• 5:16
  Dayna Roselli: But June 24th is the official date that Resorts World will open.
• 5:21
  Sean McAllister: And yeah, Dana, we've had a lot of discussions uh off-air about Resorts World, but we've been a little hesitant to do a deep dive into everything that the property is going to offer until we nailed down that perfect insider who can give us all the dirt, all the good stuff, the juicy stuff about what the experience is going to be like over at Resorts World.
• 5:45
  Dayna Roselli: That's right.
• 5:46
  Dayna Roselli: We dialed up the president and said, What can you tell us?
• 5:48
  Dayna Roselli: And boy, he told us a lot.
• 5:50
  Sean McAllister: We got to him.
• 5:51
  Sean McAllister: Scott Sabella is the president of Resorts World.
• 5:54
  Sean McAllister: He has a long history here in Las Vegas.
• 5:56
  Sean McAllister: Not only did he grow up here, he went to school here, he worked his way up the ranks in the gaming industry here, a former executive at MGM Resorts, then moving over to Resorts World, this new property, the first new property on the Las Vegas Strip in over a decade.
• 6:14
  Sean McAllister: So Scott has been instrumental in forming what will be the new customer experience that Las Vegas visitors grow to know.
• 6:24
  Sean McAllister: So we went straight to the top at Resorts World to get all the good stuff.
• 6:29
  Dayna Roselli: Hey Scott, thanks for joining us.
• 6:31
  Sean McAllister: Thank you.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me today.
• 6:40
  Dayna Roselli: Are you getting nervous?
• 6:41
  Dayna Roselli: Are you excited?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a little bit of both.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a um a lot of work in the in the making, uh almost three years of construction.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: So to make these announcements this week was so exciting for us, uh, but scary at the same time, because now we're locked into June 24th, but we'll be ready and just really excited to introduce Resorts Road to the city of Las Vegas.
• 7:01
  Sean McAllister: Well, and you talk about these announcements uh that you've been rolling out over the last few weeks.
• 7:06
  Sean McAllister: The most recent was just this past week.
• 7:09
  Sean McAllister: You released this.
• 7:10
  Sean McAllister: I mean, it's a pretty awesome commercial that features Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, uh Zed, Tiesto.
• 7:19
  Sean McAllister: Are these faces that we are going uh to be expecting to see at the property in the near future?
• 7:27
  Sean McAllister: And I only ask that because entertainment announcements have not officially been released yet.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna hear a lot of more announcements next couple weeks, but I think with the commercial it shows that there are partners and there's a reason why they're in it.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you'll be excited to hear the news, but um I'll get in big trouble if I say something I shouldn't.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: But we're excited what you're gonna hear in the next week or two.
• 7:49
  Dayna Roselli: But that being said, I mean I know you plan to have world-class entertainment there.
• 7:52
  Dayna Roselli: That's part of it, right?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's part of it.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: We we plan on having some residencies that will be we don't I don't like that word.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: We still haven't found the right word because there are our partners.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So whoever we announce in the next couple weeks will be our partners for two or three years, maybe longer.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but it's more than just performing here.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna do a lot of other things.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: But um, they're gonna be part of our family.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll be endorsing our property when they're not playing and when they're playing.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: And to your point, at the same time, it's a 5,000 state-of-the-art theater, like no other in the city of Las Vegas, really nowhere when it comes to the technology with sound, lighting, uh, your 135 feet is the furthest seat from the stage, the high ceilings.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's just it's really incredible that when people see this theater.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, our goal is to always have entertainment in there, like you said.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: There'll be weekend in uh uh almost every weekend, there'll be some type of entertainment in the theater.
• 8:39
  Sean McAllister: And speaking of the theater, and you know, having Celine Dion now tied to your property, we know that I mean she built the Coliseum from the ground up over at Caesars Palace.
• 8:51
  Sean McAllister: Uh has have there been any single artists who have contributed to the design and the functionality of the theater that you're building at Resorts World?
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, first of all, I didn't tell you Celine was coming here.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: No, you didn't, but we're just you know the artists that we're gonna announce in the next couple weeks played a huge part in the design of the theater.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: They played a huge part in that commercial you saw the other day, that video.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: We we try to keep it as quiet as we possibly could, but you can imagine during COVID how we had to get all six of them.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: And those weren't green shots, and I read something yesterday that we they did all those in their homes, and then we put that together.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: That was a commercial shoot, an immersive uh commercial that really hasn't been done in this industry, and it was a lot of work.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: It was a big company out of New York, and we had to get them all in the same location in LA to do this.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: We did it in a week, um, but they all were part of all that too.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't just come do this.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: They they everybody had their their viewpoints and opinions, and and everybody worked together.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, Celine being the queen, you know, always make the final decision.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: But um uh but it was a great input from all of them.
• 9:55
  Dayna Roselli: And will people see that commercial all over the country, all over the world, or is it something that'll just sit online?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: No, you'll um you'll see that we're gonna air it this Sunday at the award show.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: That'll be the first time, and then you'll start seeing it everywhere.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we we kind of because of COVID and everybody being so sensitive, we we we we made a lot of great announcements uh in the last six months, but we try not to just overkill because of what's going on.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now that things are getting better, it's perfect timing for us.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And now you'll see in six months how we just opened the floodgates, and it's all about commercials, billboards, uh banners.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're everywhere, and then we really and this just kicked it off.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the the response we got yesterday was just overwhelming, all over the country and over the world, and exactly we didn't think it would be this good, and it's been so positive, and people love it, and it's just a start of what you'll see on TV now, starting this Sunday on the uh Oscar, right?
• 10:45
  Sean McAllister: And and that is a very cinematic commercial, so the Academy Award is a pretty fitting place to debut it.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: We almost we talked about the country music awards, but we thought that would be a perfect time to kick it off, so the timing was perfect.
• 10:58
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, it is perfect.
• 10:59
  Dayna Roselli: And I mean when you when you mentioned COVID, this year obviously has been challenging for so many, and I think people thought, like, uh, what's gonna stop, you know, and then and then you think like is resorts world gonna stop construction?
• 11:10
  Dayna Roselli: But you guys have been able to move ahead and this year uh give people something to look forward to.
• 11:15
  Dayna Roselli: And I know that has to feel good as a longtime resident of Las Vegas and you've worked here for so long.
• 11:20
  Dayna Roselli: It's gotta feel good for you to be able to announce something positive as we get toward the end of this.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that you said that because it meant a lot to our company.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: You're right, we never stopped construction.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: We got down to maybe 1,500 construction workers because we had to follow the guidelines, but we never even once talked about that we put the project on hold.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: We were fully funded from day one.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't have to raise more money, we're building it within budget.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: And our chairman and and the Ginting family from Malaysia stuck by us, and they really were excited that something good would come out of this.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: And you're right, that's I'm excited to what I did here because it's it's something that it's the best project I've ever seen, not because I'm here, but the way we programmed, designed it, it's gonna be special.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm more excited that we're opening at the right time to help the city recover faster.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when people see it start talking about it, it's just gonna be the good for the city.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: We're hiring all these new employees.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think you're right.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's really we're really proud that we never stopped.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now we have 5,000 workers on the job today, and um never stop.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm uh I appreciate that you said that.
• 12:24
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, it's great.
• 12:25
  Sean McAllister: And and being uh I mean, really transformative in the casino industry for so many years here, Scott, you've helped kind of define what modern Las Vegas is.
• 12:39
  Sean McAllister: Uh in this COVID time period, are there lessons that you personally learned about operation or staffing?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I appreciate you saying that.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm pretty good at spending money.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've been known for that in the past.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: But we we wanted to create something that that wasn't already done on the strip.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Not that we're any smarter, but it's been 11 years since the property at this level has opened, since Cosmo on the strip.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: And things have changed.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Technology and all these advancements, and the way you operate them have changed.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're still a gaming city, but a lot of our revenue comes from non-gaming.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're known for the best food in the world, the best entertainment, the best accommodations.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we took advantage of what would you do today?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I I really challenge my team every day, don't be traditional.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Let's don't do what we all learned up and down the strip.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not going to operate it like we used to operate these properties.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're where the job classifications are different, the way we laid the property out.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Example would be back in the days, you wanted someone to walk through the casino to get to the elevators because the casino was always trying to be top of mind.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's not how it should be anymore.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: So now when you check in in our property, the elevators are 30 seconds away.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Get checked into your room and then come experience what we're building.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of natural light in this building.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: All the restaurants are 90% of them have outdoor balconies, fresh air, natural light.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not about keeping it dark and just no clocks and you know things that we did many, many years ago.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's about creating a destination that that has great access to gaming and non-gaming patrons.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what I really learned is, and it's always been our top priority, is health and safety, is our number one concern for our employees and for our guests.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's just reinforced that that's gonna be top of mind for everybody going forward.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think we're gonna get past this, but I think we're all gonna be hesitant when we do things.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is it safe?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Is it clean?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we always talk about having the best air quality, how we clean the rooms, how we can let you interact with our our team members by your phone if you want to.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: So we we we took advantage of technology on checking in to ordering food that we'll have more gaming enhancements that nobody has in the world, because we've just taken advantage of what you can do.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: This casino will be somewhat cashless.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we're doing things that nobody's done up and down the strip because of their infrastructure maybe and the and the costs.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we're taking advantage of all that.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the the the customers will expect it because today what you can do with your mobile, and I think they'll appreciate it that we took advantage of that.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um so again, we're not a traditional some things gaming's gaming, you know, the odds are the same on a blackjack table, but how we create the experience for the guests, I think will be completely different than what I've done in the past up down the strip.
• 15:17
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, and and I was gonna say, what are the differences from other properties on this strip, but you just answered all the questions there.
• 15:23
  Dayna Roselli: I have a lot of friends that don't live in Las Vegas that say, well, tell me about resorts world.
• 15:27
  Dayna Roselli: You know, what's the hit, you know, what are some things that you think you want to point out?
• 15:30
  Dayna Roselli: We have listeners from all over the world uh that you want to point out to folks that are listening that if they come to Vegas, here's what you know you need to know about our property that, well, you already mentioned some of the things that make you different, but you know, that you want them to know.
• 15:42
  Dayna Roselli: I know there's a Hilton tie-in and all sorts of stuff.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: I I would say um we didn't want to just be a high-end luxury property.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't want to be a mid-level property, and then we don't want to be a property that just that there's up now the strip that just caters to the masses.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: We we want to cater to all those type of customers.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we truly are the I think of truly integrated property in the strip that has a 5,000 seat theater, seven swimming pools, 300,000 square feet of convention space, a nightlife experience um on the strip, and we have uh those three brands that bring the high-end luxury with our Crocsford, brings the luxury with the uh Conrad, and then you have the Hilton that steps mid-level.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not just like some of the people down the street where it's just luxury.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: We we want to survive off all types of customers.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want five-star dining, we have the best of the best.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: But if you want to go into our doghouse, it's a fun country bar with bands playing, the sports books in there, you can do that one night.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a type of property you can spend three days here and do something different every night and not even run into somebody over three days because we spread it out so much and we got the retail aspect to it.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we try to combine everything into one uh property, not easy to do because you know you have to market to those different categories.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but we think we're gonna pull it off.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: We know we will.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the difference where it's it could be one-stop shopping.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's a city within a city, is really what we try to create.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean you're not gonna leave because that's what Vegas is all about, but you don't have to.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: You could come here and feel comfortable if you do and not be intimidated that oh, they're all fancy five-star restaurants.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's not what we want to be.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you want that type of food experience, we have it for you.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I know it sounds a little bit corny, but everything to everybody is what we're trying to be.
• 17:20
  Sean McAllister: It's just so exciting.
• 17:21
  Sean McAllister: June 24th is uh the day that customers are going to get their first in-person glimpse at Resorts World.
• 17:29
  Sean McAllister: And um, before that, we want to ask you, uh, Scott, about some pronunciations for some of your partners and some of your venues.
• 17:38
  Sean McAllister: Because being longtime journalists here in Las Vegas, we want to get it right when we talk about it to our to our listeners.
• 17:46
  Dayna Roselli: All right, let's, yeah, here we go.
• 17:47
  Dayna Roselli: Here's the test for all of us, right?
• 17:49
  Dayna Roselli: First of all, the uh nightclub, the Zook group.
• 17:53
  Dayna Roselli: Am I saying it right?
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Zook.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just like you said it, Zook.
• 17:57
  Dayna Roselli: Zook.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: So Zook is Zook isn't a brand that we just created overnight.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: They're the number one uh nightlife brand in in Asia for the last five or ten years.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: We brought bring we're bringing them over from Asia.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's an established brand and and uh a brand that does things different than the we don't want the same nightlife that Vegas has been doing for for years.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna we we designed a room that we can program it differently, smaller, bigger, live music, DJs.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um the sky's the limit.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: We want to program that almost every night.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's the first nightclub that's literally on the Las Vegas strip.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then it connects to the day club.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: But you're right, Zook, just like you excited.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, how about the day club?
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that one took me a while too, so it's IU.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: IU, okay.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: A Y U.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: IU But A is pronounced IU.
• 18:45
  unknown: Okay.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: That one took me a while too.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it um again, we have that overseas, so we're bringing that night that brand here, and we're trying to create experience.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: It it's it's gonna be really exciting.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be um an outdoor area that it's inspired of we don't want you to feel like you're in Vegas.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: We want you to feel like you're in an oasis or somewhere uh uh where we take you out of this environment that we have and bring you into this cool image of a an oasis or somewhat of a jungle filled.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we've done overseas, and we're bringing that here to uh resorts world.
• 19:19
  Sean McAllister: And of course, you've already announced that uh Zed and Tiesto are uh going to be uh two of the prominent faces that are going to be staples at Zook and Ayu.
• 19:32
  Sean McAllister: Yes.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Got it right, and that's two, it's two of many.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um there's more announcements coming out.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: We love our lineup.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: We we you'll love that, and I'll spoil it now, but we we have so many women DJs, you know, I'll probably get in trouble.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: But we love what we're doing here.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're changing the way Vegas has done in the past.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the reason why we chose these two guys is because they're just not DJs here, they're part of ambassadors, too.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're part of the artists that you saw in that commercial.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: And Tieso's been with us along or with me at MGM and and Zed, and I think Zed has number one song out right now.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: But they're both you're gonna hear a lot about them when they're playing and not playing, and they'll be part of the property um on a daily basis.
• 20:10
  Dayna Roselli: And there it's huge, and I love.
• 20:11
  Dayna Roselli: I was even looking at Zed's Twitter, and I noticed he even changed his little bio, you know, that you know, now it resorts world.
• 20:16
  Dayna Roselli: He's proud of it, and which is always an amazing partnership.
• 20:20
  Sean McAllister: He's been great.
• 20:21
  Sean McAllister: And I mean, Scott, we could probably go on for an hour uh diving into everything that you announced on the food and beverage side and the retail side, but I want to cherry pick um from the announcements that you've made.
• 20:35
  Sean McAllister: Um, specifically on the food and beverage side, you announced Wally's, which got a lot of people excited.
• 20:42
  Sean McAllister: And on the retail side, Fred Siegel.
• 20:45
  Sean McAllister: Those are both uh West Coast staples.
• 20:48
  Sean McAllister: People are super excited that they'll now be accessible here in Las Vegas.
• 20:53
  Sean McAllister: Was that a calculated move to bring in visitors from the largest population center that's just a drive away?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it really was.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't easy because you guys know you've been here a while.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um Resorts World has been in the news for a long, long time.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I even before I joined the company, I didn't really know what was going on down the street here.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of people thought we're never gonna open.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: What's that big building?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like when, and you know, all this stuff.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, and we don't have a brand, we're we're not part of MGM or part of Caesars, so no one knew who we were.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't easy to go out and say we're building, well, who's Genting?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Who's Resorts World?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we really had to educate everybody, and um, Wally's was my number one choice.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: The other partners might get mad, but uh I Wally's has always talked about going to Vegas, no one could get them.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I met with Christian, so the owners and their board of directors, and it wasn't easy.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: I flew them here that night and we convinced them.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: I knew when I had Wally's that everybody was like, wow, if Wally's is going there, because you know Wally's it's it was one of our biggest announcements, and we're so excited to have Wally's.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: I we think I think it's gonna be the biggest draw for the locals.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: I really do.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you've been to Wally's, but the locals are gonna love it.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and we want to we want to be a local.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Property.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: So when we got Wally's, I knew it'd be easier.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then Fred Siegel was next, and he talked to Wally's.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're going there, it might be the right thing.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then and then we got Craig's.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you know if Craig's vegan LA.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we're doing Craig's little dessert, is vegan ice cream.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it really helped us.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: So Wally's played a big role in it.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: And when I got that, I think every CEO, CEO up and down the strip, like, how'd you do that?
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Because they were all working on it.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and so we're we were so happy to get that one.
• 22:25
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, an amazing lineup.
• 22:26
  Dayna Roselli: We're super excited as locals to be able to literally walk across the street and go to some of these places.
• 22:30
  Dayna Roselli: So something that, you know, there's always a lot of chatter and people speculate and stuff.
• 22:34
  Dayna Roselli: So what do you think?
• 22:35
  Dayna Roselli: As far as opening June 24th, can you let people know what will be open?
• 22:40
  Dayna Roselli: Are there any things that won't be open just yet we need to wait a little bit longer for, which is pretty much a normal thing when you open such a mega property?
• 22:48
  Dayna Roselli: And I know you're trying to get it open as soon as possible so people can get in there.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, great question.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: There won't be anything that we didn't announce that won't be open except the theater.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: The theater was added scope.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we weren't going to open with the theater when I first got here.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then we realized how important the theater was to being an integrated property.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: So the theater will come on board sometime in August, and then you'll hear some announcement in the next couple weeks who the first act will be and when they'll be performing.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: But everything else, and maybe the spa, and the spa we're so excited to talk about because it's not a traditional spa.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's something that the city's never seen.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's completely different, and I didn't, you know, we wanted it to be different.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: So when we announced that we're really excited, but I would say the spa might be a couple weeks behind, maybe, but everything else will be open.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: That was important to us, and that's why we kind of picked this date because we didn't want half the place to be open, boarded up, so everything else will be up and running when we open uh 224.
• 23:44
  Dayna Roselli: Great.
• 23:44
  Dayna Roselli: And and we haven't seen nightclubs open in a long time, and so your nightclub, you do plan to have that open, and I'm sure you'll have certain protocol in place, and we are going to 100% capacity by June 1st, so it should be okay.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: But what we decided to do is we're gonna open up with the day club.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: We've already got events planned and we're getting ready to start selling tickets.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: We have sold tickets for some of them, and then we decided that we're gonna bring the nightlife uh the nightclub to to life probably the end of the summer.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I see the nightclub opening.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: We'll announce that, but that will be later on.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: But the day club will be open when we do open that that next weekend.
• 24:22
  Sean McAllister: And uh Scott, does it just uh feel good to kind of be back to business in Las Vegas?
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it really does.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's just it's um we've always been optimistic.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I I my team's all you know, six months ago talking about putting up the shields and and putting dispensers around the property and distancing.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, stop.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: We gotta be optimistic.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: We'll follow that if it happens.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: We have to follow the guidelines, right?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna do our own thing, we'll do what we're told.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: But I just want people to be positive, and I think it's all positive now.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: Vegas needs to come back, and we need to, this city's all about celebrating, having fun, and that's what we're good at.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it does feel good.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: I wish I could say we timed it this on purpose, but we didn't, and we were opening anyway.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we were gonna open June 24th, but I'm we're really excited that things are getting better, and I hope they continue to get better throughout the country.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: But this city I think will rebound much faster than other cities because of we've proven that in the past.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's somewhat a Brazilian city for the best of what we do, and we're just glad that we're part of it.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: That resorts rules can help re-energize and get the city back to where it was, you know, faster than uh other places.
• 25:25
  Dayna Roselli: And it doesn't look like the win.
• 25:26
  Dayna Roselli: You're right.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: No, we didn't want to I think we're past that, but I think with the I love the red now.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um we're really you'll see a lot more red.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: We've got some cool things coming out that's gonna be fun.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: And and um we want to create a red when you see it, you think resorts world, and that's we're off to a good start with the.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think the building is is the exterior is just out, it's just beautiful.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, if you like the outside, the inside's even better.
• 25:49
  Dayna Roselli: Oh, we can't wait.
• 25:50
  Dayna Roselli: And listen, red red is our Vegas revealed color of our logo.
• 25:53
  Dayna Roselli: So if you ever want to put a podcast studio in there, we are happy to come in and host and interview.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're talking to some people now about building a podcast studio.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we love to have you.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's keep in touch about that.
• 26:06
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah.
• 26:08
  Dayna Roselli: Listen, we love having you on.
• 26:10
  Dayna Roselli: Anything else you want people to know?
• 26:12
  Dayna Roselli: Because I know sometimes you get asked all these questions.
• 26:14
  Dayna Roselli: Anything else that you want people to know about this property, about the work you put into it?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: I I think you asked some all the good questions.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, some great questions.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: I would just say that we're really excited.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um we're gonna open June 24th.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: More details to come.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: We'll probably open little later tonight for the public.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then starting um the next day, we'll start taking reservations and and and and I'm glad you asked those questions because it's not a ramp up.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's not half the place will be done, and and we're only gonna fill half the we're days are different.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: We know we're we worked hard, we got a great team, and we're gonna run this property and try to get to the full occupancy as fast as we can.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: But it it's you're never gonna hear me say, Oh, it's gonna take two years to build this place up.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have so much momentum and we're gonna take off right from the beginning.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope our competitors know that because we're coming after them.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 27:04
  Dayna Roselli: I love it.
• 27:05
  Dayna Roselli: Thanks for clearing that up.
• 27:06
  Dayna Roselli: It's so good to know, really.
• 27:07
  Dayna Roselli: I mean, you know, because people always love to come up with with questions and their take and this and that, and now we know from the source.
• 27:13
  Dayna Roselli: Yes.
• 27:15
  Sean McAllister: We are uh on pins and needles for for June 24th, the big grand opening of Resorts World.
• 27:21
  Sean McAllister: Uh the president of Resorts World, Scott Sabella, thank you so much for for taking the time.
• 27:25
  Sean McAllister: We know you're busy and we know you have a lot to get to.
• 27:28
  Sean McAllister: Uh, probably right this second.
• 27:30
  Sean McAllister: But thank you for your time.
• 27:31
  Sean McAllister: I really appreciate all your support.
• 27:32
  Sean McAllister: Thanks a lot.
• 27:33
  Sean McAllister: Good to see you, Scott.
• 27:34
  Dayna Roselli: Wow, we learned so much in that interview, and all of it is I'm looking forward to all of it.
• 27:40
  Sean McAllister: I know it's gonna be so amazing June 24th.
• 27:43
  Sean McAllister: Can't get here soon enough.
• 27:45
  Sean McAllister: But Dana, I want to mention something that I forgot to bring up in the interview, which I don't know how this spaced my mind as we were talking about all the entertainers, uh Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, uh Testo, Zed.
• 28:00
  Sean McAllister: There was a big name that I left off that list, and that's Katie Perry.
• 28:04
  Dayna Roselli: Right.
• 28:04
  Dayna Roselli: And what an array of artists.
• 28:06
  Dayna Roselli: They're all a little different.
• 28:07
  Sean McAllister: They are, and it's gonna be so good to have them be a part of uh the Resorts World family in whatever capacity.
• 28:16
  Sean McAllister: You know, we we we don't know just yet, but we kind of do know.
• 28:19
  Dayna Roselli: Exactly.
• 28:20
  Dayna Roselli: And listen, you know, interviews like this, Sean and I get really kind of excited and geek out about because, you know, we have been journalists, you know, for a very long time in New York and also in Las Vegas, but Las Vegas for 15 years, so we've watched resorts go up, we've watched uh resorts be in imploded, and we've been at openings, and it's kind of a part of our blood and a part of living here.
• 28:43
  Sean McAllister: And it's this is the kind of stuff that that really gets our blood pumping when we see things that are moving Las Vegas in a positive direction that are that's exciting people around the world about the city of Las Vegas.
• 28:59
  Sean McAllister: I think uh, you know, in the years that we've covered Las Vegas, uh I know that I kind of have seen myself as kind of taking on a role of uh a quasi-ambassador for the city too, because in knowing so much about what goes on here, people always ask about what's going on here.
• 29:19
  Sean McAllister: So, you know, it it's always great to have good new positive things to be able to share.
• 29:24
  Dayna Roselli: So true.
• 29:25
  Dayna Roselli: I mean, and just the same as you, I've had viewers from TV for years call me Las Vegas' biggest cheerleader, and I've always said, Hey, I'm all you know, I'm all for it.
• 29:33
  Dayna Roselli: But I always talk about you know the perks of living here, what's so great, and and there's a long list, and you know, I think during this year everyone was a little nervous, like, is Las Vegas going to be changed?
• 29:42
  Dayna Roselli: But it feels normal again.
• 29:44
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, and it was great to hear um from Scott Sabella about how this past year and uh the COVID pandemic really did kind of shape some of the decisions that they made in uh putting Resorts World together.
• 30:02
  Sean McAllister: Right.
• 30:02
  Sean McAllister: You know, it was already being built, but they had the luxury at that point of still being able to to make some changes.
• 30:10
  Sean McAllister: Um they still had the luxury at that point to still be able to implement some things that will be lasting changes and not retrofits and all that kind of stuff.
• 30:20
  Dayna Roselli: Exactly.
• 30:21
  Dayna Roselli: And you know, something else partially new is Allegiant Stadium.
• 30:25
  Dayna Roselli: The stadium has been complete, but you know, the general public hasn't really been able to get inside yet.
• 30:30
  Dayna Roselli: So it feels like it's a whole brand new thing as well.
• 30:33
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, unlike some other NFL teams, uh we have not had fans inside the stadium for our games.
• 30:41
  Sean McAllister: However, uh there have been some select, you know, season ticket holders who've gone through for tours and everything, but no fans actually there for that fan experience.
• 30:51
  Dayna Roselli: Right.
• 30:51
  Dayna Roselli: So it feels like we've got that as well opening.
• 30:54
  Dayna Roselli: And when we talk about football, you know, usually it's like end of summer or the the beginning of the fall, but we have a big concert that's happening there and has not been moved.
• 31:02
  Dayna Roselli: It's been moved many times, and we're talking about Garth Brooks, but for now, as far as we know, his July 10th show is on.
• 31:09
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, and so Garth Brooks was supposed to open Allegiant Stadium back uh last year, but obviously that those plans were blown out of the water.
• 31:20
  Sean McAllister: And then the as you mentioned, Dana, the concert was rescheduled several times, but July 10th is go time, and that should be the first major event inside Allegiant Stadium that fans are going to be welcomed for at capacity.
• 31:35
  Dayna Roselli: And you said you saw some tickets online, right?
• 31:38
  Sean McAllister: Oh, on secondary uh uh ticket sellers were had like the upper decks, like uh the farthest from the stage for two hundred dollars plus per seat.
• 31:50
  Sean McAllister: And then I think there are some tickets still left behind the stage, but you don't want to look at the back of his head the whole time.
• 31:57
  Dayna Roselli: No, no, not unless it's like 25 bucks.
• 31:59
  Dayna Roselli: I might want to be there for the ambiance, you know, and a beer or something like that.
• 32:04
  Dayna Roselli: Um but why don't we move into our tips?
• 32:06
  Dayna Roselli: Um, something that I wanted to talk about is comedy.
• 32:09
  Dayna Roselli: Comedy Cellar is back at the Rio.
• 32:12
  Dayna Roselli: They kicked off shows on April 17th.
• 32:14
  Dayna Roselli: They have 7 p.m.
• 32:15
  Dayna Roselli: and 9 30 performances.
• 32:17
  Dayna Roselli: And what I love about the Comedy Cellar, Sean, is it's a list of comedians.
• 32:22
  Dayna Roselli: They do their best 15 to 20 minute sets, and so they keep changing through the night, which is kind of cool.
• 32:27
  Dayna Roselli: You don't go see like just one person, you know, because some people like certain comedians, other people like, you know, in what kind of comedy that they do.
• 32:34
  Dayna Roselli: So it keeps you laughing the whole night long.
• 32:36
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, and uh this c the comedy cellar has that intimate comedy club feel to it also.
• 32:43
  Sean McAllister: So it's it's great for comedians and great for uh audience members too.
• 32:48
  Dayna Roselli: Right.
• 32:48
  Dayna Roselli: And I think we all need a good laugh after this year.
• 32:51
  Dayna Roselli: So that's why I picked it as a tip.
• 32:53
  Dayna Roselli: And I also have another tip for locals that live in Las Vegas.
• 32:56
  Dayna Roselli: You actually get$22 tickets plus fees by using the code CCVegas, okay?
• 33:04
  Dayna Roselli: CC stands for comedy seller, Vegas.
• 33:06
  Dayna Roselli: Put that in and you'll get a bit of a discount.
• 33:09
  Dayna Roselli: So that's always a good tip.
• 33:10
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, and but you'll probably need to show some kind of a Nevada ID at the box office just to prove it.
• 33:16
  Sean McAllister: Right.
• 33:16
  Sean McAllister: If any of you out-of-towners are trying to get the deal.
• 33:20
  Sean McAllister: Um another tip, Dana, is something that's brand new for us here at Vegas Revealed.
• 33:26
  Sean McAllister: We have just launched a Vegas Revealed store.
• 33:30
  Sean McAllister: And this is a store that's of course you can get all of your Vegas Revealed essentials like hoodies and t-shirts and hats and phone cases and stickers and magnets.
• 33:43
  Sean McAllister: Really, we've got everything under the sun.
• 33:45
  Sean McAllister: But it's really a place that we have designed to be your go-to source for all of your Las Vegas essentials before you head here for your vacation.
• 33:56
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, we've got some vintage style t-shirts on there, also some t-shirts that kind of have fun with, you know, if you got your vaccine or not.
• 34:04
  Dayna Roselli: And then, like Sean mentioned, you know, the hoodies and the coffee cups and everything for Vegas Revealed.
• 34:10
  Dayna Roselli: And I must say, it it looks really good.
• 34:12
  Dayna Roselli: And we we've ordered a bunch of stuff, and I'm super excited to get this gray hoodie with the Vegas Revealed logo on it.
• 34:18
  Sean McAllister: I know, super comfy, all the the merch that's on there.
• 34:22
  Sean McAllister: Um, and there are going to be uh more designs added regularly to the Vegas Revealed store.
• 34:29
  Sean McAllister: Just go to our show notes, and right there at the top, we have a link that'll take you directly to our brand new Vegas Revealed store.
• 34:37
  Sean McAllister: So click on there, check it out, and uh, you know, if something suits your fancy, maybe get something for yourself or give it as a gift to a fellow podcast aficionado.
• 34:48
  Dayna Roselli: Exactly.
• 34:49
  Dayna Roselli: And you know what?
• 34:49
  Dayna Roselli: Sean's great at creating design.
• 34:51
  Dayna Roselli: So if you have something you really, really want, email us ideas at vegas-revealed.com and we'll see if we can cook it up there and make it a t-shirt.
• 35:00
  Sean McAllister: Especially if it's something funny.
• 35:01
  Sean McAllister: If there's like a funny idea for a t-shirt.
• 35:04
  Dayna Roselli: Right.
• 35:04
  Sean McAllister: We can collab.
• 35:06
  Sean McAllister: So the kids are saying, right?
• 35:08
  Dayna Roselli: Oh my goodness.
• 35:08
  Dayna Roselli: Every time you post on Instagram, wanna collab, wanna collab.
• 35:12
  Dayna Roselli: Oh my goodness.
• 35:12
  Dayna Roselli: Well, anyway, we didn't do a poll this week.
• 35:14
  Dayna Roselli: Uh FYI, we understand that and we know how much you look forward to our exclusive poll, but we just loved our interview with Scott Sabella from Resorts World that we wanted to make sure to get all the information in there.
• 35:23
  Dayna Roselli: So again, thanks to Scott.
• 35:25
  Dayna Roselli: Again, Resorts World opens June 24th.
• 35:28
  Dayna Roselli: Stick with our social media, go to our YouTube, we're gonna post the video version of that interview as well.
• 35:34
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, and thanks for listening to Vegas Revealed as always, and we'll be back next week with more inside news and views from Las Vegas.
• 35:44
  Sean McAllister: We love to reveal.
• 35:46
  Sean McAllister: We got bills to pay.
• 35:47
  Sean McAllister: I'm fucking up a suitcase, let's take a holiday.