Cromwell’s casino and bar open without much fanfare

There’s been almost no publicity, but the casino at The Crom-well has opened. The new high-end resort at the center of the Las Vegas Strip debuted quietly last week in supersoft mode, but the casino games and big center bar are completely accessible to the public. The 188-room hotel is accommodating invited guests only until May 21, when it will open for public reservations. The entire resort, including Giada’s restaurant, Drai’s nightclub and the hotly anticipated rooftop pool, will open on Memorial Day weekend. The Cromwell was originally the Barbary Coast, then Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon, and was slated to reopen as the Gansevoort before an 11th-hour name change.

Sporting House closing: The Sporting House bar and restaurant at New York-New York will close in June to make way for two new restaurants: Shake Shack and Tom’s Urban. Both are part of the ongoing transformation of the facades at NY-NY and Monte Carlo.

Lobby bar: If the check-in lines are long at the Palms, you can buy drinks in the lobby for $5. And it gets better if they’re really long — if your wait is more than five minutes, your drink is free.

High roller record: The observation wheel at The LINQ has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records as the "World’s Tallest Observation Wheel." At 550 feet it’s nine feet taller than the Singapore Flyer.

QUESTION: A new megaresort was supposed to built where the Stardust used to be. Is that happening?

ANSWER: According to the owners, Genting Group, it’s absolutely happening. It’s been a year since it was announced that Resorts World Las Vegas would be built in the Echelon Place location on the Strip (where the Stardust stood), and work is yet to begin. Acknowledging that, a spokesman for Genting recently said that construction will begin this year and that "by the next anniversary, the site will look much different."

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