This week he’s at Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas and dives in deep with Assistant General Manager Gary Scott. We all know Hard Rock set the stage for cool Las Vegas when it first opened back in the mid-1990s. And we also know it expanded in a huge way by opening up new towers and an expanded casino. But ack! They did it just as the Great Recession destroyed the economy.

Management fell, ownership changed a couple of times, management changed up again and now the property is looking to get its mojo back. Their execs are looking to become the champion of cool once again in Sin City.

They’re already doing it with cool residencies such as Kiss, but there are many massive changes in store for this modern classic. . Since we recorded this interview the property announced a Journey residency this spring. Let’s get some tickets and meet up there!

Scott shares how he sees the future of the property, how it’s going to make its core 45 year old plus clientele happy and how Hard Rock will again rule in Las Vegas.

You’re going to love this interview because it’s honest and really shows these guys have the knowledge, wherewithal and gumption to make this property, well, Rock!

As a kid of the 80s, Editor-in-Chief Glenn Haussman grew up to the sounds of bands like Journey, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. Not all were amazing, but for good or bad they all got seared into his brain.

So when he had the chance to interview a couple of guys from the cast of Rock of Ages (http://rockofagesmusical.com), which takes place in a Los Angeles music club in 1987, he doffed his mullet and parachute pants and knew it was hammer time.

So this week Glenn chats with Troy Burgess, who plays club owner Dennis and Robert Torti, who plays the villain Hertz, in a great conversation focusing on the show, the 80s, what it’s like to be a star in a show in Las Vegas and much more.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most importantly you’ll think back to the decadent decade and say to yourself, what was I thinking?

This week we’re once again in Vegas and talking food. Editor in Chief Glenn Haussman sits down with one of the most preeminent restaurateurs and industry influencers, Elizabeth Blau. (http://elizabethblau.com/)

Now you may not know her name but she has influenced food across the country in a very real way. She owns restaurants in Las Vegas with partners such as Rock and Roll Chef Kerry Simon (Palms Place) and Cake Boss Buddy Valastro (Ventian/Palazzo) plus several of her own including the highly rated Honey Salt.

She just reopened the famed Rainbow Room in NYC, and worked with many major hotel companies like Marriott and Ritz-Carlton and bigboy food chains like TGIFridays and IHOP.

The show focuses on her story, current food trends and empowering you all out there how to make more money from your food. This show is a can’t miss experience and perfect to play at your holiday party. Christmas carols can wait!

Editor in Chief Glenn Haussman sits down with owner Michael Signorelli to chat about how the restaurant still remains relevant and incidentally delicious all these years later. We also hear great stories from the past regarding, Elvis, The Rat Pack and many more. Even Mario Andretti races his way into this tale.

We’re also joined by Kevin Ball, who’s not just Corp. VP - Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing with American Casino & Entertainment Properties (you know the Stratosphere, right? It’s these guys) but also a huge fan. Then Bruce Ford of Lodging econometrics joins and everyone discusses what is right and wrong with modern Las Vegas and what the future beholds.

So when Editor in Chief Glenn Haussman was last in Vegas he sat down and chatted with him in what became one of the best interviews of the year. He has amazing perspective and has also just finished his tenure as Chairman of Meeting Planners International’s Board of Directors so he has amazing perspective.

Really fun and fast paced conversation you’re guaranteed to love.

MGM Resorts International has a massive number of rooms on the Las Vegas Strip comprised of properties such as Bellagio, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Aria and many more.

With so many city sized properties in one place it’s amazing they can keep properties fully stocked. From bars of soap to bottles of booze anything and everything that is used or consumed must be sourced, ordered, paid for and delivered.

And it’s up to the procurement department to make sure it all goes smooth. In this episode Editor-In-Chief Glenn Haussman chats with Mark Stolarczyk, VP of Global Procurement at MGM Resorts International to learn about how his team makes that happen.

This is one show you want to miss and you’ll hear great inside stories not just about how they do it, but suppliers can get the inside track to get their products considered.

That would be Atlantic City. The city’s casino business is being decimated and in this episode we share with you the real reasons that precipitated the closure of a third of the city’s casinos. While we do feel bad about all those job losses, this market had decades to ensure the city’s vibrancy and frittered it away for easy money.

So we examine what went wrong and how they should have taken a page from Las Vegas, a gaming town that continually and expertly reinvents itself.

Management companies have been around for decades, but after the Great Recession there was a sharp jump in the number of these companies as hotels looked for more profits.
We chat with someone who has been in the business for decades and is a master hotelier. We’re talking about Bill DeForrest, President and CEO of Spire Hospitality. In the business for 35 years he shares stories from his career, what a long standing management company can do to a hotel’s bottom line and empowers YOU to be more successful with some amazing career advice.
Visit them at http://www.spirehotels.com

In today’s show we learn all about this different approach to hospitality from the President and CEO of BridgeStreet Global Hospitality, Sean Worker. Sean had plenty of experience in the traditional hotel world before switching to this specific nice.

You’ll hear about how this business work, why it’s successful, what are consumers’ expectations and what does this trend mean to your business.

Get more information on BridgeStreet Global Hospitality at: http://www.bridgestreet.com/.

This week Glenn chats with Vantage Founder, President and CEO Roger Bloss to fully understand what the deal means to his company, hoteliers and the competition.

We also get an update from Bloss on other stuff going on in the company and get his insight on some other stuff his company is working on and where he sees opportunity.

Get more information on Vantage and the acquisition: www.vantagehospitality.com

We go deep with this show to give you folks amazing insight.