What's up with the Wynn Hate?
Started by cmarko on Monday, 14th January 2013 4:48 pm
I checked out the 2013 VT Awards and in those awards (and the general vibe of this site) I get a lot of "Wynn sucks, it has fallen off, things were so much better in 2006" vibe. Now I'll be candid, I generally like the place and have stayed many times so I'm just curious what has folks so up in arms?
Was the push toward the club kids really that annoying?
Was it the close of Alex?
Something else entirely?
What gives.
Geoff responded on Monday, 14th January 2013
you have to remember the crowd here is pretty quick to praise/slam the casino of the moment.. cosmo for example, that being said:
i don't think wynn at its peak was a flawless as it was made out to be by the posters here nor is it as bad as it's getting slammed now.
I always stay in the tower suite section, so maybe i've been a bit insulated from things, but at some times the club kids can be a bit annoying, but they seem fairly under control to me, i haven't had much of a problem.
the dining has indeed taken a bit of a hit, with the loss of alex, stratta leaving as well as quite a few of the other chefs. etc...
i don't care for the new wynn tower suite lobby at all.
there was that horrible website they put out for a while. (but it's not bad now)
the twitter feed is pretty much non existent these days.
the "vibe" dining isn't my thing and they now have botero doing that and the new andreas seems super lame, but it replaced switch so that doesn't seem like that big of a downgrade..
the anti-splash urinal pads are gone from the public restrooms.
seem many of the posters here are not exactly thrilled with steve's anti-obama rants (but i find them entertaining at least)
so i guess you could say it has lost it's direction.. instead of aiming for luxury above all, now,outside of very high end gaming, the goal seems more about making a quick buck
that being said, wynn is still my #1 choice
HedgedBettor responded on Monday, 14th January 2013
I was never a Wynn fan, but when I finally stayed a few months ago I was really put off by the lack of decent blackjack. Only one S17 table working in the entire casino outside high limit! I was totally shocked when the staff gave Wynn the blackjack award. It should have gone to Aria, which has the best blackjack on the Strip bar none (note: I am an Aria die-hard and blackjack isn't the only category I think it should have won).
Geoff replied on Monday, 14th January 2013
i do have to agree with the s17 thing, i was really sad to see the pit right outside the encore HL go s17..
cmarko responded on Monday, 14th January 2013
Few other thoughts to keep this convo going:
1. I really love the Wynn's general level of housekeeping and friendly staff. I also have a really nice casino host.
2. Terrace Point and Society Cafe are two of my fav food spots, but I have generally not been impressed with the Wynncore high end dining (tried Bartolotta and Sinatra)
3. Love the layout of the Wynn/Encore casino floor and really like the quality of the craps dealers (craps is my main game)
4. Parasol Up/Down is one of my favorite bars in all of Vegas.
5. My wife particularly loves the music pumped into the Wynn (small thing but it makes a difference)
blackjacker1979 responded on Monday, 14th January 2013
To answer your questions in order (at least from my perspective)...
What has us so up in arms is that everything that made Wynn (and Encore) great to us seems to have fallen by the side in the name of rising income from a crowd the hotel wasn't originally built for.
Yes, the club kid push is annoying. Wynn was always about something more than young and hip, a more casual elegance. Something that for the most part the EDM crowd doesn't get and doesn't respect.
Alex was a great loss, but by no means a breaking point.
Entirely everything. Wynn just isn't what it was, and as long as the catered to crowd there stays in the shift that its gone to, I doubt Wynn will come back to its roots and former glory.
cmarko replied on Monday, 14th January 2013
Blackjack,
What do you mean by catering to the club crowd? And I want to be clear, I'm not trolling by asking these questions. I just want to hear the different points of view.
Misnomer replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
@cmarko wynnsocial.com
blackjacker1979 replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
I had formulated a response but Misnoper put it more explicitly than I ever could have. That site alone should tell you all you need to know.
MinVegas responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
Wynn's career has largely relied on creativity and packaging a casino inside a property that is as much an architectural marvel as it is a cash cow machine. He's not the only developer to do such a thing, it's why baseball stadiums went from bland concrete doughnuts in the 70s and 80s to brick and wrought-iron "mallparks" like Camden Yards.
To maintain profits, Wynn sacrificed much of Encore's identity as a small, comfy casino whose player density is kept low through high minimums that price out five dollar blackjack and quarter slot people completely. The pretty garden was replaced with the campy as all hell Surrender. The casino has largely become a waiting room for clubgoers now. And when the place opened I complained that it had too many bars (one on each of the wall sides, with two on the south side in Wazuzu and Society.) All those bars and tight quarters lead to close proximity with people who are absolutely smashed and ready to throw up on the pretty Roger Thomas curtains.
Furthermore, all this partying creates so much noise that it bothers people who just stay at the hotel tower and go to Wynn immediately to escape this.
Wynn LV has itself cut the hours on the Terrace Pointe Cafe to basically breakfast only, meaning it has no real true 24 hour restaurant (The Cafe has as much food as a Starbucks.) That sort of penny pinching is par for Excalibur but appalling at a place that made it's name charging more than everyone else in the city and still managing to deliver equal value for cost.
And then finally, Steve himself has given into his vanity and perhaps had something of a senior citizen identity crisis, putting more and more of himself and his new marriage into the properties and the headlines. Chuck summed it up perfectly: Elaine Wynn had a namesake salad in the Macau coffee shop. Andrea has a whole restaurant.
Wynn used to be reclusive when he wasn't wanting to hype up his next joint, Steve Friess's interviews with Steve were like mana from heaven because the guy didn't talk very much. Now he'll bitch and moan to everyone from the city's press to his shareholders about political nonsense, and threaten to stop developing if the public doesn't fall in line with his political ideology. Customers recently found an activist documentary in the in-room CCTV channels. While Okada had done some extremely shady things, Wynn's conduct with regard to him bordered on irresponsible according to allegations made by Okada and verified by Elaine, and the company's solution to cut Okada out of the business seems to act first and then appeal to keep the court case within Nevada jurisdictions later.
WLV hired a middle manager from CET who has basically brought the budget in line with CET thinking, meaning the loss of Alex Stratta and Daniel Boloud in the culinary lineup. I know that Jet Tila left Wazuzu some time ago to open a new restaurant of his own elsewhere, and Kim Canteenwalla left Society to run his own place with Honey Salt up in the Peccole Ranch area of the northwest burbs. I don't know if these were because of budget cuts or not, it's possible both guys got tired of having constrained menus to remain comfortable with the tourist set, but it's all contributed to what looked like a mass departure of chefs.
Meanwhile, their own executive in hotel operations was poached in return by Caesars and in the minds at VT the results are stellar.
Even if Steve is still the king of Vegas, it's because there isn't anybody else in town who is doing enough right things to take the crown (though Anthony Marnell III was getting there for a while.)
None of this has changed how much time and money I spend at Wynn, but the company's identity itself is built upon the man's image and in the eyes of some of his fans six years ago he has tarnished himself by drinking so heavily from the cup of vanity that he now believes the song is about him.
radgambler replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
Excellent post! Concise summary that nails down the issues at the Wynn.
motoman replied on Friday, 18th January 2013
ditto to radgambler.
Very detailed and on point, Mike -- and here I thought you had made yourself out to be not particularly a WLV fan all these years.... ;)
cmarko responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
@ Mini, excellent response.
@ Misnomer, your point is noted but I don't know if a website equates to catering to the kids.
So a lot of what I'm hearing is that Wynn, by design, has made himself the face of the two casinos and as his own judgment has begun to fray those choices have been reflected in what happens at WynnCore.
I guess what I still don't grasp is some the hostility I hear toward the club kids particularly as it relates to the Wynn. One could argue that Cosmo has built specifically for the club kids and the MGM is build a Hakkasan to go after the Wynn club brand.
But when those spots do that it's "good business" or "going where the trend is" but when Wynn does it, it's diminishing the brand. For better or worse everyone is going after this group's disposable income.
kayday responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
I can tolerate having club kids around, as long as their noise doesn't affect my sleeping. I gather this is a problem at the Wynn, which is why I stay away. How big a deal is this, really?
Chuckmonster responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
Cmarko -
Thank you for your posts. MinVegas did a great job outlining lots of the issues that have caused our shift in attitude towards Wynn. If you go back through the VT archives - if not the news, then just the features - you will find an incredibly detailed, love filled array of reviews about everything Wynn, including the nightclubs.
The issue with Wynn is aesthetic as much as it is concrete. What it boils down to is the resort has been slowly excising bits and pieces of what made it thoroughly great as its business focus has shifted with the economy. On a grand scale, Wynn has transitioned from a themeless evolution of luxury as defined at Bellagio, towards themeless evolution of partying as defined by early aughts Hard Rock.
Cost cutting has realized itself in reduced staffing, reduced training of hired staff, reduction and consolidation of service centers, reduction of dining hours, changing elegant restaurants with enthralling menus into virtual nightclub snack bars offering drunk food, closing a Michelin star holding restaurant and turn it into the fifth (!!!) nightclub on property.
In and of itself, nightclubs are a good thing for the corporation... they have zero risk, low overhead once the structures are build and dj's are paid and can be dynamically priced in real time according to demand. There is always the chance that one of those six guys sitting at the $500 a bet blackjack table is going to go on a streak and hurt the quarterly earnings. There is never the chance that one of those six guys sitting at the $500 a bottle nightclub table is going to do anything other than order more Grey Goose, more Red Bull and maybe some water.
Club kids aren't cute whistle blowing pacifier sucking neon painted club kids from the 1990's cooing and smirking with their punk inspired fashions and David Bowie make up. They are testosterone amped rambunctious super loud dumb drunks who love to chest bump, yell and get into fights. I know this because given the right concoction of ingredients I can occasionally transform into one.
The devil is in the details. Wynn banks that folks like you aren't going to notice the difference. Or he knows that Vegas visitation is part of the rite of passage. People come a ton when they are in their 20s to early 30's then move on to have families, develop other interests, or are satisfied by drinking wine and playing poker by their own back yard pool.
We love Wynn Las Vegas. We obsess over the details to the point of being insane. We saw the writing on the wall a few years ago when Steve and Elaine got divorced. Now, what once was a pitch perfect resort - from planning to execution to day to day operation - has devolved by 10%, possibly more. For those used to Mandalay Bay, Wynn is still awesome. For those used to current Bellagio, Wynn is probably still awesome. For those used to Cosmopolitan, Caesars or Aria, Wynn is probably still awesome. For those of us who lived loved breathed and found a true home away from home.... that 10% is fucking huge.
jinx73 replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
"Club kids aren't cute whistle blowing pacifier sucking neon painted club kids from the 1990's cooing and smirking with their punk inspired fashions and David Bowie make up."
I can safely say I never used a pacifier and was very unlikely to be considered cute in the 90s :)
cmarko replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
Chuck,
Well said. Totally respect your thoughts and the thoughts of everyone else who has posted (or will post) on this topic.
Fascinating conversation.
Now can we at least all agree that the Cosmo gaming floor is sorta terrible? :)
Malibugolfer responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
While I do think there is a bit of a herd mentality with VT's likes and dislikes, the final conclusion of VT that there is no favored go-to place ("we're homeless") really resonates.
I still prefer Wynn's combination of Tower Suite amenities, service and casino but the incredible change from originally 2 large s17 bj pits to one or two tables on the floor during the day is insulting.
I have tried Aria SS as I love the gambling options. Single zero wheel on the floor and lots of s17 choices but still prefer the overall, albeit lessened, Wynn experience.
Cosmo is one big douchebag cluster f#ck with lousy gambling, don't get the props for there from anyone who knocks the changing Wynn clientel except that Wynn is supposed to be different, Douchebank needs to try and market their product somehow.
So many options on the strip and no real place to go. Maybe the MO could put a real high class Euro type casino somewhere?
Chuckmonster replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
I can assure you that was no 'herd mentality' when making the editors choices. This year we fought, argued and almost devolved to fisticuffs at various points.
I highly suggest that y'all listen to the webcasts from the show. We go into the decisions in a great deal of (drunk) depth arguing points for and against winners and losers.
BillDonovan responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
The best part about the Wynn is their Sportsbook. They have excellent boards showing all the lines, they are very responsive and quick to post new lines and matchups, and the seating is very comfortable. And the snack bar next to it has good food and drink. We’re not looking for a home away from home when going to Vegas, & will never stay at Wynncore as their room prices are simply outrageous. The Mirage/TI/Venetian/Palazzo all have more reasonable room rates, and you can easily walk over to the Wynn.
MinVegas replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
If you're into watching sports instead of horseracing, I have to give my props to Aria. I'm a local tightwad who just uses the books to watch out of market games I can't see at home (or just to go out and watch hockey with a crowd if the Sharks or Giants are in the playoffs), and they have lots of TVs tuned to sports with two massive displays. I have had good nights hooting and hollering with folks there.
If you're down for a food buy, Lagasse Stadium probably has a similar experience.
Henry8 responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
This is my first response but I too have to add my thoughts to this topic after the Awards show and the Wynn hatefest. First, thanks Chuckmonster for the added thoughts here, it actually makes sense to me in terms of where you are coming from and why the "worst award". But I have to take issue with the editors award and ask that you keep in context what has happened to Vegas since 2009. Look at the rest of the strip. Empty buildings and land that looks like abandoned inner city spaces, but also casino hotels that have gone straight down the shitter in terms of repair and appearance. I mean all of Caesars properties with the exception of the Palace and all of MGM properties. Go into the bathrooms at the Casino at Bellagio and you would swear they are as run down as those at Casino Royal. Wynn is still the best kept place on the strip. Did they cut staff? Yes, but far less than everywhere else, and most housekeeping staff is back in place. The place is immaculate. The Wynn renovated all of the rooms and suites when the rest barely replaced towels. Also consider the economics that caused all of this. MGM was within hours of bankruptcy in Murren's own words. Venetian would have gone bankrupt if not for Adelson's throwing in 1 billion of his own money, and Wynn was loosing many millions a quarter on the Vegas properties. Things have gotten a lot better and hopefully they will all start spending money again. But in fairness what Wynn did in Vegas over the last few years should be applauded not given worst awards.
A few other thoughts on the postings. Closing of Alex. I had the pleasure of dining there three times while it was opened, the last time in its final year, and the night I ate their only 3 tables were occupied. Not exactly a valid ongoing business( and frankly the food but not the service had declined). Switch was a bit of a disaster and should have been replaced years ago. I have not tried its replacement, but everyone seems to be judging before having eaten there, which isn't really fair. Botero is still a really fine place to eat during dinner hours and I ate their a month ago. It's as good as its opening months. My biggest complaint about Wynn places to eat is too many steakhouses and they need more interesting choices, but guys we're attacking before really trying them.
I enjoyed the comments on Wynn previously being private and not out there. Please his name is on the building and has been since he opened it, the company is his name the the steakhouse is SW. He's an ego maniac and isn't that what makes him interesting to us? The only more out there business guy is Trump! We know more about his private life than anybody else in the business, and we seem to judge it. So we all love Elaine (seems fair) and hate his new wife, but really why do we judge? Let's agree the guy designs and builds the best casino hotels in existence.
Finally, we seem to hate the club people. I am not one and in fact I'm 50. But isn't Vegas about 35+million people coming to town doing what they like and having a good time without judging? I don't hang with the clubbers and they can be annoying in large groups but so can conventioneers, drunk people and other groups but so what its part of the fun of Vegas, being around groups that I normally wouldn't be around. How boring to only be with the same type of people as myself. The lines of clubbers can be somewhat annoying, but they are at all of the casino hotels now and we better get use to it until the next "it" thing comes around. As for the club sound, it can be a problem in some rooms at Wynncore but also at Bellagio now Mirage, and wait for what happens to MGM soon. Frankly, that damn sign at the mall across the street from Wynn is far more annoying to me.. and loud.
Please understand that I read VT and listen to Vegas gang religiously and have great respect for the groups. The fact that the Award comments got me to write this shows how your groups is able to get me thinking and respond. As for me, I'm a fifty year old New Yorker who is lucky enough to visit Vegas 5 times a year for the last 20 years staying at Wynncore for 4 of the times and trying another place for the fifth. I stayed mainly at Bellagio until Wynn opened and have stayed at Caesars, Four Seasons, Aria, Venetian and MO in the past and for me Wynncore has been and still is the best run and nicest quality place in Vegas. I have stayed at many Forbes 5 star hotels in many cities and have to state that none compare to Wynncore Suites for the money and what you get in the hotel. If you don't believe me, check out the websites to see the Bel air, NY Four Seasons or Broadmore and check the rates.
Thanks for the great site and sorry if this seemed like a rant, but my feeling are genuine as a Vegas lover.
HedgedBettor replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
That's a great comment. Wynn wasn't the place for me, but its still damn nice.
MinVegas replied on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
We're just going to have a difference of opinion about Bellagio. In the time I've spent there since September 2011 have been very good. I don't stay upstairs since I have a place to live, but the casino has looked cleaner than before and yes I use the public restrooms, too. I have in years prior seen them so bad that I remember managing to sneak out a cell phone photo of how bad they are without raising any eyebrows and complaining about it on Twitter. Haven't had any of that anymore.
To me, the place seems about as fresh as it was since 2002 or so, except in 2002 it really had out of date slot machines with reels that were taped together and made pained motor whirrs when you bet.
I sometimes wonder why the "Vegas homeless" don't try Bellagio but then I remember that the rooms are small. People who have stayed at Wynn and Cosmo over five times are probably going to feel like they're living in a bunker at Bellagio because the place was built on the cusp of a transformative wave. However, it's a great runner-up if you can't get Augustus or Octavius for anywhere near the same rate.
Wynn was early into Macau and hasn't had the same kind of money crunch because of that. The reason I mentioned baseball parks is that they have realized what Wynn did a long time ago: That an artistic statement has an initial investment but has value over the long term. The teams with newer parks are charging far more for tickets and booze and getting that money than the remaining teams that play in concrete mausoleums like Oakland and Tampa. Do you think MGM would have spent money to build to Bellagio fountains? Not unless they could close them off and sell tickets!
Wynncore had a number of things that didn't make very good financial sense to More Money Now types like Gary Loveman's VPs, but the company could afford it (because again, Macau) and the money invested in the long runs pays off because it means Wynn's place looks like a palace while the other guy's place looks like a functional but boring casino. When you build something like the fountains, you make your place look like Camden Yards and the other guy's place look like Tropicana Field.
cmarko responded on Tuesday, 15th January 2013
I should just say "ditto to what Henry8" said and leave at that but I will add a few other points.
I started the post on the Wynn because I am a big VT fan. Because of you guys I have given Aria a try and have MO on my list of places to try. I don't know if you guys can get me to try Caesars, that may be a bridge too far. But the point is that you guys have a little influence. If a person read the bulk of your thoughts about Wynncore they might not even give the place a try. That would be shame because it is still a good resort.
And to Henry8's point many of the Wynn changes you don't love can be explained by the economy.
But now it appears that whatever they do will be mocked to all hell. Case in point, Andrea's. Maybe the vibe dining thing works, maybe it doesn't. But at least go there and check it out.
The whole VT/Wynn thing feels personal. I realize it isn't. But it looks that way.
motoman responded on Friday, 18th January 2013
I have pondered mightily on this issue as well, and respectfully point out that perhaps, after so many years and the inevitable changes in our own lives, the been-there-done-that sensation might be a contributing factor. The "new car smell" has worn off. Some here, and especially at TwoWayHardThree, have praised Wynn for his willingness to change things up at previous properties to keep things fresh. In this case, and for reasons mentioned (including the economy and the failure of the North Strip to develop as expected, forcing a change in focus), it hasn't worked out so well.
I know that's not all, or even a major part of this issue. I feel as Chuck does: those who didn't get the over-the-top level to which Wynncore raised the bar, might not understand the disappointment felt by those who did get to experience it as guests in the resorts' early days. A lot like users of Apple products who still saw the value over a "good enough" but less well-executed PC even during the inter-Jobs media death watch years. Some media types are now beginning to question Apple's direction post-Jobs in much the same way as this Wynncore issue is unfolding here. None of us who follow both would say Apple has yet stumbled to the degree or for the reasons Wynncore unfortunately has.
That said, we had a return stay at Wynncore in mid-December after more than a year and a half away (three years for Encore itself), during which we had stayed with friends at CityCenter. It was indeed like returning home. With a rental car to avoid taxi hassles, I look forward to returning again. Just not on a weekend during Beach Club season....
RateVegas responded on Sunday, 20th January 2013
Interesting thread and something I've thought a lot about.
In the run-up to the opening of WLV, I couldn't have been more excited. I followed the project and construction so closely that the company was getting kinda pissed off about all of the photos I was posting. When it opened, I was impressed - many people said it was just an amped up Bellagio but I (and others here) really breathed in the details and loved them.
In those mid-2000s it was by far my favorite place to stay and always my pick when I could afford the sometimes insanely priced rooms. I'd walk the back loop around the pool (still do this, actually), just looking at every little piece of furniture or moulding, trying to explain to friends how incredible it was and why we were walking through a closed convention area when there was a blackjack game beckoning.
With Encore, things shifted a bit. Through a combination of wider readership and new friendships, I had access to all of the opening festivities and press events. It was like Christmas for me, walking through that un-opened casino for the first time after years of leaked renderings, whispers and photos taken from the top of the parking garage. As much as I loved Wynn Las Vegas, I liked Encore even more. There's a couple of spots along the east side of the building where the light comes into the casino in the mornings and it's the most glorious thing. It's beautiful.
When I started to get interested in casinos and Las Vegas, part of it was the business and the buildings themselves but part was the personalities and of course Steve Wynn factored huge in that equation. He stood out like Disney or Jobs in that for people that liked the song he was singing, there was no one better. Ruthless attention to detail, commitment to operational excellence and innovations both in design and construction but also in process. His success was hard earned and the people that tried to copy it inevitably copied the wrong stuff, falling short.
These days I still sometimes stay at Wynncore and even when I don't I virtually always visit but I am less enthusiastic about it. Why?
Part of it is the club thing. I can ignore most of that simply by not going but if you ever walked between Wynn and Encore until last year when they fixed the queuing problems, you know you got a glimpse of the worst aspect.
The other big part for me is Steve - I just don't admire him like I used to. The combination of his unhinged political commentary, the seemingly sad story of the divorce and what from afar does seem like a "senior citizen identity crisis" have combined to change him from someone I looked up to into a cautionary tale. I hope that when I get to his age, I accept it far more gracefully than he has, at least in my eyes.
Many of the changes over the past years seem to put profit ahead of guest experience. Some will argue that that is appropriate for him in his role as the CEO but I can tell you that I would be 10x more impressed to hear that they closed a nightclub because they determined it was taking away from the overall story they were trying to tell.
Part of the magic is gone for me and I can only get so excited about a very nice building.
motoman replied on Monday, 21st January 2013
^^^ +++
I should add that even when we weren't staying there, we'd try to visit for some gaming and a bite to eat. We'd always chat with staff -- as detroit has noted, one of the more enjoyable aspects of the Wynncore experience -- and I'd try to work in some subtle questions about the staff's perceptions since the shift to emphasize the oontz factor. Without singling any out (wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble for speaking the truth), almost without exception the few I've spoken to hated it, at least initially. (Granted, I don't have occasion to schmooze with nightclub staff.) But in a way, if that change in culture is what's preserved profits, then it has also likely preserved their jobs.
Over on MacauTripping it was suggested that given the tightening of financing that came with the (Wall Street self-inflicted) economic collapse, Wynn may no longer have carte blanche with lenders. I can't believe the conclusion that WLV would need Las Vegas profits to finance Macau when the cashflow would seem to be the other way 'round, but that's an interesting point as to why generating income in any way possible was necessary.
I can attest that at any given hour of the day, the Encore casino seemed orders of magnitude quieter than Wynn's. Given the failure of North Strip development (and ghost town created by tearing down existing properties), Encore is now practically an island (or peninsula) at the North end, surely farther than any tourist would care to wander. Unless they had a reason to go there... *oontz*oontz* Whee! Splash. Glug-glug-glug. Chest-bump. Barf.
motoman responded on Friday, 25th January 2013
A note on Wynn's operations:
Be aware that these concerns you are hearing come from some of the nit-pickiest, most devoted and detail-oriented fans of, well, pretty much anything anywhere. (Note Chuck's review of remodeled Tower Suites where he comments at length on the complementary design of fabrics on the curtains and *backs*of*chairs*!!)
Of the three major (publicly traded) Strip operators, WLV is the *only* one to have even come close to recovering its stock price since the crash, even briefly exceeding its all-time high. Sands lost a whopping 99% of its peak (intraday low, not closing) and even with Adelson injecting a Billion of personal wealth has recovered a mere third of that; MGM went down to nearly 1/50th and has remained flat, recovering only one eighth. (True, anyone who bought LVS near the low has enjoyed a huge return since then.)
So clearly, Wynn's results are impressing someone. Just not some of the most devoted fans who appreciated what Wynncore once offered.