I have recently given some thought to what makes me want to gamble at one casino
over another (other than the obvious advantages of machines with good paybacks
and offers of free rooms and meals). I especially like the Bellagio and Rio. I have
mixed feeling about the Palms, but I have never warmed to some of the other casinos,
some of which are spectacular.
Paris is a good example. Although the hotel has a beautiful exterior, excellent guest
rooms, and a prime location, I think there is definitely something wrong with the
casino. What is it? Too cavernous? Too many hard surfaces? Too dark? Weird, low
toned sounds? Paris comes across as cold and odd, and I never really feel comfortable
playing there.
Is there an aesthetic for gamblers? If you had to point to one casino as a model
facility to attract players and keep them coming back, which would it be? Who got it
right?
Although my wife and I fly in to Las Vegas three times a year from Virginia to play
video poker, it was the architecture of the amazing new casinos that initially caught
our attention and prompted us to visit.