Letter: Strip resorts pay price for ignoring locals

Monday, Oct. 1, 2001 | 8:52 a.m.

Having worked and breathed the famous Las Vegas Strip for some 20 years, I was always amazed at how it seemed the "locals" have been shunned by many Strip hotels, as well as Strip management in the new Vegas! Working at the old Holiday Casino, the locals were our "bread and butter" for many, many years, yet Harrah's promptly changed this policy and really seemed to have a "we don't need them anymore with our new marketing strategies" mentality.

Well, earning a degree from UNLV in marketing, this became apparent to me that this would one day backfire. How can anyone ignore a local market of what say 1.5 million? As we all know this is not just a problem for Harrah's, it seems to be a haunting ghost of the past all up and down the Strip at present.

It also is now my problem, being a 25-year local, homeowner, taxpayer and consumer. It became apparent to me recently when Gov. Kenny Guinn said that Nevada's fiscal budget would have to now be revamped, maybe restructured because of our current dilemma. I would assume that this is a suggestion of more taxes to come for all of us because of the current problems the Strip is facing.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, yet the new "Las Vegas" management, or bean counters as I most times refer to them, had to wait for a disaster to rethink their policies, or have they? I believe the Regent had to find out the hard way, and now the untouchable Strip is about to find out also the hard way while taking many of us along for the ride.

CHARLES L. CONTI