MGM & Caesars Are Leaving Wall Street — The New Era of Las Vegas + Rio's Questionable Buffet!

MGM & Caesars Are Leaving Wall Street — The New Era of Las Vegas + Rio's Questionable Buffet!

Author: Miles to Memories | Shawn Coomer and Mark Ostermann June 3, 2026 Duration: 16:10

Save big on Vegas with Las Vegas Advisor — get 10% off a membership with code MTM (new members, affiliate): lasvegasadvisor.com

I went on vacation and they sold Las Vegas. Live from Montenegro this week because the news would not wait — both of the Strip's biggest operators are heading toward going private.

Barry Diller's People Inc. (the former IAC) has put a non-binding, all-cash offer on the table to buy the 73.9% of MGM Resorts it doesn't already own at $48.30/share — an ~$18 billion deal — and take the company private. Pair that with the Caesars / Fertitta Entertainment take-private we covered last week, and Las Vegas may be entering a brand-new era owned by the billionaire class instead of Wall Street. Is that good or bad for the guest experience? I make the case.

Plus: the Cromwell has officially reopened as the Vanderpump Hotel (new lampshades, the Gigolo cocktail garden, and why it's still the best Caesars property to base yourself at), the Rio's new $27 buffet that's drawing comparisons to a highway motel breakfast, and a little Star Trek: The Experience nostalgia.

Episode Guide:

  • 0:00 They sold Vegas while I was gone (live from Montenegro)
  • 0:25 Cromwell is officially the Vanderpump Hotel
  • 1:44 Inside Vanderpump: the Gigolo bar & saved Cromwell chairs
  • 2:50 Best Caesars property to base at — comps, parking, rates
  • 3:30 The "headless man" at Park MGM
  • 3:47 Star Trek: The Experience & the onion ring tower mystery
  • 4:31 Rio's new buffet: the Hyatt Globalist breakfast backstory
  • 5:24 $27 for THIS? Rio vs. the Carnival World Buffet
  • 6:46 Hyatt keeps letting standards slip 7:08 The big one: two Strip giants going private
  • 7:42 Barry Diller's People Inc. bids $48.30/share for MGM
  • 8:50 Hornbuckle stays — what the deal needs to close
  • 9:44 Why Diller wants MGM
  • 10:28 Big picture: the billionaire era of the Strip
  • 12:16 "Best thing to happen to Vegas"? The guest-experience case
  • 13:29 Wall Street, Macau & MGM's crown-jewel assets
  • 14:34 A new era for Vegas — could the land come back?

Want more MTM Vegas? Get our exclusive weekly aftershow and join the community.

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter
▶️ Watch on YouTube
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🛍️ Merch
🌐 milestomemories.com

Links


There’s a particular energy to Las Vegas that goes far beyond the postcards, and MTM Vegas-Fun, Interesting & Absurd Sides of Vegas! captures it all through a uniquely balanced conversation. Hosts Shawn Coomer and Mark Ostermann don’t just report on the city; they live it from two essential angles. Shawn offers the grounded view of a thirty-year local, while Mark provides the keen, regular tourist perspective, having visited multiple times a year for decades. Together, they dig into everything from breaking news and major developments to the wonderfully strange and humorous stories that define the real Vegas experience. This isn't a dry travel guide. Instead, each episode feels like pulling up a chair with two friends who are deeply passionate about the city's constant evolution, its hidden corners, and its outright absurdities. They discuss cultural shifts, interview interesting people connected to the scene, and analyze what new projects or closures mean for the vibe of the Strip and beyond. The podcast releases fresh episodes twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, making it a reliable source for staying current. Whether you're planning a trip, you're a longtime resident, or you simply find the sociology of such a singular place fascinating, their dynamic offers a rich, entertaining, and insightful look at what makes Las Vegas endlessly compelling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 381

MTM Vegas - Fun, Interesting & Absurd Sides of Vegas!
Podcast Episodes
Haters, Hot Takes & Criss Angel - MTM Vegas Exposed! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:01
Save big on Vegas with Las Vegas Advisor — get 10% off a membership with code MTM (new members, affiliate): lasvegasadvisor.com We're both on the road this week, so instead of skipping a show we did something dumber: an…
Primm Closing Shock, MGM Buffet Rumors & Vegas' Huge Fireworks Summer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:57
Primm is closing forever, Buffalo Bill's will not reopen and another piece of roadside Vegas history is disappearing. Shawn and Mark talk through the July 4 closure, the worker housing timeline and why this one hits hard…