Are Las Vegas Laurel Lounges Ever Reopening?
Rumors have been swirling for 18 months or so now that Caesars Las Vegas Laurel Lounges would never see the light of day again. I know many people loved these places, myself included. I loved them so much that I bar hopped them one day and ranked them all from top to bottom. They offered a nice break from the craziness of the casino floor and a way to “earn” back a little bit of your losses with “free” food and drinks. These lounges were likely a loss leader for Caesars but a nice perk for higher level players nonetheless. They tried to combat some of the losses by cutting off access to the free loaders (status matchers) and tried to make it more and more difficult to gain access. That was until the pandemic had and Caesars Rewards had the excuse they needed to close up shop and cut back on costs. So what has me thinking the final death blow finally rolled out? And, are Las Vegas Laurel Lounges ever reopening again?
Las Vegas Laurel Lounges Email
Yesterday I received an email that I initially thought meant the lounges were finally back up and running. The subject said: check out this Laurel Lounge update. What else was there to think? That quickly changed after opening it though. The email instead broke down the new system, which has been in place since the pandemic so it isn’t really anything new. It is, however, more clearly defined now and I believe there are more options then there were previously. That leads me to believe this is the final nail in the Laurel Lounge coffin, at least in Vegas. There are a few other things that give me to this belief as well, which I’ll get to in a bit.
New Caesars Rewards Laurel Lounge Rules
Diamond Plus (25K+ tier credits) and Diamond Elite members will receive four (4) free drinks per day. Free drink coupons are valid only for the current day. Retail value per free drink cannot exceed $25.
Seven Stars members will receive four (4) free drinks and one (1) $10 food coupon per day. Free drink and food coupons are valid only for the current day. Retail value per free drink cannot exceed $25.
Participating Restaurants
BALLY’S
- Burger Brasserie
- Jack Binion’s Steak
- Java Coast
- Lobby Bar
- Sully’s Casino Bar
- Race & Sports
- The Indigo Lounge
CAESARS PALACE
- Alto Bar
- Brioche by Guy Savoy
- Lobby Bar
- Montecristo Cigar Bar
- Pronto by Giada
- Spanish Steps
- Stadia
- Starbucks
- VISTA Cocktail Lounge
THE CROMWELL
FLAMINGO
- Beach Club & Go Pool
- Bugsy’s Bar
- Social Bar
- Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse
- Nook Express
- Club Cappuccino
HARRAH’S
- Bill’s Bar
- Carnaval Court
- Fulton Street Food Hall
- Lobby Bar
- Ruth’s Criss
- Signature Bar
- Starbucks
- The Piano Bar
- The Pool at Harrah’s
THE LINQ HOTEL + EXPERIENCE
- Catalyst Bar
- Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips
- Influence, The POOL at The LINQ
- Nook Express
- O’Sheas Pub
- Re:Match
- Starbucks at The LINQ Promenade
- Caesars Sportsbook Fan Zone
PARIS
- Brioche by Guy Savoy
- Café Belle Madeleine
- Gordon Ramsay Steak (Seven Stars Only – House White, Red or Sparkling Wine)
- Gustav’s Bar
- The Bedford by Martha Stewart
- Nobu
- JJ’s Boulangerie
- La Creperie
- Le Bar Du Sport
- Le Central
- Napoleon’s Lounge
PLANET HOLLYWOOD
RIO
- All-American Bar and Grille
- El Burro Borracho
- iBar
- Masquerade Bar
- Purple Zebra
- Race & Sports Book
- Shutters Bar
- Sports Deli
- Starbucks
- VooDoo Steak
This Completely Cuts Out Status Matches & Low Tier Diamonds
Years ago if you had a Diamond card you could access as many Laurel Lounges (then called Diamond Lounges) as your heart desired. That changed around 2018 when they started charging anyone that didn’t earn their Diamond status through gambling (15K+ tier credits) entry. That then was bumped up to Diamond+ (25K tier credits), but if you had a lower tier Diamond card you could still get in with $10 in comps. This new set up does not offer that option in Vegas. So if you are a low end Diamond (15K-25K tier credits) you just lost some options.
Other Reasons I Think Laurel Lounges Are Closed For Good
On top of Caesars Rewards actively marketing this set up for the first time, at least that I can remember, there are a few other indicators that this is the end. When you go to their site showing Laurel Lounges locations Vegas does not show up as an option. They do still have Las Vegas locations listed here with a note: at this time Laurel Lounges are closed and no reopening dates have been set. When you put this all together it doesn’t look good for our beloved Las Vegas Laurel lounges.
Are Las Vegas Laurel Lounges Ever Reopening: Final Thoughts
While I always enjoyed popping into a Laurel Lounge for their quick service, free bites and the ability to get away from it all they don’t appear to be coming back. I actually probably prefer the new setup, assuming it isn’t a pain to use at the restaurants.
It is similar to what Harrah’s in New Orleans has always done. They offered access to their tiny Laurel Lounge or 4 drinks at any bar, capped at $15 per drink. I would use these at dinner or while roaming the casino. I always opted for the drink ticket option versus the Laurel Lounge option. The food offered in the loungers were never worth much of a thought to me. Not like they were in Atlantic City at least.
The downside to this change is it limits options for lower tier Diamond members since they can’t pay their way in anymore. It makes the 15K-25K tier credit level a lot less worthwhile for sure, at least if Vegas is your main destination.
What do you think of this set up? Do you prefer it to the old Laurel Lounges? Do you think they will ever open them up again? Let me know in the comments.
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While this comes across as just another big fat raspberry to top tier members, comps have realistically dropped in a stratospheric fashion over the last decade or so. I’m willing to drop a good couple grand on the games over a few days but I want some substantial comps to ease the sting of my losses. Unfortunately, that’s less and less how Vegas works so they see a lot less of me as a result.
Very true – they have gotten a lot stingier and I think they are losing more and more long time players to other areas.
It gets better Mark, and very impersonal. I was just in Las Vegas (Nov. 7-11) and the redemption are available through players card kiosks near all the cashiers, by way of printed vouchers! Caesars Reward Centers tell guests to go to the kiosks too. You do get top shelf drinks. But when some of the cocktails are $20+ or more, it’s not much. Gone are the buffet overages of food for the Laurel Lounges, and a place to just relax.
Nothing says 2022 like printed vouchers. Am I right? Haha
Ac has lounges but in June they were only open on weekends.
I’m a bit surprised they aren’t keeping at least one lounge open in LV, maybe put in inside the RIO when it’s remodeled in an attempt to attract players.
I also miss the free show tickets but as a result we are not 100% CET anymore.
ASSUMING we get MGM Gold Again and CET Diamond ( matches) for our Memorial Day week 2023 trip we are booked at MGM Grand in a stay well 6 nights arriving Sunday for $112 total including tax. We also get $50 food/ $20 free play and then add in my Vegas $275 of free play ($175 if they don’t accept our free play and we have to use Konami and the room is less than free.
We are also booked Mon – Thurs at Paris ( full comp) so we will head to Paris on day 2 of our trip but we aren’t checking out of MGM. We head back to MGM Thurs and fly out Saturday
In the past we would have stayed at CET the entire trip.
MGM looks better and better with the waived resort fees for sure. CET has completely destroyed that program the last 6-7 years.
I think you are right, they are gone forever in LV, and probably only in places like AC where there is a competitive reason to have it. Didn’t they already even tear out the one at Paris to make space for a restaurant/bar?
They did – for a Vanderpump restaurant. Some like Caesars and Planet Hollywood are in places that they can’t easily reuse but others could be transformed for sure.