Business Commons^™

The Las Vegas Loyalty Battle Is Over. What’S Next?, Oliver Lovat

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The strategic mission by Las Vegas casino operators to capture customer loyalty over the past decade has been a success. In 2021, 57% of visitors were generally loyal to a particular resort, compared to 32% in 2011. Only 7% of visitors were not a member of any rewards program in 2021, compared to 16% in 2011.

This has consequences for new market entrants who face a greater challenge to capture customers in a more mature, consolodated and strategic business environment.

Moreover, the drivers of loyalty remain different within the various customer segments, with the new generation of visitors responding less …

Premier: The Magazine Of The Unlv Harrah Hotel College, Angela Ramsey, Caitlyn Lopez

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

What a privilege it has been to serve as dean of the Harrah College of Hospitality over the past ten years!

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Policy Briefs and Reports

This report analyzes the Southern Nevada employment ecosystem by utilizing occupational clusters recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The first section examines occupations in the tourism industry using three occupational clusters: hospitality and leisure; arts, audio/video technology and communications; and the transportation, distribution, and logistics. Next, this report utilizes the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance’s 2022 Workforce Blueprint to identify the top 15 in-demand occupations for Southern Nevada and occupational clusters. A case study of the MGM College Opportunity Program (COP) is presented to demonstrate an existing workforce training program that promotes upward mobility of leisure and hospitality employees …

Shortage Of Affordable Rental Homes In The Mountain West, Joshua Padilla, Kelliann Beavers, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet examines data from the 2022 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes” for the Mountain West region. The original report includes data from 2016- 2020 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) to help “determine the availability of rental homes affordable to extremely low-income households.”

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Student Research

Workforce development has been a keystone in the discussion of economic diversification of Las Vegas for decades. The leisure and hospitality industry is the lifeline for the Southern Nevada economy due to the reliance on tourism as the city’s main economic driver. The leisure and hospitality industry requires physical labor and more face-to-face customer interaction than other employment sectors. Thus, these jobs often do not require high educational attainment, but rather sharp soft skills like effective listening, nonverbal communication, and negotiation strategies. While these are valuable traits, the lack of educational attainment within the leisure and hospitality workforce suppresses employees’ …

Premier: The Magazine Of The Unlv Harrah College Of Hospitality, Matt Jacob, Angela Ramsey, Caitlyn Lopez, Stowe Shoemaker, Maggie Hausbeck, Alexandra Liebman

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

Of the countless hospitality programs around the world, why does the Harrah College of Hospitality consistently rank at the top? I believe the college's excellence stems from our ability to leverage our strengths with those of our partners to do great things. It's that simple.

This approach has certainly been in play as we've navigated the difficulties of the past two years. We've worked with our friends in industry and academia to bolster our internship and mentorship programs, research, and interdisciplinary projects, all with the intent of expanding the knowledge base of the hospitality discipline and building a pipeline of …

Startup Businesses In The Mountain West, 2014-2018, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on startup businesses in Mountain West states and metropolitan areas, as originally reported by Roofstock’s “U.S. Cities With the Most Startup Businesses” report. Startup businesses are defined as new businesses launched by entrepreneurs that create jobs and spur efficiency and innovation. This report examines the startup formation rate, annual startup formations, annual new jobs created by startups, and jobs created by startups as a percentage of all new jobs within states and metros across the United States.

Small Business Equity In Nevada, 2021, Ally M. Beckwith, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on minority and women-owned small businesses in Nevada in 2021, as originally reported by the Small Business Equity Tool. This tool examines the representation of Black, Asian, Latino, minority, and women-owned small businesses in the largest metropolitan areas and cities across the United States.

The “East Side” Of Las Vegas: A Latinx Historical Framework, Nathalie Martinez

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Spanish heritage speakers in the United States are a reflection of everchanging linguistic and sociolinguistic pressures that result in myriad varieties across generations. This paper provides a preliminary historical framework to fill this gap of linguistic knowledge in the Spanish-speaking community of Las Vegas, Nevada. The goals were two-fold: (1) highlight the largest Spanish-speaking communities in Las Vegas and (2) explore the significance of the East Side in the history of the Latinx population of Las Vegas. Through the analysis of oral histories and historical works, the investigation highlights the Mexican, Salvadoran, and Cuban populations of Las Vegas and their …

How Did Homelessness Change During The Great Recession And Recovery?, Jenny Schuetz, Matthew Ring

Policy Briefs and Reports

Job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated housing insecurity among low-income renters over the past year. Federal, state, and local policymakers have created temporary measures to help reduce displacement among people who have lost their jobs, but there is considerable uncertainty about what will happen when these temporary measures end. To gain insight into how homelessness changes over macroeconomic cycles, we examine changes in homelessness rates from 2007 to 2020. Our analysis focuses on four metro areas that were particularly hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Riverside. Overall homelessness rates declined in all metros …

Housing Confidence In The Mountain West, Emmanuel A. Berrelleza, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet explores housing metrics in the Las Vegas, Denver, and Phoenix metropolitan areas, as originally reported in the Pulsenomics report, “Renter Confidence Dashboard." Market conditions, expectations, and homeownership aspirations are some of the key factors in assessing the livelihood of housing and real estate in metropolitan areas. These factors are presented with a comparison between all generations and millennials.

The Frontier Of The Labor Movement: Latinas And The Longest Strike In Twentieth-Century Las Vegas, Maribel Estrada Calderón

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

After the mid-twentieth century, the American labor movement began to decline. Across the U.S., Union memberships and the rate of work stoppages decreased. In the hospitality-industry-driven city of Las Vegas, Nevada, however, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 more than doubled its membership. In 1989, the Elardi family purchased the Frontier Hotel and Casino and began to eliminate workers’ benefits. Led by the Culinary Union, workers went on strike on September 21, 1991, beginning one of the longest strikes in twentieth-century Las Vegas. Latina workers played critical roles in organizing and maintaining this successful, six-year-long battle against the Elardis. Positioning …

The Housing Market And The Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications For Las Vegas, Phoenix, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orlando, And New Orleans, Jenny Schuetz, Sarah Crump

Policy Briefs and Reports

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted virtually every part of the U.S. economy in the past year, and wreaked havoc on people’s daily lives. Housing markets are no exception. Millions of renters have fallen behind on their rent, fearing eviction while accumulating debts they cannot pay. At the same time, prices for owner-occupied housing have soared while the inventory of for-sale homes has plummeted. In this brief, we analyze several measures of housing distress from 2007 to 2019 for six metro areas, chosen based on their housing and labor market characteristics. Los Angeles, Riverside, Las Vegas, and Phoenix were among the …

Explaining The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Core Industries And The Hispanic Workforce, Aaron Klein, Ember Smith

Policy Briefs and Reports

As the United States prepares for a COVID-19 recovery, policymakers need to understand why some cities and communities were more vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic consequences than others. In this paper, we consider the association between a city’s core industry, its economic susceptibility to the pandemic, and the recession’s racially disparate impact across six select metropolitan areas. We find that areas with economies that rely on the movement of people—like Las Vegas with tourism—faced substantially higher unemployment at the end of 2020 than cities with core industries based on the movement of information. Further, we find the hardest-hit areas have …

One October Tragedy In Las Vegas: An Overview Of Tourists' Perceptions, Mehmet Erdem, Saeed Vayghan, Billy Bai

Hospitality Faculty Research

Purpose: This study seeks to examine Las Vegas visitors’ perception about security in Las Vegas and the perceived risks associated with traveling to Las Vegas following the One October mass shooting. It also aims to explore potential Las Vegas visitors ‘attitudes towards the proactive security measures implemented by Las Vegas resorts after the One October tragedy. Methods: The study is descriptive in nature. The data was collected through a web-based survey that comprised a national sample of 414 adults from the United States. Results: The results indicate that despite the tragic One October mass shooting in Las Vegas and the …

The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Rebuilding The Las Vegas Economy, Jaewon Lim

Policy Briefs and Reports

This study analyzes the recent trends of monthly visitors to the Las Vegas-ParadiseHenderson, NV metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the first five months of 2020. In addition, six scenarios for the seven-month period of June through December 2020 estimate the net loss of visitors to Southern Nevada and the impact for the state economy in terms of employment, income, the total value added (contribution to Gross State Product), output sales, and state and local tax revenues. The counter-factual scenario – projecting the regional economy if no COVID-19 outbreak occurred – serves as a baseline scenario that allows measurement of the …

After Howard, Before The Mirage: The Early Corporate Era Of Nevada Casinos And The Shifting Visual Landscape Of Las Vegas, David Schwartz

Executive Vice President & Provost Faculty Publications

Las Vegas casino history is often divided into the “classic” or “Rat Pack” era and the “corporate” or “megaresort era.” Classic Vegas starts in the early 1950s as the burgeoning gaming industry established itself on the Strip and can be said to end in 1967, when Howard Hughes’ purchase of five casinos signaled the start of a new regime. The megaresort era started in 1989 with the opening of The Mirage, and the time between Hughes’ arrival and Steve Wynn’s game-changer is typically brushed over as a mere precursor to the massive changes of the 1990s.

Neighborhood Change In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This Fact Sheet analyzes indicators of demographic and economic change in Las Vegas neighborhoods and suburbs, provided by “American Neighborhood Change in the 21st Century,” a study published by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity (IMO) at the Minnesota Law School. Researchers reviewed data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) for the top 50 largest metros in the U.S. The study reports levels of neighborhood change, including economic growth, poverty concentration, gentrification, and low-income displacement. Data pertaining to the Las Vegas metropolitan region are synthesized to measure indicators of economic viability and housing availability.

Sin City: How To Shut Down A City That Never Closes, David Schwartz

Executive Vice President & Provost Faculty Publications

The casino closures that swept through the United States were entirely unprecedented. Never before had an entire hospitality industry been shut down overnight. While we don’t know when Americans will be free to gamble in casinos once more—or, indeed, what casino operations will look like when casinos reopen—the simple fact that casinos are closed gives us plenty to think about.

Premier: The Magazine Of The Unlv Harrah College Of Hospitality, Matt Jacob

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Sin City Platforms: A Comparative Analysis On The Social Media Practices Of Select Hotels On The Las Vegas Strip, Kaitlin Beuschlein

Experience Industry Management

Social media has become a popular form of communication in recent years due to the prevalence of mobile devices. This has prompted companies to implement platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter into their marketing strategies to better reach customers. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the social media marketing strategies of select hotels on the Las Vegas strip. The Cosmopolitan and The Venetian hotels were selected for this study. The study strategically analyzed the Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages for both hotels utilizing a comparative analysis guide developed by the researcher. It was concluded that …

Immigrant Residency & Homeownership In Nevada, Kaylie Pattni, Ember Smith, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet provides immigrant housing data in Nevada from The New American Economy’s dataset, which is part of a larger project to investigate how immigration impacts the U.S. economy. This fact sheet also draws upon rankings constructed by Lending Tree in order to provide national context.

How Technology-Based Start-Ups Support U.S. Economic Growth, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet examines the trends of technology-based start-ups within the United States and specific states in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico) across the top 10 technology industries in 2016, using data provided by a report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

Housing - Las Vegas And The Middle Class, Brookings Mountain West

Brookings Mountain West Special Events

Brookings Mountain West presents an event focusing on housing as part of “Las Vegas and the Middle Class,” a major project exploring public policy initiatives designed to improve the quality of life of the middle class in Las Vegas and to increase the number of people rising to join its ranks. Through independent, non-partisan analysis and policy development, we seek to advance public understanding of the challenges facing the middle class in Las Vegas, as well as barriers to upward mobility.

This event features presentations that examine Las Vegas as a model for understanding issues critical to the growth of …

Should Las Vegas Bet On Homeownership? Trends In Housing Affordability And Homeownership, Jenny Schuetz

Brookings Mountain West Publications

In many parts of the U.S., rents and housing prices are rising faster than household incomes. Low-income families have always been stretched to pay for housing without sacrificing other necessities. In recent years, housing costs have become a larger source of financial stress for middle-income families. While homeownership has been the primary channel for wealth building in the U.S., two recent trends raise questions about whether this is a viable strategy. First, many homeowners suffered severe financial losses due to housing price declines during the Great Recession (2007-2009). Second, homeownership rates for Black and Latino families lag those of white …

Digitalization And The American Workforce, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet examines the rate of digitalization within the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) of the Mountain West division using the findings and data from Digitalization and the American Workforce, a report from the Brookings Institution.

Optimal Taxation For Integrated Resorts-Japan, Macau And Las Vegas, Jacky So, Shinya Kawahara

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

After debating the costs and benefits of legalize gambling in the integrated resorts for several years, the Japanese House of Representatives passed the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill on June 19, 2018 and the parliament finally passed the Bill in late July 2018. It is predicted that the first casino licenses to be issued in 2020 and actual operation of casino after five years.

The objectives of this paper are to develop an optimal taxation model that can help the Japanese government, and other countries that are interested in offering integrated resorts to attract tourist, to set up a tax …

Premier: The Magazine Of The Unlv Harrah College Of Hospitality, Tony Allen, Matt Jacob, Nicole Schultz, Cate Weeks

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Strip. Las Vegas And The Architecture Of The American Dream., Marta Soligo

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Book Review: The Strip. Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream

Ninth Island, Las Vegas: Hawaiian Gaming Tourism And The California Hotel, Cynthia Van Gilder, Dana Herrera

Occasional Papers

Many people do not realize that Las Vegas, Nevada is home to a unique niche tourism: it is overwhelmingly the vacation destination of choice for residents of the state of Hawai’i, even affectionately termed the “Ninth Island.” Many credit the strong Hawaiian interest in Las Vegas to the fact that there is no legal gaming in the state of Hawai’i, however, data indicates that it is not just the opportunity to gamble that bring Hawaiian tourists here, but also the specifc amenities and experience offered at one particular hotel and casino, The California Hotel. Nicknamed “The Cal,” this establishment is …