RICHARD MOORE wrote on March 20, 2008 03:20 PM: The problem with all of the construction is that transportation is going to come to a complete gridlock with all the additional cars from all the added rooms. The 'slowdown' is a good time for city authorities to come up with a reasonable plan to alleviate the permanent gridlock that's rapidly developing.

laith salem wrote on March 20, 2008 08:49 AM: i am in investor at the cosmo.project and i was wondering since construction has not halted ,what is your best guess to th future of the project.will dusche bank own it and try to sell it?and what happen to the depositers money.thank you

Pearl wrote on March 18, 2008 06:19 PM: so this is a las vegas problem only??? last i heard the problem centered on bank lending and credit crunch and in essence had nothing to do with vegas but more with the american economy.

some of you question the need to build new hotel rooms on the strip just as people did in 1942 (and every year since) when many claimed vegas wasn't big enough to support two major hotel casinos. Fact remains 40 million visited the city last year, thats 22 million more than 1989. Room occupancy rate on the Strip was some 96% last year despite room rates increasing by an average $25-30 in a year. Over the last 65 years the las vegas strip has proved over and over again that "if you build it they will come"

in the months after 9/11 occupancy rate on the strip was approx 30% and hotels were letting thousands of people were go, yet vegas survived despite all the doom and gloom stories back then.........

KP wrote on March 18, 2008 03:42 PM: Fact is, no one knows for sure what will happen with any economy. Funny how so many people are always so gloom and doom! Good luck with that thinking! I know from the past 45 years expierence. I've always been impressed how the Vegas economy bounces back one way or another. Not a bad place to do business. I'm sure we are in for some minor corrections. Most smart people in business expect that dont we?

lender wrote on March 18, 2008 03:20 PM: I hate when you actually have to have money and a solid project in order to get financing! A solid demand market for the project, too? Geesh.

Mark$ wrote on March 18, 2008 01:27 PM: All these luxury condos (which are in fact, ticky-tacky tiny little cinderblock cubicles in the sky) were planned when sharpie developers thought legions of Americans would merely sell or refinance their over-valued houses, and come waltzing into Vegas. Well, that ain't gonna happen, gosh darn. God only knows how much bankruptcy is in store for this city, and how many of those proud construction cranes will be quietly dismantled, in the hard times to come ..

Bank on This wrote on March 18, 2008 11:23 AM: Yeah, Las Vegas is dead. How many times have we heard that in the past?! True is - this is excellent news for the high rises that actually make it and those who can ride out the storm will laugh at the neigh-sayers in the next 2 or so years.

Jerry Wayne wrote on March 18, 2008 10:51 AM: Sorry, I meant Southeast United States.

Jerry Wayne wrote on March 18, 2008 10:48 AM: A common sign of a growing, healthy city is the amount of construction cranes you can see. Most cities have 3-4 cranes operating at any given time. Las Vegas has 12-14.

While the economy is in a down-turn, it's a cycle with high and lows, there are some positive signs.

The dollar is very week right now in the world-wide market. Las Vegas needs to shift focus to attract European vacationers to Sin City. While other cities around the world have gambling, none offer the unique Las Vegas experience. Pricing may need to change to include tipping though, because many foreigners aren't used to the practice.

Another benefit in a weak dollar is the rebirth of US manufacturing. Car plants are being opened in the Southwest United States because it's becoming cheaper to produce the vehicles using our semi-skilled labor here rather than in a foreign country and shipping them.

I would like to see Vegas take a two-pronged approach. High-end Vegas for foreigners and a return to the cheap buffets/meals/show deals for Americans.

Everyone likes to hit the panic button, but we need to remember that everything flows in a circle. We had some really prosperous times in this town. Maybe next time, people will learn to save money during those periods.

Look at the big picture wrote on March 18, 2008 08:35 AM: I keep hearing about the 100,000 jobs coming online. The mentality of build it and they will come is a joke.

Things are so good that's why some of the casinos are cutting jobs and reducing hours of others. Gaming is not a necessity therefore the people that would make Las Vegas a vacation destination may not be able to afford to donate to the casinos.

Building thousands of new hotel rooms does not make sense, the hotels are not turning guest away for a lack of rooms.

Empty hotel rooms do not put any money into the economy and that is a fact. Already rooms rates are being reduced in hopes of luring suckers and their bank accounts.

Las Vegas gaming is in for a big dissapointing ride. Couldn't happen to a better bunch.

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