The finish line: FireKeepers Casino cuts the ribbon on its new Aristocrat Lounge Photo courtesy of FireKeepers Casino Hotel
The need for speed is satisfied each summer via the FireKeepers Casino 400 race at Michigan International Speedway. FireKeepers creates special events to surround the annual NASCAR race, including meet-and-greets with the drivers in Battle Creek at the casino’s Dacey’s Tap House and Sports Book.
For more than a decade, FireKeepers has been the casino hotel where Midwesterners go to “get their Vegas on” by offering, in addition to the auto race, gaming, concerts, fine dining, sports betting, event spaces, and even a professional golf tournament. “At Firekeepers were always looking for features that are ‘fun, friendly, vibrant and upscale,’” said Jim Wise, FireKeepers’ vice-president of marketing. He also told me he’s seen fans rolling giant race car tires through the casino to get them autographed by NASCAR drivers.
Las Vegas itself will step on the gas in mid-November with a street course when race cars roar down The Strip during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Grand Prix. It’s the only F1 race in America at night – illuminated by the glittering glowing of the Las Vegas Strip’s neon lights.
“Formula 1 Racing has taken the U.S. by storm, and Las Vegas has become the entertainment/sports capital of the world. Because of the way we can move people in and out, it is one of the easiest places to see live sports,” said Andrew Lanzino, VP of Event Strategy at MGM Resorts International.
The Bellagio Fountains and the F1 racetrack on The Strip. Photo by Harrison Shiels
Like FireKeepers, MGM Resorts embraces the race. MGM’s multiple casino hotel properties have created interactive events to enhance the racing fan experience but also for those who just dig the glamorous, international scene. “We built the Bellagio Fountain Club on the resort’s famed fountains, which is probably the best place to watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix because you are so central to everything that makes Las Vegas Las Vegas. You are feet from the cars with the fountains dancing behind you. We have the stage where the three winners come at the end,” said Lanzino. Next to Bellagio, in Aria’s lobby, guests will find Mercedes-AMG Petronas team merchandise, race simulators and photo ops with a show car.
Shoey Bar at Bellagio embraces and enable racing’s celebration of drinking from a shoe (actress Eva Longoria has done it, why not you?) Bellagio will pop-up a Ferrari Boutique with logoed apparel and autographed collectible pieces. Balmain luxury handbags and shoes will do the same. Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck will sign cookbooks at a lakeside brunch and, also at Bellagio, in from the Connaught in London, mixologist Giorgio Bargiani will stir things up. Luxury libation events pouring champagnes Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot, plus Remy Martin and McCallan, will keep fans happily high and hydrated.
The Cosmopolitan created a closed-circuit watch party from its Boulevard Pool above the racecourse and anyone in the Cosmo can see the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team show car and racing suits with custom-decorated helmets on display. The Williams Racing Team will park itself on the Brooklyn Bridge in front of MGM’s Resort’s New York-New York with interactive experiences.
Innovations also continue in Michigan where, at FireKeepers Casino, gamers and guests can watch and bet the race, and now enjoy the new Aristocrat Gaming Lounge. The luxe lounge, just off the hotel lobby features, exclusively, the cutting-edge slot games by Aristocrat Gaming: Dragon Link; Buffalo; Mo’ Mummy; Whisker Wheels, and more. These are entertaining games in lounge that invites players to step into a world of fun.
MPS wore his pinky ring to Bellagio’s Bruno Mars bar. Photo by Harrison Shiels
“Aristocrat is one of the hottest slot providers in the world with some of the most exciting brands. We took 32 of their games and put them in a dedicated space. Aristocrat came in and themed the walls from floor to ceiling for their games and added some cool lighting, so it is now a super-creative space with a lot of ‘wow factor,’” Wise explained. “At Firekeepers we’re always looking for features that are ‘fun, friendly, vibrant and upscale.’”
Limits on slot games in the Aristocrat Lounge range from penny games up to $5 pulls. The new lounge is about 60-feet and one left turn from the hotel entrance, so you can set a speed record getting there once you come in! In addition to race cars, FireKeepers frequently gives away cars, including the official FireKeepers 400 Pace Car plus everything from Range Rovers to Broncos and Mustangs.
The wide variety of FireKeepers Vegas-style entertainment includes Bachman-Turner Overdrive on stage November 9; and Tuesday, December 10, the Midtown Men Holiday Hits Show. Mirage – Visions of Fleetwood Mac performs Dec. 29.
Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at MShiels@aol.com His new book: Travel Tattler – Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via Amazon.com Hear his radio talk show on WJIM AM 1240 in Lansing weekdays from 9 am – noon.
