MGM Sale Shock & The Billionaire Era of Las Vegas + Rio’s Questionable Buffet!

“💲 Save big on Vegas with Las Vegas Advisor. Get 10% off a membership with code MTM. (New members. Affiliate.) https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/shop/products/lva-membership-platinum/?ref=MTM Want more MTM Vegas? Check out our Patreon for access to our exclusive weekly aftershow! patreon.com/mtmvegas Want to work with us? Reach out! inquiries at mtmvegas dot com Episode Description This week Shawn is reporting from vacation in Montenegro because the biggest Vegas news in years couldn’t wait — both of the Strip’s largest operators are heading private. Barry Diller’s People Inc. (the former IAC) has made a non-binding offer of $48.30 per share, roughly $18 billion, to take MGM Resorts private, coming right on the heels of Tilman Fertitta’s deal to take Caesars private. So what does a billionaire-owned Strip that’s off Wall Street actually mean for the guest experience? We break the whole thing down. In other news the Cromwell has officially completed its transformation into the Vanderpump Hotel. We look at the new rooms, the Gigolo cocktail garden, the carpet everyone’s arguing about, and why it’s still the best Caesars property to base yourself at. Plus, is Rio’s new $27 buffet a worthy successor to the legendary Carnival World Buffet? Spoiler: it’s rough. We also discuss: the headless man at Park MGM, Star Trek: The Experience nostalgia and the mystery of the onion ring tower, Rio’s Hyatt Globalist breakfast and Hyatt’s slipping standards, and what this new era means for the future of Las Vegas. Mark and I will be back Friday with a special Unhinged episode — stay tuned! Chapters: 0:00 They sold Vegas while I was gone (live from Montenegro) 0:25 The Cromwell is officially the Vanderpump Hotel 1:44 Inside Vanderpump: Gigolo bar & best Caesars parking 3:30 The headless man at Park MGM 3:47 Star Trek: The Experience nostalgia 4:31 Rio’s sad new $27 buffet (RIP Carnival World Buffet) 6:46 Hyatt keeps lowering standards 7:08 The big one: two Strip giants going private 7:42 Barry Diller’s $18B bid to take MGM private 9:44 Why Diller wants MGM 10:28 The billionaire era of the Strip — good or bad? 13:29 Macau, Wall Street & MGM’s crown jewels #LasVegas #Vegas #MGMResorts #Caesars #BarryDiller #VegasNews #VanderpumpHotel #MilesToMemories #MTMVegas Links Vanderpump Hotel room – https://x.com/KerryBilicki/status/2060576144832045088?s=20 Rio buffet – https://x.com/Vegasconfesspod/status/2061144499527753759?s=20 MGM buyout – https://investors.mgmresorts.com/2026-06-01-MGM-Resorts-International-Confirms-Receipt-of-Acquisition-Proposal-from-People-Incorporated”