Talk about buying power.
Millennials will be spending $200 billion annually in 2017 and $10 trillion during their lifetimes as consumers, according to author and consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow.
Las Vegas resorts and casinos have definitely taken note and are offering amenities to attract the generation born between 1982 and 2000 (which exceeds 80 million) with a penchant for technology, group travel, collaboration and a spirit of adventure.
Millennials, who eschew traditional gaming in favor of pursuits that require more skill, will find an entertainment venue created just for them at MGM Grand’s new Level Up social lounge. The 12,000-sq.-ft. pay-to-play space offers not only timeless favorites such as pool, foosball and pingpong but also old-school recreation that includes QuadAir Hockey, Bubble Hockey, Sigma Derby and Connect Four.
When millennials stay at Wynn Las Vegas, they will have the luxury of their own personal device — one so discreet they won’t even know it’s in the room. Wynn Las Vegas is equipping all 4,748 hotel rooms at its resort with Echo, Amazon’s hands-free voice-controlled speaker. This helpful amenity known as Alexa will allow guests to verbally control every aspect of their hotel stay, whether it’s the lighting, temperature, audio or video components. Already programmed with more than 6,000 skills, Alexa, in addition to assisting guests in organizing their room for maximum comfort, can also read the news, set alarms and check sports scores. (Now if she could just teach users the secret to playing craps.)
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While there’s no end to the fun that the MyPod Generation can find on the Las Vegas Strip, sometimes it’s necessary to take a break from all the selfie action. Whether that’s a peaceful hike in the Grand Canyon, a contemplative tour of the Louvre or even a wonder-inducing trip to outer space, at Caesars Palace’s Oculus Virtual Reality Lounge. Located in the resort’s Alto Bar, the Oculus Lounge has four Oculus Rifts with Touch that take guests on a fully immersive 360-degree virtual reality experience far beyond anything their imagination might offer.
Rosie the lovable robot maid from the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons” once seemed a segment of the future. That future has arrived. In what is a presumed nod to her animated predecessor, a chatbot named Rose is the newest employee at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. With a mission to engage tech-savvy guests via interactive technology, Rose can guide them through art tours on the resort’s grounds, arrange for delivery of necessities, play games and even make dining and cocktail recommendations using real-time conversation by text message.
By remodeling 12 of its rooms with twin-size bunk-bed lofts, The LINQ Hotel & Casino has taken note of the fact that millennials are more likely than other generations to travel in groups. In addition to the bunk beds, the 350-sq.-ft. hotel rooms also feature USB charging stations, a 47-screen LED flat-screen TV and two queen beds. And even though they are nicknamed the Internet Generation, millennials enjoy old-school pursuits made popular by previous generations, so the LINQ rents timeless games such as Twister and Yahtzee.
Zappos is doing a whole lot more than just delivering happiness this year. In January, it delivered a first-of-its-kind co-working space to the heart of The Venetian and The Palazzo convention area to meet the trend of creating collaborative workspaces desired by millennials. The Coworking Lounge Powered by Zappos offers space to recharge, collaborate and huddle between meetings Amenities in the 1,170-sq.-ft. pop-up lounge include Wi-Fi, charging stations, private phone rooms, a private conference room for six and furnishings by Restoration Hardware.
Knowing millennials consider experiences more important than things, The LINQ Hotel & Casino recently added a new virtual reality experience called Holocube. The 200-sq.-ft. Holocube has enough space for four players to move around in while enjoying different virtual reality experiences that include “Guitar Hero” and “Dance Dance Revolution.” Holocube makes everyone a star by displaying outward-facing 4K TV screens so your friends can catch the action while you are inside playing on one of the four VR portals.
