The Jeff Does Vegas Podcast

I'm going to be totally honest with you...this episode of the podcast is very likely to upset a lot of people.  But everything being said here NEEDS to be said.

After my last trip to Vegas, I released the "NOT The May Trip Report" episode, in which I brought up several things that I didn't enjoy about the city and, in turn, my vacation.  I got a lot of a lot of feedback about that particular episode - some agreeing with me and some STRONGLY disagreeing with me.

I began to think that I was crazy...maybe it was just me.  Then, I started to see a lot of the same comments & complaints being made by people posting on Vegas-related social media channels and by several other Vegas content creators - including bloggers, vloggers and podcasters.

Then, it happened...

Sam Novak, the creator of Vegas Unfiltered (who's appeared on the show before) wrote an article for Vegas 411 titled, "This Is The Worst Time In History To Visit Vegas".

I asked Sam to join me for a conversation about the article as well as the current state of affairs in Las Vegas.  As expected, he was BRUTALLY honest about what's happening in the city.

We talked about construction chaos, skyrocketing costs, the overall state of the strip, and much more.  Plus, I asked the big question: What will it take to FIX things in Las Vegas?

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

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Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I've had a few listeners reach out and ask me about doing an episode covering the topic of casino comps, tier statuses & loyalty programs, so I thought it was about time I actually got to it.  And, even though I'm a member of several different Vegas casino loyalty programs, I really have no idea how they work.

So, I'm turning to an expert to help me out!

Shawn Coomer is the founder & editor-in-chief of Miles To Memories, a website dedicated to sharing the best tips & tricks when it comes to maximizing the benefits of travel reward & loyalty programs - including casino loyalty programs.  Shawn is also a Las Vegas native and host of the Miles To Memories Vegas Podcast and Miles To Memories Vegas YouTube Channel.

Visit Miles To Memories for the latest news from the world of travel reward & loyalty programs and be sure to follow Miles To Memories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Crypto Currency...Block Chain...Non-Fungible Tokens...Alt-Coins...

If you've been paying attention to financial news over the last few years, these are likely all terms that you've heard mentioned...but what the HELL are they?  And how do they relate to Las Vegas?

My guest for this episode is going to do his best to break it all down for us in the simplest terms possible.

Making his second appearance on the podcast is Jake Gallen.  Jake previously hosted a podcast called "The Guest List" where he interviewed Las Vegas creators, leaders & entrepreneurs.  In early 2022, Jake re-branded and shifted focus to the world of Crypto & NFT's.  He also founded a Crypto Consultation Firm called Nativ Research & has become heavily involved in the Las Vegas Crypto scene.

Jake & I connected on my last trip to Las Vegas and he was kind enough to explain what Crypto Currency is and how it works, what an NFT is & how they're currently being used, and we talked about the potential future for crypto & NFT's in the world of Las Vegas.

If you want to know more, be sure to visit Jake's Website and take a listen to the Jake Gallen Podcast.  Also, be sure to follow Jake on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Shortly after I launched this podcast, I put together an episode called Vegas FAQ, where I gathered together some of the more common questions that I saw being asked about Las Vegas and attempted to answer them.

It's been over 2 years since I released the original Vegas FAQ and in that time, the city has gone through some big changes.  As such, some of the information covered in that episode is no longer accurate & the LAST thing I want to be doing is sharing incorrect advice.  Plus, with the easing/removal of COVID-related restrictions, there's a large segment of the population that might be making their first ever trip to Vegas and I'd love to help make that trip a little more enjoyable.

I go over A LOT of material in this episode - including money & budgets, getting around the city, how to choose hotels, restaurants & shows and I'll also be covering the "sin" in "Sin City" (alcohol, drugs & prostitution).

And because there's so much information jammed into this episode, I've made my notes available to you to as a downloadable PDF file.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

One of the things I've enjoyed the most about doing this podcast has been helping people plan their own trips to Las Vegas, and I've been able to do that in couple of different ways.

Firstly, with my "trip report" episodes; I've loved being able to share my Vegas experiences and provide reviews of hotels, restaurants, shows, attractions and anything else I've gotten up to during my time in the city.

Secondly, through the various conversations I've had with Vegas-related experts who I've recruited to help answer questions on a variety of topics.  Over the last couple of years, we've covered tipping etiquette, where to find the best late night eats, how to plan an "epic girls trip" and even what not to do on a Vegas trip.

As you start making plans for potential trips in the coming year, I thought it might be a good idea to re-share some of these tips & tricks.

And if you'd like to listen to the complete episodes, here you go:

EP#16: Classic Vegas Mistakes

EP#53: Girls Gone Vegas

EP#56: Mid-Night Munchies

EP#59: The Tipping Point

I've pumped out brand new episodes for the past 15 weeks straight but I have to tell you something:  I'm exhausted.  So, I've decided to take a week off for a little R-&-R.

As such, I thought this would be a good opportunity for you guys to get caught up on some of the fun shows that I've put out over the last few months.  Plus, you've probably run out of things to binge-watch on Netflix, so why not immerse yourself in the world of podcasts?

In no particular order, here's a few recent episodes to check out for yourself!  And, as always, if you have any feedback on these episodes or suggestions for topics to cover on upcoming episodes, please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!

The very first episode of the podcast was released all the way back on December 1, 2018.  When I launched the podcast, I was simply looking for a creative outlet and a way to share my love for Las Vegas.

I've had the opportunity to talk to & meet with some amazing people - including entertainers, fellow podcasters and Vegas-related experts - and share these conversations with an amazing audience all over the world who are just as passionate about Vegas as I am.

18 months, 68 episodes and over 55,000 downloads later, I thought it might be fun to take a trip back and share clips of some of my favourite podcast conversations...so welcome to the first ever Jeff Does Vegas Clip Show!

And, in order of appearance, here are links to the complete episodes I pulled each of the clips from:

EP#45: My Special Guest - Mark Shunock

EP#43: KABOOM!  The National Atomic Testing Museum

EP#13: Leaving It All On The Table

EP#19: Here's The (Time Share) Pitch

EP#35: My Special Guest - Jimmy Denning

EP#52: Superstitious Feeling

EP#49: Pinball Hall of Fame

EP#42: Long Live The King - Elvis In Vegas

EP#21: Kill Resort Fees

EP#48: My Special Guest - Vin A.

One of the most divisive and controversial topics I've ever seen discussed online is the practice of tipping.  If you want to see grown-ass adults lose their minds & resort to insults in just a few short posts, jump on a Vegas-related Facebook page and ask how much you should tip for a specific service.

I do understand the confusion though; Las Vegas gets 42 million visitors per year and not all of them come from countries where tipping is customary.  And if you're not prepared for it & don't budget for it, tipping can drain your bankroll pretty quickly.

But the question still remains: Who should you be tipping and how much should you be tipping them?

My guest for this episode is international etiquette expert, Jacqueline Whitmore.  Ms. Whitmore is considered one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of etiquette and has appeared on dozens of TV shows as well as in multiple newspapers & magazines.

Jacqueline and I took a deep dive into the world of tipping - including tipping at restaurants & hotels, limo/taxi/rideshare drivers and even a few Vegas-specific topics like casino dealers, slot attendants & cocktail servers.

NOTE: My conversation with Jacqueline was recorded before the COVID-19 shutdown in Las Vegas, so whether or not these bits of advice will still be applicable when Vegas re-opens remains to be seen.

If you want to learn more about Jacqueline or you're in need of etiquette advice, visit her official website or follow her on Twitter & Instagram.

The topic for this episode of the show comes courtesy of listener, Jacob Kehl from Denmark.  Jacob really wanted to me to do an episode featuring tips & tricks for the Vegas Low Roller.

Jacob, your wish is my command!

And joining me to talk about the right way to Low Roll in Las Vegas is friend of the show, making his second appearance on the podcast, Sergio Portesan - the creator of the website Viva Las Value!  Sergio and I talked about the best websites to find discount Vegas hook-up's, suggestions for low roller hotels, restaurants & bars and how to make your bankroll last longer when hitting the tables & machines.

For all the details, check out Sergio's website, Viva Las Value and be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook! And if you want to learn the story behind the creation of Viva Las Value, go back in the archives and check out EP#14: Viva Las Value.

For this episode of the podcast, I've put together a little something I'm calling Vegas FAQ.

The concept is pretty simple; I've gathered up all the Vegas-related questions that I see asked most frequently on Twitter & Facebook - and even the ones I personally get asked most often - and I'm going to attempt to answer all of them here in this episode.

I'm going to cover a TON of material here - including questions about money & budgets, getting around Las Vegas, what the weather is like at different times of the year and even those totally subjective questions about hotels, restaurants & shows.  And you can't have "Sin City" with the "Sin" so I'm even going to discuss liquor laws, marijuana laws & prostitution laws.

And because there's so much info in this episode, I've made my notes available to you - Click here to download the PDF file!

The topic of discussion for this episode of the podcast is one that affects pretty much anyone who visits Las Vegas: RESORT FEES!

For those unfamiliar with the concept, "Resort Fees" are extra fees that most Vegas hotels will charge guests in addition to the actual room rate.  Depending on the hotel you're staying at, those fees range anywhere from an additional $25-$45 per night and for lower-end hotels, the resort fee is actually HIGHER than the published room rate.

And what do you get for that extra cash?  The hotels try to claim they're giving you access to the pool, resort wi-fi, the fitness center, free local calls and other goodies.  In fact, what they're actually giving you is nothing.

Joining me for this episode of the podcast is Lauren Wolfe, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer who, like a lot of other who travel to Las Vegas - and elsewhere in the US where the Resort Fee Plague is spreading - got tired of paying this so-called mandatory fee in exchange for, essentially, nothing.  So, she decided to do something about it.

Lauren is the founder & creator of Kill Resort Fees, a website not only devoted to eliminating resort fees entirely, but educating people on how to avoid resort fees, how to get their resort fees refunded and how to force the government to take action against this illegal practice.

In addition to checking out the website, you can follow Kill Resort Fees on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Money is always a tricky topic when it comes to planning for a Las Vegas trip or when giving advice to Vegas visitors.  As I've talked about in previous episodes, Vegas is one of those rare vacation destinations where you can literally make it whatever you want it to be; whether you want to play "high roller" and drop stacks of cash wherever you go or you want to play it sensible and actually take some of your money home with you, both are viable options.

Viva Las Value is a new website designed to help you do Vegas like a high roller...without breaking the bank.  The site is jammed full of amazing tips & tricks for the Vegas visitor including everything from how to score free drinks while playing slots to how to NOT be overwhelmed on your first trip to the casino to how to earn comps just for playing "pretend" slots on Facebook.  I tracked down Sergio Portesan, the founder and creator of Viva Las Value to get his story & find out the inspiration behind creating the site.

Be sure to give Viva Las Value a follow on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to interact.

To quote Puff Daddy, this episode of the podcast is "All About The Benjamins Baby".

Hopefully, this episode will be helpful for Vegas vets and virgins alike; One of the most popular questions I see posted about planning a Vegas vacation is "How much money should I bring with me?"  There are several different answers to this question, all dependent on the type of trip you're planning...so hopefully, I'll be able to help you with some guidance.

Thanks for listening and thanks for checking us out!

If you're after some great ways to save cash in Vegas, check out the following links:

- Sign up for Caesars Total Rewards and MLife Rewards programs

- Watch for discounted show tickets at Tix-4-Tonight, Tickets On Demand and Vegas.com

- And look for discounts on rooms, shows, restaurants, attractions and tours at SmarterVegas, TravelVegas and Vegas4Locals