NEWS & NOTES

Konami Holdings reported a 4.9 percent fall in revenues for its gaming and systems segment in the three months ending 2017, resulting in a slight decline in profit to $24.7 million. The supplier did not specify reasons for the decline, but outlined achievements during the quarter that included the launch of an enhanced line of cabinets and games in its Concerto series. Company-wide, the Japanese entertainment giant reported a 9 percent rise in revenue.  •  Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas is renumbering floors 31 through 34, which will now be identified as floors 56 through 59. The move is intended to remove the identity of the 32nd floor, the location of the suite from which Stephen Paddock fired on a Harvest Festival crowd on October 1, killing 58 people in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Mandalay has struggled since the shooting to recover lost business, and its reputation.  •  Harrah’s Las Vegas has completed a $140 million remodeling of 1,622 of its Valley Tower rooms and suites. The project, designed by Marnell Architecture, brings to a close the second phase of a renovation that started in 2016 at 675 of the tower’s rooms. The latest phase also includes a new lobby bar with 12 gaming stations and a refurbished casino floor.  •  Add MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands and Caesars Entertainment to companies that have raised the resort fees added to the nightly cost of their Las Vegas hotel rooms. MGM has increased the fee at Excalibur and Monte Carlo to $30 and at Aria, Bellagio and Vdara to $39. Fees at Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, The Venetian and Palazzo also now total $39 per night. Caesars has upped fees by $5 to $35 at Bally’s Flamingo, Harrah’s and The Linq; by$2 to $37 at Cromwell, Paris and Planet Hollywood; and by $4 to $39 per night at Caesars Palace.  •  The city of Las Vegas plans to request a $9.5 million grant from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to upgrade the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience Viva Vision light and video show and expand the 1,500-foot-long, 90-foot-high attraction to a 24-hour operation.  •  “The Biggest Little City in the World” arch in Reno, Nevada, is being refurbished with a new, more contemporary look. The $226,000 project, scheduled for completion April 30, includes a repainting of both sides of the Virginia Street landmark, replacement of the original metal with brushed stainless steel, and upgrades and repairs to the wiring and bulb panels.  •  The Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota, which operate the 4 Bears Casino and Lodge on the Fort Berthold Reservation, have suspended a new 7 percent tax that they first imposed in November. When the tax was imposed, alcohol vendors stopped shipments to the reservation. They resumed when the tax was lifted. The suspension is temporary, until April 3.   •  Eleven Las Vegas resorts have been named “Gold Badge” winners in U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Best Hotels in the USA.” Las Vegas tied with Los Angeles for most U.S. “gold” properties. The 11 are: Mandarin Oriental, Aria and Aria Sky Suites, the Cosmopolitan, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, Skylofts at MGM Grand, Four Seasons, Bellagio, the Venetian and Palazzo.   •  The Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Association of Cebu, Philippines has announced that local resorts have won numerous tourism awards. Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan and P&I Resorts Inc. were among 11 properties in the Philippines that received the Asean Green Hotel Award. A total of 40 awardees in the region were recognized.  ●  The final inspection phase of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project started last week, more than a year after originally scheduled. The HKZM “superbridge” was supposed to have been operational by December 31, 2017, but faced multiple delays, including some related to nine worker deaths at the site.  ●  Macau’s Transport Bureau will launch a tender for 100 black taxi licenses valid for eight years, according to an executive order signed by Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On. The government also announced that owners of taxis damaged by Typhoon Hato can apply to extend their taxi licenses for six months.  ●  Chinese firm Silver Shores wants to locate a JW Marriott Hotel with a golf course in Ngu Hanh Son District in Danang, Vietnam. The company said it plans package tours for Chinese travelers to Danang.