The giant Resorts World complex has most of the attributes of today's modern Las Vegas Strip resorts: a luxury hotel adjacent to the main hotel, high-profile chefs, high-limit gaming, and a theater that hosts headline names (Janet Jackson next month).
But it also has something most Vegas hotels don't: a connection to the Vegas Loop.
The Vegas Loop is a series of underground tunnels dug out by Elon Musk's Boring Co. that connect the Las Vegas Convention Center wings. Teslas drive around inside the tunnels, transporting riders in a sort-of combination taxi-subway service. Loop tunnels also connect the convention center to the Westgate and Resorts World hotels and, this year, the Encore, which makes it convenient for conventioneers staying in those locations.
The Loop is primarily geared toward convention center traffic, but its LVCC Central stop also enables users to connect to the Monorail via a short but sunny walk from the Loop. It's not the prettiest trek in the world, but it can be done, so it's useful for hardy visitors who don't feel like paying for a taxi or Lyft to get around.
I stumbled upon the Loop entrance at Resorts World almost by accident. The entrance is in its shopping center, with big banners, black with white type, proclaiming the Vegas Loop. At first I thought "The Vegas Loop!!" was a thrilling Vegas attraction, like the Stratosphere rides or the Linq zipline.
But it kind of is.
I decided to give the Teslas in Tunnels a whirl, so I took the stairs down into the Loop entrance and found myself in a glorified parking lot. QR codes on the wall link to the tickets page, and users can pay by the ride or buy an unlimited-ride day pass for about $12. Then your phone displays a bar code that you use to scan and wait for your ride.
My white Tesla pulled up a few minutes later, with a human driver behind the wheel. I got in, and we waited behind one or two other Teslas on a gently sloping road for a green light. Michael Sembello's "Maniac" was playing on the radio. It felt anticipatory, a little like the start of a rollercoaster ride.
At first, it felt like a regular taxi. And then we dropped into the tunnel, and it did kind of feel like an amusement park ride. The one-way tunnels are just wide enough to accommodate the car. The walls are very close, requiring the driver to lock in on navigation. Alternating pink, purple and green lighting in the tunnel keeps it thrilling. At one point the tunnel forked, and without hesitating the driver chose the right fork. Whee!
(A 2022 column from Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann includes a time-lapse video of his trip through one of the tunnels.)
It was impossible to tell how fast the drivers took the turns, but one driver told me the speed limit in our tunnel was about 30 mph.
The ride back at the end of the day was very much like the first, except that there were several Teslas waiting their turn to drop into the tunnel. My driver explained that there can sometimes be a traffic buildup at the convention center. Makes sense if a bunch of conventioneers decide to head out simultaneously.
The Loop is right now mostly a convention tool and a curiosity. A ride service or taxi from one end of the strip to the other is likely faster (traffic permitting) and more convenient. For example, I left the MGM Grand Monorail stop at 4:15 p.m. and was in my hotel room at the Crockfords at Resorts World about 45 minutes later. And at night, surface-level travel still wins -- Loop hours vary depending on the day and location.
But like most things related to Elon Musk or Las Vegas, the ambition is big. Boring Co. said that an approval from Nevada's Clark County called for 104 stations and a connection to other Strip resorts, downtown hotels, Allegiant Stadium and the airport. The Loop eventually could accommodate up to 90,000 passengers an hour.
It also could show up in other destinations, like Orlando.