Hooters Casino Opens Super Bowl Weekend
Rolling Stone Magazine May Open Casino
Posted: 8:12 am PST February 7, 2006
The renovations are complete and the tight T-shirts have been donned.Yes, Super Bowl weekend saw the debut of the new Hooters Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.The project took the dumpy San Remo Hotel, located just off the Strip behind the Tropicana, and turned it into a glorified version of the Hooters chain of restaurants, including a sleek and modern "Florida casual" design (with lots of trademark orange), several new restaurants, revamped rooms and, of course, the famed Hooters girls.The $130 million renovation started last year and will finish when a new beach club-style pool area and bar opens in a couple of months.I'll bring you a full review of the hotel in an upcoming column.
Project CityCenter was already the biggest construction project ever planned for the Strip and one of the biggest ever in the United States. Now, the new city-within-a-city planned by MGM Mirage is getting even bigger.The company announced last week that it will add more than 1,000 more condominium/hotel and traditional condo units, bringing the total number to 2,800. Combine that with the 4,000 hotel rooms slated for the project and you can see why the bill for the whole thing has now gone up from $4 billion when originally announced to a heart-stopping $6 billion.Construction is scheduled to begin in April and the facility, which will include a casino, entertainment venues, shopping and more, is scheduled to open in phases throughout 2009 and 2010.
The ever-colorful Mayor Oscar Goodman, of Las Vegas, must have been thrilled when the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl this weekend. Not because he was a big fan of the team, but because of the big wager he had placed on the game. It wasn't about money.It was about dressing up like Britney Spears.That's right. The honorable Mayor Goodman will not have to stand on a street corner for an hour dressed like the pop starlet while singing her songs.It's all part of an annual bet between the mayor and local morning radio hosts Mark and Mercedes. A couple of years ago, Goodman backed the wrong team and wound up standing on a street corner dressed as the construction worker from the Village People while singing "YMCA" and "Macho Man."
In what may be another coup for Las Vegas (or a sign of the impending apocalypse, depending on your point of view), rumors are swirling that there may be a new rock-and-roll themed casino carrying the Rolling Stone moniker on its way to the city.The venerable music magazine's founder, Jann Wenner, was reportedly in Vegas recently scouting sites and trying to set up a deal, with the focus being on the Alexis Park hotel on Harmon Avenue ... you know, right across the street from the rock-and-roll themed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.The owners of the Alexis Park deny that a sale is in the works, but the stories that appeared in various news outlets insist that Wenner is floating a $500 million project that would fit in nicely along the up-and-coming Harmon Avenue corridor.In addition to the Hard Rock (and its $1 billion dollar expansion, now under way), several hip-and-happening projects are in the works, including the George Clooney and Rande Gerber Las Ramblas resort, the W Hotel and the upcoming transformation of the Aladdin into Planet Hollywood.
Despite all of the noise and furor over how expensive Las Vegas has gotten and theories that the rising costs will keep people away, it seems that there isn't much to worry about yet, if the recent report about visitor volume at McCarran International Airport is any indication.In 2005, more than 44 million people passed through the airport, up nearly 7 percent from 2004 and a whopping 22 percent over 2003. That number sets a new record for the facility.To keep pace with the non-stop growth, McCarran is undergoing a $2.4 billion renovation campaign, designed to ease some of the congestion that comes at peak times. New baggage-screening devices are coming, as are revised and revamped security check-in areas.Arriving passengers will be able to check their luggage at the airport and have it transferred to the hotels where they are staying (starting with the Venetian in a few months and adding more hotels throughout the year). There's also a new consolidated rental car facility under construction that is hoped to ease some of the traffic coming in and out of the airport.
Two of the stars of the monster hit "American Idol" are working on separate plans to conquer Las Vegas, according to recent announcements.Judge Simon Cowell has reportedly struck a deal to create (but not appear on) a new talent competition designed to find the next Las Vegas headliner. The television show will appear on NBC this summer and will not limit itself to just singers. Look for magicians, comedians, dancers and more to compete in front of a panel of Vegas-centric celebrity judges for that elusive shot at Sin City stardom. There is no word yet on where the potential winner will appear, but there should be no lack of hotel/casinos lining up for this kind of free publicity.Meanwhile, fellow judge Paula Abdul has signed on to be a consultant for several new entertainment venues planned for the Silverton Hotel and Casino. According to the press release, Abdul is helping to design a 1,800-seat concert venue that will double as a nightclub, an outdoor beach area with three stages that could host up to 4,000 people, and a new nightclub planned for the top floor of a proposed 27-story tower. All of this is scheduled to be built over the next two years.Hooters Casino Opens Super Bowl Weekend Revamped Web Site Offers Updates, Capsules
Project CityCenter was already the biggest construction project ever planned for the Strip and one of the biggest ever in the United States. Now, the new city-within-a-city planned by MGM Mirage is getting even bigger.The company announced last week that it will add more than 1,000 more condominium/hotel and traditional condo units, bringing the total number to 2,800. Combine that with the 4,000 hotel rooms slated for the project and you can see why the bill for the whole thing has now gone up from $4 billion when originally announced to a heart-stopping $6 billion.Construction is scheduled to begin in April and the facility, which will include a casino, entertainment venues, shopping and more, is scheduled to open in phases throughout 2009 and 2010.
The ever-colorful Mayor Oscar Goodman, of Las Vegas, must have been thrilled when the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl this weekend. Not because he was a big fan of the team, but because of the big wager he had placed on the game. It wasn't about money.It was about dressing up like Britney Spears.That's right. The honorable Mayor Goodman will not have to stand on a street corner for an hour dressed like the pop starlet while singing her songs.It's all part of an annual bet between the mayor and local morning radio hosts Mark and Mercedes. A couple of years ago, Goodman backed the wrong team and wound up standing on a street corner dressed as the construction worker from the Village People while singing "YMCA" and "Macho Man."
In what may be another coup for Las Vegas (or a sign of the impending apocalypse, depending on your point of view), rumors are swirling that there may be a new rock-and-roll themed casino carrying the Rolling Stone moniker on its way to the city.The venerable music magazine's founder, Jann Wenner, was reportedly in Vegas recently scouting sites and trying to set up a deal, with the focus being on the Alexis Park hotel on Harmon Avenue ... you know, right across the street from the rock-and-roll themed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.The owners of the Alexis Park deny that a sale is in the works, but the stories that appeared in various news outlets insist that Wenner is floating a $500 million project that would fit in nicely along the up-and-coming Harmon Avenue corridor.In addition to the Hard Rock (and its $1 billion dollar expansion, now under way), several hip-and-happening projects are in the works, including the George Clooney and Rande Gerber Las Ramblas resort, the W Hotel and the upcoming transformation of the Aladdin into Planet Hollywood.
Despite all of the noise and furor over how expensive Las Vegas has gotten and theories that the rising costs will keep people away, it seems that there isn't much to worry about yet, if the recent report about visitor volume at McCarran International Airport is any indication.In 2005, more than 44 million people passed through the airport, up nearly 7 percent from 2004 and a whopping 22 percent over 2003. That number sets a new record for the facility.To keep pace with the non-stop growth, McCarran is undergoing a $2.4 billion renovation campaign, designed to ease some of the congestion that comes at peak times. New baggage-screening devices are coming, as are revised and revamped security check-in areas.Arriving passengers will be able to check their luggage at the airport and have it transferred to the hotels where they are staying (starting with the Venetian in a few months and adding more hotels throughout the year). There's also a new consolidated rental car facility under construction that is hoped to ease some of the traffic coming in and out of the airport.
Two of the stars of the monster hit "American Idol" are working on separate plans to conquer Las Vegas, according to recent announcements.Judge Simon Cowell has reportedly struck a deal to create (but not appear on) a new talent competition designed to find the next Las Vegas headliner. The television show will appear on NBC this summer and will not limit itself to just singers. Look for magicians, comedians, dancers and more to compete in front of a panel of Vegas-centric celebrity judges for that elusive shot at Sin City stardom. There is no word yet on where the potential winner will appear, but there should be no lack of hotel/casinos lining up for this kind of free publicity.Meanwhile, fellow judge Paula Abdul has signed on to be a consultant for several new entertainment venues planned for the Silverton Hotel and Casino. According to the press release, Abdul is helping to design a 1,800-seat concert venue that will double as a nightclub, an outdoor beach area with three stages that could host up to 4,000 people, and a new nightclub planned for the top floor of a proposed 27-story tower. All of this is scheduled to be built over the next two years.
The Full Story
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Find the hotel that's right for you with Vegas4Visitors.com's reviews!And check out the new Moon Handbooks Las Vegas.Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
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