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Print This StoryNew Hard Rock Owners Find Operators
Public Poopers Get Reprieve, Sort Of
POSTED: 8:23 am PDT July 18,
2006
When the Hard Rock was sold recently to Morgans Hotel Group for $770 million, many wondered how the relatively staid operator of upscale boutique hotels would do with a wild and wooly Vegas casino.Turns out, it won't do anything. Morgans has contracted with Golden Gaming to manage the casino, so it doesn't have to go through the mess of trying to get approved for a gaming license and find qualified folks to run the joint.Golden is a company that most tourists have never heard of. But locals are very familiar with its omnipresent chain of PT's Pubs, 24 hour diner/bar/mini-casino concepts that dot the Vegas valley.
St. Rose Parkway is considered the gateway to Las Vegas for those driving into the city from Los Angeles along Interstate 15. It's the exit on the freeway about 11 miles south of Mandalay Bay -- the first one you come to after Sin City comes into view.Big things are in the works for this dusty intersection, with the announcement of a third major hotel planned, bringing the total future investment in the area to around $6 billion.Previously announced were Southern Highlands Resort, a $2 billion mixed-use project that will include 3,200 hotel rooms, a casino, shopping, entertainment and a residential component on 100 acres; and M Resort, a $1.8 billion, 1,000 room hotel/casino/condo complex planned for right across the street on 79 acres.Now, before a shovelful of earth has been turned, the folks behind M are planning to take over another corner at the intersection of St. Rose and Las Vegas Boulevard South for a third resort -- this one worth another $2 billion or so, with 1,500 rooms, condos, a casino, shopping and more.M Resort is scheduled to begin construction this fall, with its sister property breaking ground around the time M opens in late 2008. Southern Highlands is expected to open in 2008 or 2009.
A private real estate development group has put together an interesting proposal for downtown Las Vegas that could turn about 55 acres of land into a major new casino resort.The company has apparently convinced landowners on the acreage just north of The Stratosphere to join in a collective of sorts dubbed Project Neon Lights that would offer the whole parcel for sale if one buyer is willing to come in with a big enough check. Estimates on the land, which is mostly small businesses now, vary wildly, although some say it could go for as high as $400 million.There's only one type of business that could afford that kind of price tag and make things profitable -- that would be a casino company.The project is still in its early stages, but with development on the north end of the Strip heating up (The Sahara, which is rumored to be in heavy sale discussions, is just a couple of blocks away) this could be a big win for a forward-thinking company.
I don't usually take up space in this column to talk about short-term performances in Vegas, since the chances of most people actually being in Vegas when the performance happens are minimal. But every now and then one of my personal favorites happens to stop in town and I just have to make a mention.Stand-up comic Brett Butler, a woman I consider to be one of the funniest people on the face of the earth, will be performing at Tropicana's Tiffany Theater for one night only on Aug. 26. Most people know Butler from her sitcom "Grace Under Fire" or from her recent role as Joy's mother on "My Name Is Earl" ("Don't you judge me") but if you've never seen her stand-up routines, do yourself a favor and go rent the ones available on video or DVD ("The Child Ain't Right" is the best).For tickets to the Vegas show ($49 plus tax), call the Tropicana box office at 702-739-2411.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reported a big breaking story last week: It's now legal to defecate in public in Las Vegas.Well, sort of. The whole thing started when a judge hearing a prostitution case ruled that the city's law that bans "immodest, improper, or indecent behavior" was too broad. Things like going to the bathroom in public were prosecuted under this law, and now that it has been struck down it is apparently open season on the fire hydrants, street corners and grassy areas of the city.Officials with the city say that until a new law is drafted and passed to preclude the voiding of ones' bladder or bowels in public, they will use on the books statutes banning indecent exposure to keep a lid on any outbreak of public bathroom behavior.Only in Las Vegas.
St. Rose Parkway is considered the gateway to Las Vegas for those driving into the city from Los Angeles along Interstate 15. It's the exit on the freeway about 11 miles south of Mandalay Bay -- the first one you come to after Sin City comes into view.Big things are in the works for this dusty intersection, with the announcement of a third major hotel planned, bringing the total future investment in the area to around $6 billion.Previously announced were Southern Highlands Resort, a $2 billion mixed-use project that will include 3,200 hotel rooms, a casino, shopping, entertainment and a residential component on 100 acres; and M Resort, a $1.8 billion, 1,000 room hotel/casino/condo complex planned for right across the street on 79 acres.Now, before a shovelful of earth has been turned, the folks behind M are planning to take over another corner at the intersection of St. Rose and Las Vegas Boulevard South for a third resort -- this one worth another $2 billion or so, with 1,500 rooms, condos, a casino, shopping and more.M Resort is scheduled to begin construction this fall, with its sister property breaking ground around the time M opens in late 2008. Southern Highlands is expected to open in 2008 or 2009.
A private real estate development group has put together an interesting proposal for downtown Las Vegas that could turn about 55 acres of land into a major new casino resort.The company has apparently convinced landowners on the acreage just north of The Stratosphere to join in a collective of sorts dubbed Project Neon Lights that would offer the whole parcel for sale if one buyer is willing to come in with a big enough check. Estimates on the land, which is mostly small businesses now, vary wildly, although some say it could go for as high as $400 million.There's only one type of business that could afford that kind of price tag and make things profitable -- that would be a casino company.The project is still in its early stages, but with development on the north end of the Strip heating up (The Sahara, which is rumored to be in heavy sale discussions, is just a couple of blocks away) this could be a big win for a forward-thinking company.
I don't usually take up space in this column to talk about short-term performances in Vegas, since the chances of most people actually being in Vegas when the performance happens are minimal. But every now and then one of my personal favorites happens to stop in town and I just have to make a mention.Stand-up comic Brett Butler, a woman I consider to be one of the funniest people on the face of the earth, will be performing at Tropicana's Tiffany Theater for one night only on Aug. 26. Most people know Butler from her sitcom "Grace Under Fire" or from her recent role as Joy's mother on "My Name Is Earl" ("Don't you judge me") but if you've never seen her stand-up routines, do yourself a favor and go rent the ones available on video or DVD ("The Child Ain't Right" is the best).For tickets to the Vegas show ($49 plus tax), call the Tropicana box office at 702-739-2411.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reported a big breaking story last week: It's now legal to defecate in public in Las Vegas.Well, sort of. The whole thing started when a judge hearing a prostitution case ruled that the city's law that bans "immodest, improper, or indecent behavior" was too broad. Things like going to the bathroom in public were prosecuted under this law, and now that it has been struck down it is apparently open season on the fire hydrants, street corners and grassy areas of the city.Officials with the city say that until a new law is drafted and passed to preclude the voiding of ones' bladder or bowels in public, they will use on the books statutes banning indecent exposure to keep a lid on any outbreak of public bathroom behavior.Only in Las Vegas.
The Full Story
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- Red Rock Offers Luxury After Long Drive
- Vegas Q&A: Do Locals Gamble?
- Cut-Down 'Phantom' Doesn't Fit With Vegas
- New Hard Rock Owners Find Operators
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
