Category Archives: Architecture

Tamares' crown jewels

Posted on July 23, 2009 by David McKee

Ian Sutton posted this today at GamingFloor.com and I couldn't resist snurching it. Sandwiched between footage of the Lady Luck and other Downtown detritus is a long, loving look at those two fine Tamares Group dereli … er, acquisitions: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Economy, Oscar Goodman, Tamares Group, TV | Comments Off on Tamares' crown jewels

"Link" to Nowhere

Posted on July 21, 2009 by David McKee

On and off, over a four-year period, Harrah’s Entertainment teased journalists (and, by extension, the public) with hints of a really big project to be announced really soon … whenever they got around to it, that is. Well, the Harrah’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on "Link" to Nowhere

Case Bets: M Resort, bad debt, Wall Street's bomb

Posted on July 20, 2009 by David McKee

After fairly flying out of the gate, M Resort has hit the wall. Unfortunately, CEO Anthony Marnell III's response to economic adversity has been to sweat the value propositions. Not only is M fretting about card counters (hands down, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, M Resort, Marketing, Regulation, Sahara, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: M Resort, bad debt, Wall Street's bomb

Wynn goes to Monaco

Posted on July 20, 2009 by David McKee

Maybe this just goes in the "pipe dream" category, but a Culver City architectural firm has posted renderings that indicate Steve Wynn is/was thinking of extending his brand to Monaco. A description is said to be "coming soon." In the … Continue reading →

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Moulin Rouge: Whoops!

Posted on July 7, 2009 by David McKee

The Moulin Rouge development that will never be. Oh dear, oh dear. Seems like the City of Las Vegas unwittingly obstructed its own arson probe into the demise of the Moulin Rouge when it allowed the property to be immediately … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Australia, Current, Downtown, Fontainebleau, International, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Pets, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Moulin Rouge: Whoops!

Case Bets: CityCenter, W, Bernie Goldstein, Roger Thomas

Posted on July 7, 2009 by David McKee

Some rueful condo buyers are probably calling MGM Mirage‘s ultra-mega-super-duper resort “ShittyCenter,” judging by their ire. It’s difficult to know with whom to sympathize in this ongoing dispute. Condo depositors want to renegotiate prices (which range all the way up … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, California, Current, Economy, Encore, Fontainebleau, G2E, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Case Bets: CityCenter, W, Bernie Goldstein, Roger Thomas

House of wax

Posted on July 3, 2009 by David McKee

I call your bluff, comrade. As you may have heard, casinos in Russia can stay open by converting to poker rooms. A tip of the fedora goes to reader mike_ch for pointing out this story, which delineates some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, International, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, TV | Comments Off on House of wax

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 29, 2009 by David McKee

“The opening date never moved. We always threw more money at it. You just have people work overtime to fix problems. We were building, redesigning, tearing stuff out and starting again.” — Fontainebleau engineer, explaining how the project (which is … Continue reading →

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Quote of the Day

Posted on June 29, 2009 by David McKee

“The opening date never moved. We always threw more money at it. You just have people work overtime to fix problems. We were building, redesigning, tearing stuff out and starting again.” — Fontainebleau engineer, explaining how the project (which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Fontainebleau, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Seven essential Web sites … and other news

Posted on June 25, 2009 by David McKee

Yes, you too can can be a gaming-industry blogger, with the help of but a few absolutely indispensable Web sites. The ones that I check Monday-Friday without fail (and, as they say on Dancing with the Stars, “in no particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Current, Entertainment, G2E, Harrah's, International, Macau, Movies, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Seven essential Web sites … and other news

Macao” rises again?

Posted on June 17, 2009 by David McKee

Block out the shopworn, mostly useless generalities coming from Las Vegas Sands and groove to Macao's scintillating casinos, recoil from its thick blanket of smog, and take some heart from Credit Suisse's prediction of an upturn in VIP play in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Economy, Environment, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off on Macao” rises again?

Goodman for governor … again?

Posted on June 12, 2009 by David McKee

It’s been bruited since at least 2002 and it’s happening yet again: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is mulling a gubernatorial run for the umpteenth time. “Spoiler!”, cry some. I look at the uninspiring field (Montandon, Heck, Midnight Jim, Buckley, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Carl Icahn, Dining, Economy, Election, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Oscar Goodman, Politics, The Strip | Comments Off on Goodman for governor … again?

Xanadu: the prequel?

Posted on June 12, 2009 by David McKee

Martin Stern‘s 1975 conceptualization of a Xanadu casino-hotel, as virtually reconstructed by Dr. David G. Schwartz, struck a familiar chord with one S&G reader. They quickly detected a resemblance between Welton Becket‘s 1971 Disney’s Contemporary Resort, built in modular fashion … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Election, Florida, MGM Mirage, Politics, Technology, The Strip, Transportation | Comments Off on Xanadu: the prequel?

Report from the Strat

Posted on June 2, 2009 by David McKee

A reader asked (possibly in jest) how the Hard Rock Hotel was vis-a-vis the Stratosphere. While I don't have the basis for an A:A comparison, I can comfortably say that if you can afford the Hard Rock, it's no contest. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Carl Icahn, Goldman Sachs, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Report from the Strat

Super-screwed at Santana

Posted on June 1, 2009 by David McKee

Morgans' gradual obliteration of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino continues apace, in this February photo. Actually, this was one of the few flattering angles to be found. Ever since Morgans Hotel Group plunged into the Las Vegas market, first … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Entertainment, George Maloof, Morgans Hotel Group, Station Casinos | Comments Off on Super-screwed at Santana

ColSux makes peace

Posted on May 18, 2009 by David McKee

After sporadically butting heads, Columbia Sussex CEO William J. Yung III and Kentucky preservationists have reached agreement on the immediate future of the old Bavarian Brewery. Yung had bought it and an assortment of nearby properties on the rash presumption … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Columbia Sussex, Kentucky | Comments Off on ColSux makes peace

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 12, 2009 by David McKee

‘That’s a little out there, that’s a little fey, maybe I won’t do that, maybe I’ll butch that one up.’ I think I might have done that.” — Roger Thomas, about second-guessing himself on the designing of The Mirage and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Encore, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Moulin Rouge, R.I.P.

Posted on May 7, 2009 by David McKee

For those of you who live outside of Southern Nevada, here's an excellent seven-minute summation of the rise and fall of the Moulin Rouge, beginning with yesterday's fire. The conflagration effectively writes finis to any further attempts to revive the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown | Comments Off on Moulin Rouge, R.I.P.

The (real) Bridge of Sighs

Posted on April 7, 2009 by David McKee

… and if you look closely you can see Venetian Macao executives loyal to Brad Stone being led off to suffocate in the piombi or drown in the pozzi. OK, so I totally made that last part up; too many … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on The (real) Bridge of Sighs

Trop snoozes, loses

Posted on March 26, 2009 by David McKee

Like a hot potato, the Tropicana Las Vegas continues to bounce from Columbia Sussex to Tropicana Entertainment and now maybe into the hands of Alex Yemenidjian. (This management-contract arrangement looks more like laying the groundwork for a sale … if … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Indiana, Marketing, Technology, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Trop snoozes, loses