Category Archives: Sahara

“Surf”: What if they gave a Strip spectacular and nobody came?

Posted on August 8, 2012 by David McKee

You’ll have to pardon me today if I enjoy a victory lap, having beaten the dailies to the announcement of Surf The Musical‘s demise by a good 97 minutes.* (Suck that, Thomas F. Mitchell!) However, if you set store by … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson | 1 Comment

Get to the polls!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by David McKee

… as in the Las Vegas Advisor weekly poll. Tomorrow’s promises to be a real doozy. The question is,  What was the worst show in recent Strip and Downtown history? The dog kennel hasn’t been completely filled but I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Riviera, Sahara, Sports, The Strip, TV, Wayne F. Newton | 6 Comments

Beyoncé 1, Revel 0.5; Meet Harrah’s Philadelphia; Riviera realities

Posted on May 29, 2012 by David McKee

So the big, official, grand, this-time-we-really-mean-it opening of Revel Resort & Casino came and went … and all the media has been talking about is Beyoncé and how bootylicious she looks so soon after giving birth. (Seven-plus pages of YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Revel, Riviera, Sahara, The Strip, Tourism | 5 Comments

SLS Las Vegas: Pretty pictures and propaganda

Posted on May 18, 2012 by David McKee

To celebrate the first anniversary of his cold-blooded, premeditated murder of the Sahara, nightclub owner Sam Nazarian trotted out freshly hired casino boss Rob Oseland, along with some models (no, not of the runway ilk) and even a rendering that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Archon Corp., Boyd Gaming, California, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Encore, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Plaza, Sahara, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 4 Comments

Sahara: Devils in the details; Does your mother know?

Posted on May 4, 2012 by David McKee

Barbara De Lollis had better re-cork the champagne. Wall Street Journal coverage of Sam Nazarian‘s much-hyped, $300 million Sahara loan raises grave doubts about the viability of the project, budgeted at $415 million. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Alexandra Berzon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Georgia, Harrah's, Harry Reid, International, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

People’s Republic of Steve; Sahara Sam’s big score

Posted on May 3, 2012 by David McKee

Although I was only joking when I suggested that Steve Wynn‘s long-sought Cotai Strip land grant would come in on May Day, some Communist Party bureaucrat wasn’t. After many false alarms, the 51 acres were finally ‘gazetted’ on May 1. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Economy, Encore, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Trump Plaza reprieved; Stirrings at Sahara

Posted on April 5, 2012 by David McKee

Good news for Trump Plaza: It’s off the “death watch,” having dramatically reversed its fortunes last year. Although revenues continue to decline, gross operating profit swung from a $2 million loss in 2010 to a nearly $3 million gain last … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Dennis Gomes, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Sahara, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Choy challenges Vegas

Posted on March 28, 2012 by David McKee

This is the conclusion of a two-part interview with Riviera boss Andy Choy in which he answers questions submitted by S&G readers. Can the Riv survive if nothing is done with the Sahara, Fontainebleau or Echelon sites for another five … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Culinary Union, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, LVCVA, Marketing, Plaza, Riviera, Sahara, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 3 Comments

Bad timing; The wrong amount of WTF?; Uncle Sheldon speaks

Posted on March 23, 2012 by David McKee

Surely the worst entertainment coverage in Vegas is Wayne’s World, penned by former Lance Burton flack Wayne Bernath. A copy of his April effort (pictured) is available upon request, as it’s sure to be a collector’s item — along the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Entertainment, Marketing, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Tamares Group, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Moody’s no longer moody on Vegas; Golden Gate upsizes

Posted on March 20, 2012 by David McKee

Caution, thy name is Moody’s Investors Service. So if Moody’s is bullish on the near-term future of Las Vegas, I guess we can well and truly believe that a recovery is here … well, on the Strip. Away from Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Current, Dennis Gomes, Derek Stevens, Don Barden, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Gary Goett, Marketing, North Las Vegas, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Slave to SmithCoast

Posted on February 23, 2012 by David McKee

Those nice folks at CityLife must think I did all right by that last cover story because they’ve got me taking the lead on their media blitz vis-a-vis the impending (March 12) opening of the Smith Center for the Performing … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Sahara, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Slave to SmithCoast

Lee, Nazarian go to market; IGT goes Disney

Posted on February 10, 2012 by David McKee

An S&G source says Creative Casinos CEO Dan Lee has arranged mezzanine financing and may soon go to the bond market to raise capital, presumably for Mojito Pointe for potentially for ventures elsewhere. The Lake Charles market draws heavy play … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dan Lee, Entertainment, Goldman Sachs, IGT, International, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sahara, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Living on Vegas time

Posted on January 13, 2012 by David McKee

By way of Ian Sutton‘s Gaming Floor portal comes news that Les Artistes Steakhouse, late of Paris-Las Vegas, is fermé … toujours.  Although the hotel-casino has only been open since September 1999, on Caesars Entertainment‘s in-house blog this constitutes “a … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, history, Sahara, The Strip, Tribal | 5 Comments

Iowa’s biggest loser …

Posted on January 4, 2012 by David McKee

… is Texas. With the presidential aspirations of Gov. Rick Perry (R) tottering on their penultimate leg, that’s very bad news for Lone Star State lawmakers who’d like to pass casinos — or at least racinos — into law. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Oklahoma, Penn National, Racinos, Sahara, Sports, Texas, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

Morgans: They’re baaaaaaack!; Un-win at Cosmo

Posted on November 18, 2011 by David McKee

Just when you thought it was safe to invest in Las Vegas again, the city went to bed last night to the news that masters of disaster Morgans Hotel Group had purchased nightclub operator Light Group. Given Morgans’ propensity for … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Current, Entertainment, Florida, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Sahara, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Blast from the past

Posted on November 14, 2011 by David McKee

Today I’m busy on “Question of the Day,” Desert Companion and CityLife fronts simultaneously. As irrational compensation, here’s the one scene from Ocean’s Eleven that, more than any other, must be preserved for posterity. It’s also a nice look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., history, Movies, Sahara, The Strip | Comments Off on Blast from the past

Sahara 2.0: Nazarian gets real

Posted on November 2, 2011 by David McKee

Chuck Monster had this right on the money: He called Sahara owner Sam Nazarian‘s bluff over and over and over again on the latter’s luxury-megaresort predictions for the aging, shuttered property. Today, the Clark County Commission took the wraps off … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Current, Economy, Fontainebleau, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Riviera, Sahara, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Coming attractions

Posted on September 22, 2011 by David McKee

Yes, there’s all manner of excitement and intrigue going on in the gaming world — like Las Vegas Sands issuing a dividend to shareholders — but I’ve not had much time for the S&G beat. With everyone at LVA HQ … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, MGM Mirage, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Coming attractions

A Stern glance

Posted on September 19, 2011 by David McKee

Posthumous congratulations to Martin Stern Jr. (1917-2001), father of the vertically integrated casino resort. He will be the recipient of the annual Jay Sarno Award at this year’s Global Gaming Expo. The choice of Stern has been such a closely … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, G2E, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Sahara | Comments Off on A Stern glance

Caruso sings, Lerner hallucinates

Posted on August 29, 2011 by David McKee

Since I had one foot out the door en route to Albany when Caesars Entertainment held its Rick Caruso-led media blitz on Project Linq, I’m a bit late to the party. Some of my early reactions can be heard on … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Sahara, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | 3 Comments