Vegas Q&A: What's Getting Torn Down Next?
Updated: 11:05 a.m. EDT April 14, 2003
Question: I've heard a lot of rumors about the possibility of places like the Frontier and Tropicana getting torn down to make way for new megaresorts. What do you know ,and do you have any other juicy gossip?
Margaret in Fargo, N.D.
Answer: Well, so far it's all just gossip, but here's what I know about the hotels on the Strip that have rumors swirling around them:
Frontier -- This is currently the oldest continually operating hotel-casino on the Strip, and the owner has made no secret of the fact that he wants to tear it down and start over. His dream is an $800 million San Francisco-theme resort. In the meantime, however, the property that the hotel sits on is being subdivided for other development including a $300 million Trump Tower Las Vegas luxury condominium complex (directly behind the hotel) and a new "boutique" hotel (possibly a Radisson) just to the north.
Tropicana -- The company that owns this hotel had said it was examining plans to tear the place down and build one 4,000 room megaresort or two 2,000 room mini-megaresorts on the land. It was supposed to make a decision and an announcement by this summer. But now, rumors have it that the entire company is for sale and that MGM Mirage or Argosy Gaming, a Midwest-based riverboat company, are both eyeing the prize.
Stardust -- Boyd Gaming operates this place along with the Fremont, California, and Main Street Station downtown, plus Sam's Town out on Boulder Highway. It, too, has been talking for years about remaking the aging Strip diva into something a bit more glamorous, perhaps starting with a visit from the implosion crew. However, it will probably be awhile before anything major happens, as the company is codeveloping a $1 billion resort in Atlantic City, N.J., so its attention is elsewhere.
Riviera -- My personal feeling is that this will be the next one to get an appointment with a wrecking ball, as the company that owns it has been taking on investors like Donald Trump, all the while letting the once grand hotel fade into dingy history. No one is talking, but I'd be willing to bet that this place won't be around for too much longer.
Boardwalk Casino -- MGM Mirage owns this one, and for a while it had been talking about tearing it down to build a hip place to compete with Hard Rock and the Palms. But for now, it is keeping the place going while dumping all of its resources into a new $1 billion venture with Boyd Gaming in Atlantic City.
Aladdin -- Of course, Aladdin is still in bankruptcy, but probably won't be for long with Planet Hollywood and Starwood Resorts teaming up to lead the bidding. If they win the place, it will be rebranded as a Planet Hollywood by Sheraton and will probably receive a face-lift, but not a major overhaul.
Sahara and Imperial Palace -- Late in 2002, the two separate longtime owners of these properties passed away, leaving many to speculate about the futures of the hotels. For now, the respective families say they will hold onto the properties and keep things as they are, but it wouldn't surprise me if that changes in the next year or two.
Downtown Vegas -- This is the area where I anticipate the most development in the coming years. The hotels down here are changing hands faster than, well, something that changes hands quickly. With the monorail set to reach the downtown area by 2006, it's hoped bringing a flood of new tourists to the area, I'd imagine that 2004 will see a wave of announcements and new construction beginning in the area.
Of course, all of this depends on the economy and the world situation. If both continue to kind of suck like they do now, then all of these rumors could remain rumors for a while.
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