Modified On January 17, 2006
An item in Eye on Vegas:
It would appear that the long rumored implosion of the Tropicana Hotel & Casino is actually nearing realization. Rumors have the Aztar Corporation, owners of the aging property, working with Marnell Corrao Associates to design the potential new property and identifying the costs of such a project. The design firm has helped build several Vegas properties including Wynn Las Vegas and the Rio, which they owned before selling it to Harrah’s Entertainment. Although we have heard no official word, several breadcrumbs left on the trail include a visit to the Tropicana website, which is no longer accepting reservations past April 13th, 2006, and a SEC filing last week that amended severance agreements with senior management.
Just last October, we reported that the word on the street was that the folks at the Trop were told to relax and that the property was safe for three years. Hmmm… Looks like Vegas will be down to two full-time clubs in short order. Then, there’s this:
Furthermore, it was announced that the Klondike Hotel & Casino’s strip location would be shutting its doors after forty-five years of operations. The Klondike is probably best known for its dank interior, $.99 breakfast and $.10 roulette tables. It would seem as though the increasing frequency of these closures would somewhat officially signal the end of the ‘old Las Vegas’. Other ‘old Vegas’ casinos to close their doors in the past several months include the Bourbon Street, the Key Largo and the Westward Ho.
The ‘Dike is dead! Long live the ‘Dike! First the ‘Ho, now THIS?! We resorted to staying at the ‘Dike once or twice (but hadn’t had the pleasure since ’02 or so), lured by the coupon: $29 per night, (not per person!) including two drinks, two dinners, two breakfasts! The incoming jets buzzed the parking lot and the Mandalay Bay was nearly always visible, mocking us. If we find our Klondike photo essay, we’ll run a pic or two when it’s finally razed.