Tropicana Las Vegas

Tropicana Las Vegas
Location Paradise, Nevada
Address 3801 Las Vegas Blvd South
Opening date April 4, 1957 (April 4, 1957)
Theme Tropical
Number of rooms 1,467
Total gaming space 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2)
Permanent shows Laugh Factory Comedy Club
Murray Celebrity Magician
Signature attractions Sky Beach Club
Casino type Land-based
Owner Penn National Gaming
Renovated in 1979, 1986, 2011
Coordinates 36°05′59″N 115°10′17″W / 36.09972°N 115.17139°W / 36.09972; -115.17139Coordinates: 36°05′59″N 115°10′17″W / 36.09972°N 115.17139°W / 36.09972; -115.17139
Website troplv.com

Tropicana Las Vegas is a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Penn National Gaming and is a franchise of Hilton's DoubleTree chain. It offers 1,467 rooms and a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) gaming floor. Tropicana Las Vegas also has 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) of convention and exhibit space.

This location, Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, has the most hotel rooms of any intersection in the world and is extremely busy. Pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, the Tropicana is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos: to the north across Tropicana Avenue, the MGM Grand Las Vegas, and to the west across the Strip, the Excalibur.

History

The leaded-glass ceiling of the Tropicana casino before the 2011 renovation.

In 1955, Ben Jaffe, an executive of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, came to Las Vegas and bought a 40-acre parcel at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Bond Road (now Tropicana Avenue).[1] Jaffe aimed to build the finest hotel in Las Vegas, featuring a Cuban ambience, with four room themes for guests to choose from: French Provincial, Far East, Italian Renaissance, and Drexel.[1]

Construction ran over schedule and over budget, due in part to competition for labor with the under-construction Stardust down the road.[1] Jaffe had to sell his interest in the Fontainebleau to complete the project, which finally opened in April 1957.[1]

Jaffe first leased the property to his associate, Phil Kastel. The Gaming Control Board raised suspicions over Kastel's links to organized crime, which were confirmed in May when a note bearing a Tropicana earnings figure was found in the possession of mobster Frank Costello.[1] Jaffe next turned to J. Kell Housells, owner of the Las Vegas Club. By 1959, Housells bought out Jaffe's interest, gaining a majority share in the Tropicana.[1]

In the 1960s, the Tropicana fared poorly from competition with larger hotels like Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton.[1] Houssels sold out in 1968 to Trans-Texas Airways.[1] Deil Gustafson took control in 1971, but sold a 51% share to chemical heiress Mitzi Stauffer Briggs in 1975. Briggs began construction of the 22-floor Tiffany Tower in 1977.

A skimming operation by Kansas City organized crime members was discovered, and the owners were forced to sell out. Ramada Inns, Inc. bought the Tropicana in December 1979.

A 21-story Island Tower was constructed in 1986.

Ramada spun off its gaming properties, including the Tropicana, in 1989 as Aztar Corporation. Aztar was acquired by Columbia Sussex in January 2007, but Columbia's gaming businesses went into bankruptcy in May 2008.

The Tropicana, which had a $440 million secured loan against it,[2] was bought from the bankrupt company in July 2009 by its creditors, led by Canadian private equity firm Onex Corporation and former MGM Mirage CEO Alex Yemenidjian, who took over as CEO.[3]

The remainder of Columbia Sussex's gaming arm, reorganized under new ownership as Tropicana Entertainment Inc., promptly sued the Las Vegas property, demanding royalties for use of the Tropicana name. The case was settled in August 2011, with the Tropicana Las Vegas receiving exclusive rights to use the name in the Las Vegas region, royalty-free.[4]

in 2012, it was announced that it will be affiliated with DoubleTree.[5]

In August 2015, Penn National Gaming purchased the Tropicana for $360 million.[6][7]

Film history

Expansion

On November 2, 2006, Tropicana Entertainment publicly announced a $2 billion renovation of the Tropicana planned to be completed in 2010, making it the largest resort casino in the world. Unlike previous Las Vegas projects however, there would have been no demolition of the entire resort. The existing Paradise and Island towers would have received both interior and exterior renovations and 4 new towers would have been built on the property (the last was planned to be branded as a separate hotel).

The plans included a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) casino, five hotel towers totalling 10,000 rooms and a sprawling 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) retail promenade. Other amenities included spas and fitness centers; more than 20 restaurants and lounges; a 1,500-seat entertainment venue for big-name headliners; and a water–ride attraction. All improvements to the property were put on hold since the recession began in 2008, and became moot when Tropicana Entertainment filed for bankruptcy.

In August 2009, the Tropicana's new CEO, Alex Yemenidjian, announced a "$165 million" plan to renovate the property around a South Beach style, to be done in several phases. The first phase would renovate the Tropicana's back office facilities with completion planned for the end of 2009. The second phase would renovate the conference facilities, rooms, and common areas, with construction to finish at the end of August 2010. The third phase, including a Nikki Beach Night Club and Nikki Beach multimillion-dollar pool renovation is planned to be completed by April 2011.[9]

On November 9, 2010, Tropicana imploded a wing which contained rooms adjacent to Tropicana Avenue. The rooms were the resort's oldest, dating back to 1957. The section was removed to make room for a second entrance to the property and open up space for additional parking.[10]

In February 2011, the Tropicana opened a new sports book, operated by Cantor Gaming.[11]

Amenities and entertainment

Entertainment

The Laugh Factory opened its venue at the New Tropicana Las Vegas in April 2012. As of November 2013 there are two shows per night.[12]

Raiding the Rock Vault is a show that features singers and musicians from some of the greatest rock bands in history that is now in the famous Showroom at Tropicana LV. Raiding the Rock Vault is a 2-hour classic rock concert experience that transports the audience from the 1960s to the 1980s with classic anthems from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Eagles, Queen, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Journey, Free, Aerosmith and more.

The Las Vegas Mob Experience featured artifacts of famous mobsters such as Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, with video presentations hosted by James Caan. Live actors recreated scenes in casino backrooms and police stations. The attraction was opened as the Las Vegas Mob Experience in March 2011 by Las Vegas businessman Jay Bloom, but after Bloom's partner, Louis Ventre engineered a questionable bankruptcy, allegedly for the purpose of extinguishment of Bloom and the investors in the project, the bulk of it closed for retooling,.[13]

From 1959 the Tropicana hosted the Folies Bergére Show, the longest running revue theater show in Las Vegas. It closed down March 27, 2009, shortly before its 50th anniversary.[14] Dave Brubeck's 1966 live album Jackpot! was recorded at the Tropicana.[15]

Fine dining

Biscayne Steak, Sea & Wine is one of the top-rated steakhouses on the Las Vegas Strip, offering sizzling cuts and Safe Harbor-certified fresh seafood in an island-infused atmosphere, as well as a 200-bottle wine list featuring wines from around the world.

Open 24 hours a day, Beach Café allows visitors to enjoy delectable cuisine inside the bright and open dining room or outside among the waterfalls and lush greenery of the Tropicana pool – the ideal dining experience, day or night.

Named the Best Italian Restaurant and one of the Top 10 New Restaurants in Las Vegas, Bacio Italian Cuisine is an elegant trattoria serving authentic Italian fare. Bacio favors simplicity over complexity and allows the true flavors of these authentic Italian dishes to shine through.

In May 2016, the Tropicana and celebrity chef Robert Irvine jointly announced plans for a new restaurant to open in 2017.[16]

Shopping

Along with the retail shop Essentials, located in the lobby adjacent to the main entrance, there are several Mini Boutiques located in Palm Way on the second floor. These include, Marshall Rousso Accessories, Tropicana Logo, Flip Flop Stop, Accessories, and Gemstones & Globes.

Other Amenities

In addition to the casino, the Tropicana includes a large swimming pool, tropical landscaping, waterfalls and an outdoor bar. A historic wedding chapel that seats up to 100 guests is also on the property. The Tropicana LV wedding chapel venue is known for traditional ceremonies, vow renewals and commitment ceremonies, and recently added a "Rock Star Wedding" package with former Quiet Riot frontman/ordained minister Paul Shortino as officiant.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moehring, Eugene P. (2000). Resort city in the sunbelt: Las Vegas, 1930-2000. University of Nevada Press. pp. 84–86. ISBN 0-87417-356-6.
  2. ↑ Knightly, Arnold (6 May 2008). "Tropicana Entertainment files bankruptcy". Casino City Times. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew (3 July 2009). "Onex takes control of Las Vegas landmark". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Green, Steve (16 August 2011). "Strip resort, Carl Icahn company settle dispute over 'Tropicana' use". Vegas Inc. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/story/hotelcheckin/2012/10/26/las-vegas-strip-hilton-worldwide-doubletree-chain-tropicana-las-vegas-hotel/1659893/
  6. ↑ Kimberly De La Cruz (April 29, 2015). "Penn National to buy Tropicana for $360 million". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  7. ↑ Form 8-K: Current Report (Report). Penn National Gaming, Inc. August 25, 2015 – via EDGAR.
  8. ↑ On Camera Audiences — The official ticket source for your favorite shows
  9. ↑ Knightly, Arnold M. (2009-08-16). "THE STRIP: Historic Tropicana poised for pricey renovation". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  10. ↑ Finnegan, Amanda (2010-11-09). "Tropicana Las Vegas implodes wing containing resort's oldest rooms". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  11. ↑ Cantor Gaming (4 February 2011). "Cantor Gaming launches new race and sports book at Tropicana Las Vegas" (PDF). Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ Katsilometes, John (9 September 2011). "Mob Experience closing down much of the 'experience' to make upgrades". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  14. ↑ NPR: Folies Bergere To Close In Las Vegas
  15. ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (24 February 1968). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 1–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  16. ↑ Bradley Martin. "Exclusive: Tropicana to Build New Restaurant Addition for Robert Irvine". Eater.com. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
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