Harrah's Could Level Several Hotel-Casinos
Remembering Tragic MGM Grand Fire
UPDATED: 8:06 am PST November 29, 2005
Word out of the Harrah's corporate offices seems to indicate the company is considering a massive redevelopment of several of its flagship Las Vegas properties that could wind up being the biggest project in the city's history.This is all just rumor and conjecture so far, based on rather opaque comments from the company's executives, but what they are apparently considering is taking a wrecking ball to everything between Harrah's and Flamingo Road.This would include Harrah's, the Imperial Palace, the Flamingo, O'Shea's, the now-closed Bourbon Street hotel and Barbary Coast if it is bought from competitor Boyd Gaming.
All of this is in addition to consideration being given to revamping or perhaps starting over on the Bally's property.Harrah's is already the biggest casino company in the world in terms of properties and value, but it is behind MGM Mirage in the Las Vegas market, which has more hotels and more revenue. Leveling the block would give Harrah's more than 150 acres to play with, which is about two-and-a-half times the size of the lot on which MGM Mirage is building its $5 billion Project CityCenter, a massive development of hotels, a casino, condos and more between Bellagio and Monte Carlo.Expect an announcement on Harrah's Las Vegas plans in the first half of 2006.
Word on the street is that Boyd Gaming will make an announcement before the end of the year on what it plans to do with its 60 or so acres of land on the north end of the Strip, currently home to the Stardust. Whatever the plans, it will almost definitely mean the 47-year-old hotel will not make it to its 48th birthday in 2006.
While everyone else was busy preparing to stuff themselves with turkey, many people were marking the 25th anniversary of one of the worst disasters to ever hit Las Vegas: the MGM Grand fire.It was Nov. 21, 1980. Ronald Reagan had just been elected president, the hostages were still in Iran and JR had been shot on TV's "Dallas.But in Las Vegas the "real world" seemed a million miles away. Then, as now, Vegas was a place where the harsh realities of every day life were held at bay by bright neon lights, slot machines and showgirls.All of that changed around 7 a.m. when what should have been an inconsequential electrical fire turned into an inferno that killed and injured hundreds and caused millions of dollars worth of damage.An electrical short off the main casino sparked the blaze. In those days, the hotels were not required to have the elaborate fire safety systems that they do now. Unchecked, the fire spread at a ferocious pace, gobbling up the fabrics and other decor that made the MGM Grand such a showplace. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 14 people may have been killed in the first 90 seconds of the fire.A fireball traveled through the casino, burning gaming tables and slot machines, then burst out the main doors of the hotel. Cars at the valet area and parking lot were incinerated with a heat estimated to be as much as 2,400 degrees.A friend of mine, the late Justin Smith, was a dancer in Las Vegas at the time of the tragedy. He recalled watching the fire and the one thing that stood out in his mind was the vehicles in the parking lot that appeared to be melted into the concrete.The fire and smoke quickly spread into the hotel guest tower, which was at 99 percent capacity. When it was all over a few hours later, 84 people were dead and almost 700 were injured. The MGM fire ranks as the second-worst hotel fire in US history.The large loss of life, and the resultant media coverage the fire received, spurred government officials into action. The sprinkler systems that are found in most hotels and high-rises are a direct result of the MGM Grand fire.The MGM reopened in July 1981 with a state-of-the-art fire safety system and a dapper Cary Grant greeting guests. By touting the new system, the MGM Grand was able to return quickly to its glory days, which remained until it was sold in 1985 and renamed Bally's.
Been having trouble getting tickets to Elton John's hot Vegas show, "The Red Piano"? I can identify. But now we can avoid the high prices and crowds and instead enjoy an abbreviated version on NBC.Elton's concert, currently performing about 75 shows a year at Caesars Palace, will be broadcast on NBC on Dec. 14 with footage from the show and special videos created just for the TV broadcast. Justin Timberlake and Pamela Anderson (performing a pole dance, no less) will make special appearances.
The third time is apparently the charm in a bizarre string of accidents at the Golden Nugget parking structure in downtown Las Vegas.An unidentified couple escaped from their vehicle without injury after it plowed through a retaining wall on the fourth level of the garage and became wedged against a power pole, dangling precariously over the edge of a dangerous drop.This is the third time in two years that such an accident has occurred, but the previous two incidents didn't have such happy endings. In both instances the vehicles plummeted off the parking structure and occupants inside were killed. In all three accidents it was believed the driver hit the gas instead of the brake with tragic (or nearly tragic) results.Engineers and safety officials have reviewed the structure after each incident and each time have deemed it sound, but executivess with the new owners of the Golden Nugget say that they will be looking into ways to make the barricades stronger.
Landry's Restaurants, the new owners of the Golden Nugget casinos in downtown Las Vegas and Laughlin, have big designs for those properties, including expansions and makeovers.But it's the plans to take the brand outside of Nevada that are stirring up the most notice lately. The company has submitted a proposal to the Biloxi City Council to build a $400 million hotel and casino facility in Biloxi, Miss., on land that was nearly scrubbed clean of all traces of the buildings and homes that were there before Hurricane Katrina. If approved, the complex would feature a 60,000-square-foot casino, a 600-room hotel, restaurants, a marina, and amusement attractions such as a Ferris wheel and aquarium.
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Word on the street is that Boyd Gaming will make an announcement before the end of the year on what it plans to do with its 60 or so acres of land on the north end of the Strip, currently home to the Stardust. Whatever the plans, it will almost definitely mean the 47-year-old hotel will not make it to its 48th birthday in 2006.
While everyone else was busy preparing to stuff themselves with turkey, many people were marking the 25th anniversary of one of the worst disasters to ever hit Las Vegas: the MGM Grand fire.It was Nov. 21, 1980. Ronald Reagan had just been elected president, the hostages were still in Iran and JR had been shot on TV's "Dallas.But in Las Vegas the "real world" seemed a million miles away. Then, as now, Vegas was a place where the harsh realities of every day life were held at bay by bright neon lights, slot machines and showgirls.All of that changed around 7 a.m. when what should have been an inconsequential electrical fire turned into an inferno that killed and injured hundreds and caused millions of dollars worth of damage.An electrical short off the main casino sparked the blaze. In those days, the hotels were not required to have the elaborate fire safety systems that they do now. Unchecked, the fire spread at a ferocious pace, gobbling up the fabrics and other decor that made the MGM Grand such a showplace. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 14 people may have been killed in the first 90 seconds of the fire.A fireball traveled through the casino, burning gaming tables and slot machines, then burst out the main doors of the hotel. Cars at the valet area and parking lot were incinerated with a heat estimated to be as much as 2,400 degrees.A friend of mine, the late Justin Smith, was a dancer in Las Vegas at the time of the tragedy. He recalled watching the fire and the one thing that stood out in his mind was the vehicles in the parking lot that appeared to be melted into the concrete.The fire and smoke quickly spread into the hotel guest tower, which was at 99 percent capacity. When it was all over a few hours later, 84 people were dead and almost 700 were injured. The MGM fire ranks as the second-worst hotel fire in US history.The large loss of life, and the resultant media coverage the fire received, spurred government officials into action. The sprinkler systems that are found in most hotels and high-rises are a direct result of the MGM Grand fire.The MGM reopened in July 1981 with a state-of-the-art fire safety system and a dapper Cary Grant greeting guests. By touting the new system, the MGM Grand was able to return quickly to its glory days, which remained until it was sold in 1985 and renamed Bally's.
Been having trouble getting tickets to Elton John's hot Vegas show, "The Red Piano"? I can identify. But now we can avoid the high prices and crowds and instead enjoy an abbreviated version on NBC.Elton's concert, currently performing about 75 shows a year at Caesars Palace, will be broadcast on NBC on Dec. 14 with footage from the show and special videos created just for the TV broadcast. Justin Timberlake and Pamela Anderson (performing a pole dance, no less) will make special appearances.
The third time is apparently the charm in a bizarre string of accidents at the Golden Nugget parking structure in downtown Las Vegas.An unidentified couple escaped from their vehicle without injury after it plowed through a retaining wall on the fourth level of the garage and became wedged against a power pole, dangling precariously over the edge of a dangerous drop.This is the third time in two years that such an accident has occurred, but the previous two incidents didn't have such happy endings. In both instances the vehicles plummeted off the parking structure and occupants inside were killed. In all three accidents it was believed the driver hit the gas instead of the brake with tragic (or nearly tragic) results.Engineers and safety officials have reviewed the structure after each incident and each time have deemed it sound, but executivess with the new owners of the Golden Nugget say that they will be looking into ways to make the barricades stronger.
Landry's Restaurants, the new owners of the Golden Nugget casinos in downtown Las Vegas and Laughlin, have big designs for those properties, including expansions and makeovers.But it's the plans to take the brand outside of Nevada that are stirring up the most notice lately. The company has submitted a proposal to the Biloxi City Council to build a $400 million hotel and casino facility in Biloxi, Miss., on land that was nearly scrubbed clean of all traces of the buildings and homes that were there before Hurricane Katrina. If approved, the complex would feature a 60,000-square-foot casino, a 600-room hotel, restaurants, a marina, and amusement attractions such as a Ferris wheel and aquarium.
The Full Story
- Harrah's Could Level Several Hotel-Casinos
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- Vegas Q&A: What If I Get Sick?
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
