Today I was stuck by two Las Vegas news stories: the Key Largo is closing and Wynn Las Vegas is now accepting reservations. They are just another reminder that the wheel of fortune is always spinning.
From the Las Vegas Sun:
One of several older off-Strip properties slated for redevelopment, the Quality Inn Key Largo Casino — known for $1.99 burgers and budget accommodations — is expected to close today, the property’s general manager said.The casino and hotel at 377 Flamingo Road employs about 200 people.
The owners received approval from the Clark County Planning Commission in November to build a 196-foot condominium tower with 905 units in addition to a 70-foot hotel tower with 344 rooms.
The hotel units would replace the existing 314-room hotel, according to plans filed with the county. The plans didn’t specify whether the property’s casino would be torn down or redeveloped.
Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor consumer newsletter, said redevelopment plans for the Key Largo had been rumored for at least two years but said those plans appeared to change often, with one plan focusing on a boutique casino and another on hotel rooms and lodging.
The Key Largo won’t be terribly missed, he said.
The property has loyal customers but wasn’t nearly as popular as the nearby Ellis Island and Terrible’s casinos, Curtis said.
And here’s the story about Wynn Las Vegas:
Steve Wynn’s upcoming resort, Wynn Las Vegas, is taking room reservations starting today.
The $2.7 billion megaresort will open April 28.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. has opened two telephone lines for reservations, a local number (770-7100) and a toll-free number (866-770-7108). The company will begin accepting online reservations next month.
The resort, which will eventually employ about 9,000 people upon opening, is still in the process of hiring workers. The company will not have a cutoff date for interviews, spokeswoman Denise Randazzo said.
The 217-acre resort will feature 18 restaurants, an 18-hole championship golf course, an 111,000 square-foot casino, a spa and salon, an art gallery, retail shops and a “signature show” by Cirque du Soleil creator Franco Dragone.
I’m being a little disingenuous in implying that Wynn Las Vegas’s opening is somehow equivalent to the Key Largo’s closing. But it just shows how things move in cycles, I think.
A true life story: I actually stayed at the Key Largo when I was doing research for my dissertation back in 1999. I remember two things vividly:
1. I was a little hungry one night and wanted something sweet like a milkshake. The coffee shop didn’t have milkshakes, so instead I got a chocolate cream pie. After one bite, I noticed that it really tasted like Windex. I usually don’t complain in restaurants, but this seemed pretty bad. I went up to the cashier and explained my problem, but she just said the pie tasted fine and made me pay for it, even though I didn’t eat it.
2. I was visited by the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen in my life in my room. Seriously, the thing was the size of a small kitten. Usually I’d dispatch it with a rolled-up magazine, but I’m not ashamed to say that I called down to the front desk for them to deal with it. I guess they were used to the problem, because they sent up a guy with insecticide and a broom.
So I definitely can see why the condos will be a better use for the land. BTW, if anyone involved in this project is reading this, I’d be interested in getting one of these condos (hey, it’s convenient to work and the Strip for me), as long as I can get some kind of assurance about pest control.