Caesars to Revamp Flamingo, while Resorts World Las Vegas Delayed 12 Months

Posted on: May 18, 2017, 06:00h. 

Last updated on: May 18, 2017, 04:38h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Caesars Entertainment Corp is ready to spend $90 million revamping the famous Flamingo Las Vegas. In an official statement released Thursday morning, the company said it planned a complete renovation of 1,270 rooms at the iconic casino-hotel, to begin late August.   

And yes, this is the same Caesars whose main operating unit is still preparing to emerge from bankruptcy, having reorganized some $10 billion of its industry-high $18 billion debt.      

But you have to spend money to make money, and $90 million is a drop in the ocean to a company which, having overcome from one of the messiest bankruptcy cases in recent history, is hellbent on a strategy of growth.

And besides, the Flamingo is now the oldest property on the Strip, and, with its distinctly seventies/eighties decor, it’s also the most staid. Somewhere, Bugsy Siegal is spinning in his grave.

Revamped But Still Pink

The last remaining piece of the original art deco property that Siegal built in the forties was torn down in the early nineties, while the property’s existing hotel towers were built in phases from 1977 through the eighties, with the last update on the property completed in 1993.

Definitely time for a revamp. And maybe time to tone down the angry pink in the suite bathrooms.

“The fully renovated rooms will feature unique, contemporary and retro-chic designs with accents that celebrate Flamingo’s rich history as the centerpiece of the Las Vegas Strip,” explained Thursday’s press release.

“Designed by Forrest Perkins, the rooms were inspired to sparkle like glitter and shine like champagne, with vibrant hues of gold and bright pops of flamingo pink, keeping true to the property’s character and charisma.”

OK, fine, but please tone it down in the bathrooms.     

Resorts World Plans Not “Millennial” Enough

Meanwhile, a very slow, congested taxi ride north of the Flamingo, the project currently being built on the site of that other legendary Vegas property, the Stardust, will be delayed by a year, Malaysian developer Genting said this week.

The $4 billion, 3,000-room Resorts World Las Vegas is now scheduled to open its doors in 2020.

Genting said the delay is due to a rethinking of the design specs, which were originally drawn up several years ago. The property is Asian themed, and hopes to attract a large clientele of Chinese-Americans, but the specs already need sprucing up apparently, so that the casino appeals to a younger audience.

“The initial drawing had a lot of traditional, older Chinese architecture and elements that were within it,” said Edward Farrell, who was appointed president of the project only yesterday (Wednesday). “The company has really taken a look at the market in Las Vegas throughout the past couple of years, and it has really shifted to something that’s much more modern.”

Revamping a property before it’s even been built? You can’t get more modern than that.