Three projects underway along the Las Vegas Strip and another already completed in Downtown continue Sin City’s legacy of constant change and transformation.
Along the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International is gearing up for its April opening of the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena and the adjacent Park developments on the Rue de Monte Carlo (soon to change when the Monte Carlo rebranding is announced).
The projects represent a departure from past mega-developments on the Las Vegas Strip, which emphasized gaming and lodging opportunities. But with the Las Vegas economy relying more on revenue from events, the T-Mobile Arena and The Park are more in line with the types of developments that many large property owners are undertaking.
Further north on the Strip, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bought the Riviera Casino, closed it, and will have a contractor tear it down in a matter of months. Replacing the casino and its 13 structures is an outdoor exhibition area, where a large construction trade show already is slated for 2017.
The LVCVA is in the midst of a 2.3 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the aim being to maintain the city’s hold as the world’s top destination for trade shows and conventions.
Nearby, on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip, the Genting Group recently received the local regulatory approval it needed to move forward with its Resorts World Las Vegas development.
Genting bought the former Echelon Place project that Boyd Gaming got underway but had to abandon as the Great Recession put an end to many developments along the Las Vegas Strip.
Resorts World Las Vegas will be equal parts gaming destination and family resort get-away, featuring many attractions for visitors of all ages. Genting plans some 7,000 hotel rooms, a convention center, 30,000-square-foot lake and Chinese Garden, movie theater, and other attractions.
Genting plans full-scale construction on the $4 billion project this summer, with plans to open at least part of the resort by 2018.
In Downtown Las Vegas, the Gold Spike Casino has transformed into a trendy nightspot for locals and tourists taking in the Fremont Street Experience.
Not long ago, the Gold Spike was a place where locals could get a beer for a buck, gamble for cheap, and visitors could get an inexpensive room for the night.
Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project bought the property in April 2013, remodeled it, and reopened as a trendy night spot that also is a popular daytime place for downtown workers and tourists.
The Gold Spike now has several bars, activity areas, casual dining, free Wi-Fi access, and DJs. It also is frequented by those looking for a casual daytime hangout, and has become a popular nighttime hotspot.
The Gold Spike’s transformation is like much of what else is going on Downtown, with the East Fremont Street developments, the Lady Luck reopening as The Grand, and the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, Container Park, and other new developments creating a new experience for locals and tourists.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) won two prestigious awards from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its financial reporting documents.
“To win these distinguished awards for so many consecutive years is a tremendous accomplishment, and speaks to the level of professionalism and dedication practiced by the LVCVA and its staff,” LVCVA Audit Committee Chair Bill Noonan said.
For the 32nd consecutive year, the LVCVA has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report.
The certificate represents a significant accomplishment by a government entity and its management to clearly communicate its financial story and get people to actually read it.
For the ninth consecutive year, the LVCVA also won the Outstanding Achievement in Popular Financial Reporting award for the fiscal year 2015 Popular Annual Financial report.
The annual report helps state and local governments extract information from annual financial reports to produce high quality reports that are made available to the general public.
The GFOA acknowledged the LVCVA’s creativity, presentation, understandability and reader appeal in producing the report.
While the LVCVA continues winning awards, it also launched a new Virtual Reality Companion app, which gives visitors a virtual tour of the many great attractions in and near Las Vegas.
The free Virtual Reality Companion app works with Apple or Android smartphones and offers viewers their choice of several immersive tours.
