On June 12, Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas announced the appointment of Mark Tricano as president. Tricano has almost 20 years of experience in the gaming, hospitality and finance sectors, reported Vegas Business News. In the U.S., he has worked for Caesars Entertainment, Station Casinos and JACK Entertainment.
Most recently, he occupied the executive suite at Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment Group, serving as senior vice president overseeing operations and labor strategy for more than $7.5 billion in annual gross gaming revenue. In that role, Tricano supervised a team of more than 13,000 members and managed revenue for 4,000 hotel rooms.
In Las Vegas, he led Station’s Red Rock Resort, Casino, and Spa as vice president and general manager. At Caesars, he was vice president, assistant general manager and director of finance in multiple domestic markets.
Fontainebleau is a joint development of Koch Real Estate Investments, the real estate investment arm of Koch Industries, and Fontainebleau Development, founded by Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Soffer in partnership with President Brett Mufson. The luxury Las Vegas Strip resort is expected to open in December.
“Our executives have all proven to be extraordinary leaders throughout their careers,” says Mufson in a statement. “Their passion, appreciation for excellence and entrepreneurial spirit make each one of them a natural fit to complement the leadership team we have built to date.
“As stewards of our brand, its culture and heritage, we are thrilled to welcome them to Fontainebleau, as we look to establish ourselves as the pinnacle of luxury hospitality to a new generation of guests.”
“It is a tremendous honor to take on the responsibility of leading the Las Vegas team toward a defining moment in Las Vegas history,” said Tricano. “Fontainebleau Development’s leadership has conceived this resort with a unique, independent vision that sets it apart from everything there is, and anything there has ever been on the Strip. I am grateful for the trust that has been placed in me, and the recognition of my decades-long love and commitment to the Las Vegas hospitality industry. I look forward to guiding the Fontainebleau Las Vegas team through these final months of construction, our grand opening, and beyond.”
In related news, Michelle Reda, a 25-year veteran of luxury hospitality and casino marketing for Las Vegas resorts, has been named the Fontainebleau’s chief casino marketing officer.
Reda spent 13 years at Wynn Resorts, where she held several roles including vice president of casino marketing. She opened Encore Las Vegas in 2008. Reda also spent seven years with Caesars as director of national casino marketing and was corporate senior vice president of casino marketing for Station Casinos.
Kimberly Virtuoso, who joined Fontainebleau Las Vegas in 2022 as vice president of people, has been promoted to senior vice president of people. Virtuoso is a certified HR leader who previously served as executive director of corporate human resources for MGM Resorts International. She also teaches in the continuing education department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
