The shift taking place in Las Vegas is a notable
transition from a showy tourist trap targeted toward the middle-aged to a luxury
destination geared toward the young, affluent and hip - or at least the growing
number of individuals that would like to appear that way. This is, after all,
the draw of casinos; The chance of getting rich quick and attempting to live the
fantasy while trying. It isn't just casino players that clamoring to make that
gamble on the Las Vegas casino dream. The developers themselves are looking to
achieve their dream by building high-end casino hotels that master the art of
selling that dream to others. The latest luxury development to join the
burgeoning Las Vegas ranks is the Elad Group owned Plaza Hotel.
Billionaire, Yitzhak Tshuua, has made a strategic
property acquisition from fellow billionaire, Phil Ruffin, who currently owns
the thirty-four plus acre site opposite the Wynn Casino Resort, which currently
houses the increasingly pass New Frontier
Casino. He has already begun moving forward in the development partnership with
Donald Trump to build two 1,283 unit condominium and hotel casino towers on a
portion of adjacent property that is also currently in his possession. Ruffin is
now looking forward to the sale of the New Frontier parcel to the Tshuua owned
Elad Group.
Tshuua plans on demolishing the present Frontier
Casino, which he bought for $1.2 billion, and building a 3,500 room hotel and
casino that will also share the space with private residences and retail
establishments. Ruffin has expressed how he feels that he is really benefiting
from the deal, given he is nearly doubling his worth with the New Frontier sale
and simultaneously getting rid of the establishment that had become more and
more synonymous with bikini mud wrestling and topless mechanical bull riding
contests.
Tsuua bought the Plaza in New York back in 2004 for
$650 million, and immediately put it through rigorous renovation in order to
prepare it for its new position as the flagship property for his plan to expand
the new and improved brand to multiple high-powered cities. The Las Vegas
Plaza is still slated to open in 2011. It will represent a booming market in Las
Vegas for high-end luxury hotel casinos. The Plaza's other neighbor, The Wynn,
is already beginning the process of expanding with an addition of a $2.1 billion
hotel casino by the name of Encore Resort - slated for completion in 2009. The
Boyd Gaming Group is also constructing a resort casino/residence next to the
Plaza. This is the much talked about Echelon Complex - a $4.4 billion
development opening in 2010.