HURRICANE
KATRINAS WRATH reached even sunny Las Vegas where hotel
chains with properties in Katrinas path -- such as MGM Mirages Beau
Rivage and Harrahs Entertainments Grand Casino Biloxi, Grand Casino
Gulfport and Harrahs New Orleans -- were feeling the effects. MGM
Mirages Chairman and CEO J. Terrence Lanni said Beau Rivage
sustained "significant" damage and the hotel will remain closed for
"in all likelihood, ... months," as repairs are made. Meanwhile,
Harrahs officials expect the New Orleans property to remain closed
for at least four weeks and cannot provide an estimate on the
Mississippi properties. Regarding damages, the company said "the
Biloxi and Gulfport properties have suffered extensive damage" and
is still unable to estimate the full extent of damage in New
Orleans. On the Las Vegas front, Harrahs six properties are
offering free rooms (up to two nights) to assist current guests
from the Katrina-affected region who are unable to return home as a
result of the devastation.
ALTHOUGH
HARRAHS ENTERTAINMENT announced it would acquire the
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino by the end of the year, it is
business as usual at the Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace,
one of the propertys major attractions, according to general
manager Rob Williams. Based on conversations with certain people,
were very positive [about our future], said Williams, whose father,
Don, and partner Richie Clyne have owned and operated the
attraction for the past six years. Were not going anywhere. The
Auto Collections, a collection of more than 250 vintage vehicles,
is billed as The Worlds Largest Classic Car Showroom and draws
upwards of 3,000 visitors daily, according to the Imperial Palace.
Meanwhile, the Auto Collections plans to sell the 1954 Chrysler New
Yorker once owned by Howard Hughes at the 2005 Hershey Auto
Auction, which will take place Oct. 5 through 8 in Hershey, Pa. The
sky-blue vehicle, owned by Hughes while he lived at the Desert Inn,
has just 1,600 miles on its odometer and has been customized with
an air purification system that cost more than the cars original
purchase price. The car will be on display at the Imperial Palace
until Sept. 25. For more information about the vehicle or the car
collection, call (702) 794-3174 or visit www.theautocollections.com.
AN OLD-WORLD
ITALIAN-STYLE WEDDING CHAPEL will open in November at Lake
Las Vegas Resort in nearby Henderson, Nev. Chapel Fiorenza,
translated from the Italian the flowering chapel, will be located
on the Pontevecchio-themed bridge that spans the resorts 320-acre
lake. The chapel will feature authentic Italian decor, including
beamed ceilings, wrought iron chandeliers and sconces, stone
floors, and wooden pews that will be able to accommodate up to 225
people. The chapel also will offer several wedding packages, which
start at $3,000 and will include the use of the brides room, which
is located within the chapel itself; an officiant for the ceremony;
services of an in-house floral designer, photographer and
videographer, and a choice of music. For more information, phone
(702) 566-9797 or visit www.chapelfiorenza.com, which is expected to be
up and running in mid-September.
THROUGH SEPT.
22, THE HOTEL SAN REMO will celebrate its transformation
into Hooters Casino Hotel with a Block Party Vacation Giveaway
promotion from noon to 8 p.m. daily. The promotion aims to make the
renovation process entertaining for guests while at the same time
educating them about the property transition, which is expected to
occur early next year. Guests checking into the Hotel San Remo
during promotion hours will receive prizes and gifts at the Block
Party Vacation Giveaway area located just south of the hotels front
desk. Participants can spin a prize wheel and receives gifts as
well as don a hardhat and construction belt to have their
photograph taken in front of a mock Hooters Casino Hotel
construction site complete with sawhorses, a toolbox, yellow
construction cones and a Hooters Girl in construction attire. For
more information, call (702) 739-9000.
DESIGNED AND
CREATED BY LOCAL QUILT-MAKER MIMI SHIMP, a centennial
quilt made up of 90 photos taken between 1905 and 2005 will be on
display this month at the rotunda in the Clark County Government
Center. Located in the center of the coverlet is a photo of the
historic 1905 land auction that essentially created Las Vegas. The
photo is surrounded by dozens of other historic images that radiate
outward, with the most recent images positioned on the outer edges
of the quilt. The photos were donated by the University of
Nevada-Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Authority News Bureau, as well as by several local residents and
photographers. The quilt will be displayed next month at the Grand
Sawyer Building and at City Hall in November. Starting in December,
the quilt will be permanently exhibited at the Clark County
Museum.