LAS VEGAS -- The
Hotel San Remo, a quiet property in the midst of the bustling
mega-resorts here, signed a management agreement with the Hooters
restaurant chain to rebrand the hotel-casino resort into the worlds
first Hooters Casino Hotel.
And you can bet
that the new property will be anything but quiet. (For those not in
the know, the Hooters motto is Delightfully tacky yet
unrefined.)
The resorts new
owner -- a 12-person joint venture composed of three people from
the Hotel San Remo organization and the original nine men who
created the Hooters concept -- has big plans for the off-Strip
property, starting with a renovation project that will transform
the hotels old-world European milieu into a casual, tropical
scene.
Officials hope to
break ground on the remodeling project in late January and have
slated October 2005 for the hotels grand opening, according to
Michael Hessling, currently executive vice president of the Hotel
San Remo.
Hessling also is
one of the partners in the Hooters joint venture and will be chief
operating officer of the Hooters Casino Hotel when it
opens.
The property will
continue to operate as the Hotel San Remo until the grand opening,
and it will remain open for business throughout the renovation
process, he said.
Las Vegas is
always under construction, he said. If you walk into any hotel here
and you dont see a construction wall, you wonder whats going
on.
New dining and
entertainment venues will be added to the property, including Dan
Marinos Fine Food and Spirits, which will be attached to the casino
at the front of the property, Hessling said.
It will be casual
but fine dining and will compete favorably with other mid- to
upper-tier restaurants in Las Vegas, he said. But were not trying
to compete anywhere near the top end.
The Las Vegas
outlet will be the first outside Florida, where five Dan Marinos
restaurants -- theyre operated by one of the Hooters Casino Hotel
joint venture partners -- currently are open, he added. Adjacent to
Dan Marinos will be the Martini Bar, described by Hessling as an
upscale watering hole.
We expect it will
compete favorably with the nightclub circuit, although its not a
nightclub, he said. The beautiful people go to nightclubs. With our
celebrity and sports connections, were going to have a lot of
[those] people who are here.
Outside, a
dramatically expanded pool area, as Hessling put it, will be home
to the Hooters Beach Club. The 6,000-square-foot dining venue, he
noted, is for the shorts and sandals and T-shirt crowd.
It will offer
reggae and steel drum music during the daytime, switching to rock n
roll and dueling pianos at night, Hessling said.
Its a casual
party atmosphere, he said. Its the place to be if you dont want to
dress up to go out.
The new property
will include a traditional Hooters restaurant complete with
trademark wings, beer, sports theme and, of course, an attractive
wait staff known as the Hooters girls.
The new resort
also will feature Pete & Shortys Tavern and Book, a Midwest
neighborhood tavern located within the casino area, Hessling said.
It will house the sports book and will feature a casual atmosphere
with leather couches and leather seats where people can come and
watch the games and place a bet.
The tavern will
offer a pub-style menu including mini-hamburgers, onion rings and
fried pickles, he added. For guests seeking healthier fare, a fresh
market-style area will offer sandwiches, wraps, sushi and
sashimi.
The casino area
also will be renovated in casual, comfortable Hooters style, with
lots of wood and all new gaming equipment. Were going to double the
number of table games, Hessling said.
The resort will
have fewer rooms. Plans call for 686 revamped guest rooms compared
with the current 711 because a section of rooms is being turned
into a health club and spa facility, Hessling said.
To contact
reporter Amy Baratta, send e-mail to [email protected].