The iconic Tropicana resort in Las Vegas may be undergoing a big change under the leadership of Bally, who is set to complete her acquisition this year. Casino operator Soohyun Kim, whose investment firm last week made an offer to buy the remaining shares of Bally’s, said the company is open to exploring a range of options, including demolishing the establishment, according to KSNV.
Bally& Corporation #8217;s first closed a $308 million real estate deal last April, the deal is expected to close sometime this year. Whatever happened to the building, Bally’s chairman said the building would likely be reimagined and renamed “Bally’s”.
Kim told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the company would “almost certainly” rename the property and also likely try to re-plan it. The chairman acknowledged that management has not yet decided what it will do, but will consider “everything”, from repairs to “tear it down and start over.”
“We are open to everything,” said Kim, according to the source cited, stating that tearing down the casino hotel and building something from scratch could be one way to “maximize value.” “We have big plans that we are working on,” he added.
The possible name change to Tropicana follows Caesars Entertainment's decision to rename its Bally’s resort on the Strip to the Horseshoe brand, announced last week as part of a major venue transformation. According to Kim, the rebrand will free up the Bally’s brand in Las Vegas, meaning Bally’s Corp. be able to use it.
Bally’s Corporation, formerly known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings until the casino operator acquired the Bally’s trademark from Caesars, first announced the acquisition of the iconic Tropicana establishment for approximately $308 million last April. He purchased it from Leisure Properties, Inc., a publicly traded gaming-focused real estate investment fund.
The completion of the purchase and new plans for the venue will also be part of Bally's national ambitions.
It's hard to be a national gaming company without a presence in Las Vegas,” Kim said, according to the Review-Journal.
The Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is located on the Strip, on a 35-acre property at the corner of Tropicana Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard. It has 1,470 rooms, a 50,000-square-foot casino with 1,000 gaming seats, a 1,200-seat theater and 100,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
New plans unveiled by Bally’s and Caesars regarding their respective properties, mark a period of change, including rebranding and transformation, at some of the most iconic casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
The two giants are joined by Hard Rock International, which has acquired The Mirage Hotel & Casino in a $1.1 billion cash deal with MGM Resorts International. The famous fire-spewing volcano will be replaced when the Seminole tribe of Florida take over, who intend to build a massive guitar-shaped hotel.
Last week, Bally’s Corp. jumped more than 20% after hedge fund Standard General LP, the business's largest shareholder, submitted an offer to buy the remaining shares it doesn't already own at $38 a share. The deal values the company at about $2.07 billion.
Bally Chairman Soo Kim, founder and managing partner of Standard General, said his buyout offer had nothing to do with Bally's desire to close the Tropicana acquisition. The private equity firm intends to finance the deal “through a sale and leaseback” and other long-term financing arrangements.
Source: YogoNet official website