Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
French flag flies again at Paris Las Vegas
Casino hoists colors as political feelings taper
By ROD SMITH
GAMING WIRE
People walk by the Paris Las Vegas Monday as French flags, which were removed in March, hang from the casino's exterior.
Photo by Craig L. Moran.
|
In a sign of the times, the flag of France, Le Tricolore, again flies over Paris Las Vegas.
The colors of France were struck in March, following that county's opposition to the United States' invasion of Iraq.
At the time, Park Place Entertainment Corp., spokesman Robert Stewart said guests seemed to feel the flag symbolized the government rather than the culture of France.
"The decision to temporarily take the French flags off the outside of the property reflected the political sentiments of many of our guests at the time given what was happening in the Middle East," he said Monday when the French flag was raised again outside of Paris Las Vegas.
In March, Stewart told the British Broadcasting Corp. that "people are fairly sophisticated, they understand that this is an American casino, generally catering to American guests. ... We did take down the French flag due to the sensitivity of the feelings of folks. That was on our own initiative."
Also, the Bush administration had made it clear that it wanted France to suffer for its anti-war stance, mirroring the mood of many American tourists and gamblers in the streets here.
But in March, Park Place, which owns and operates Paris Las Vegas, came under heavy salvos from commentators for "pandering" to popular opinion.
The British Broadcasting Corp. argued that it was still impossible to miss the soaring reproduction of the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the Strip resort.
"Las Vegas cannot afford to ignore the sensitivities of its high-spending but notoriously fickle patrons, but Mr. Stewart was adamant that they had not suffered the effects of a boycott," the BBC reported.
Now, he says "time has passed. We think it's appropriate to have both the French and American flags displayed on the property to reflect the French culture the resort celebrates and the fact it is an American property."
Neither the decision to strike the French flag nor raise it again was market-driven, Stewart said. "Both decisions were intended to accommodate the feelings of our guests."
