The Plaza is one of four casinos that will be run by PlayLV, an entity of the Navegante Group. Navegante was retained by the Tamares Group to manage the Plaza, Las Vegas Club, Gold Spike and Western. Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.
Four downtown casinos have new management under a deal struck late last week.
Tamares Group has retained the Navegante Group, a casino-development company, to manage its Plaza, Las Vegas Club, Gold Spike and Western hotels. Together, the hotels have about 2,000 employees and 1,600 rooms.
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Navegante will operate the casinos through an entity called PlayLV. Charles "Hap" May, general manager of the Lady Luck from 2001 to 2003, is executive vice president and general manager of PlayLV. Dan Wilson, a former Station Casinos executive, is the company's senior vice president of marketing and hotel operations, as well as general manager of the Plaza. Travis Anderson, previously with Mandalay Resort Group, is vice president of finance.
May said the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday gave the management team final approval to operate the hotels. May also said PlayLV has started a 60-day assessment to "get our hands around (the hotels) and understand how each property works."
"We're going to make sure every phase of operation, from the gaming floor to food-and-beverage outlets -- every way we come into contact with our guests -- provides our guests with the best experience," May said.
May said physical improvements to the hotels wouldn't be firmed up until PlayLV's study of the properties is complete.
PlayLV has no plans to lay off employees; May said the company is looking to fill about 120 jobs.
May said he didn't know the dollar amount of the five-year management contract.
The deal is the latest in a series of recent transactions bringing new operators to downtown.
In April, the Henry Brent Co. bought the 743-room Lady Luck; on Feb. 12, the company will shutter the hotel for a yearlong rehab.
And in September, Landry's Restaurants bought the 1,900-room Golden Nugget. Company executives said during their hearings before the gaming commission that they were considering adding a hotel tower and increasing the casino's size.
Brian Gordon, a principal in Applied Analysis, said finding success downtown will require a combination of renovations and fresh marketing.
"There are certain perceptions about the downtown market, but a significant amount of investment in the entire downtown area could bring increased visitation and changes to those existing perceptions," Gordon said. "But that's a long-term process. Operators have to be patient and move forward as a market."
Larry Woolf, who was chairman and chief executive officer of the MGM Grand when it was under construction in the early 1990s, established the Navegante Group in 1996 to develop and manage casinos around the world. The company has completed more than 50 projects, including Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Casino Fandango in Carson City.
Tamares Group is headquartered in Vaduz, Lichtenstein. The private investment company partnered with Barrick Gaming in 2004 to buy the Plaza, Las Vegas Club, Gold Spike and Western Hotel. In June, Barrick sold its interest in the hotels to Tamares, which is now the sole owner of the properties.
