Margaritaville-themed gaming area planned for Flamingo
Listen up, Parrotheads:
Caesars Entertainment Corp. is betting a Margaritaville-themed gaming area in the Flamingo will expand the resort's popularity among Jimmy Buffett fans as both the singer and the hotel turn 65 this year.
The new gaming area will be adjacent to the Margaritaville restaurant in the former Steakhouse 46 location. Plans call for a 15,000-square-foot addition to the Flamingo's casino with 22 table games and 220 slot machines.
"The Margaritaville brand eludes nothing but fun ... that's what gambling is about," said Rick Mazer, regional president for five Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas.
The $10 million addition is scheduled to open in October. Mazer said the companies have been partners since 2004 in the Margaritaville restaurant -- a partnership he called "extremely successful" for both companies.
During the first quarter, Caesars' Las Vegas-region properties were some of the most profitable for the gaming company. Hotel revenue locally increased 17.4 percent for the quarter ended March 31, though the company went $144.8 million in the red.
Overall, the eight properties, including the Flamingo, Planet Hollywood Resort and Caesars Palace, generated $392.2 million in net revenues and $66.4 million in net income in the first quarter.
"The (addition) will be a wonderful complement to the Flamingo and to Caesars Entertainment," said Mazer, adding that the company is interested in Margaritaville restaurants or possibly casinos at other Caesars properties.
The project is just one of several upgrades to the Flamingo, a property that will turn 65 in December. He declined to discuss additional renovations.
"That's something we are very proud of," he said. "If you want an authentic Las Vegas casino experience, it's the Flamingo."
Buffett turns 65 on Christmas Day.
The master plan for the Margaritaville casino also includes the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar -- named for a 2003 Buffett song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" -- with direct access to the Strip.
"We have this great restaurant experience. We intend to extend that experience into a themed (gaming area)," said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Orlando-based Margaritaville Holdings.
He said the Margaritaville brand was about fun and celebrating life with people who are "inspired by Jimmy Buffett's music and lifestyle."
"It's about escaping to the islands in the middle of the Strip," said Cohlan, adding the company was working to obtain routine approval for its Las Vegas expansion.
Meanwhile, construction has begun again on the delayed Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi, Miss. In 2007, Buffett and Harrah's Entertainment Inc., now Caesars, announced plans to build a $700 million casino.
The resort was scheduled to open last year, but sat unfinished after construction was stopped in 2008.
"We've definitely broken ground in Biloxi," he said. "We expect the project to be completed next spring."
Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at
csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.
