Wynn on Las Vegas: ‘The worst I’ve ever seen it’

I don't know whether or not Steve Wynn is the smartest guy to have ever built cliff-dwellings on the Las Vegas Strip. Not even sure how'd you measure that. But, if I had to make a personal "Top 5" list right now, he'd be in it. And if he and his hotels make it out of 2009 in decent shape (which smart guys tell me he is best positioned to do) he'll certainly have earned a spot in the Las Vegas Hall of Fame.

What I do know is that when Steve Wynn decides to grant interviews, the results are anything but boring.

For example, if you have not seen Norm's column this morning with Wynn verbally urinating on Sheldon Adelson, read it immediately here.

But what really caught my eye this morning was what Wynn told the Reuters news service. Get a load of these quotes:

-- "The last couple of weeks have been the worst I have ever seen. We had 53% occupancy for a couple of nights."

-- "This is the first time I've said 'fill all 4,700 rooms'... I will trade profit on the hotel business for job protection."

-- "I've always opened up hotels in boom periods. It is a fascinating moment to open a hotel in a market that's extremely tough."

-- Paying down debt "will be all I'll be doing for the next couple of years -- that's our corporate strategy."

-- "In Vegas the best-built, best-run places always do well. Historically, the bottom 25 percent of the market has been bankrupt."

You can see the full Reuters story here.