JW Marriott Las Vegas

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JW Marriott Las Vegas
General information
LocationSummerlin, Nevada
Address221 North Rampart Boulevard
OpeningJuly 15, 1999
OwnerHotspur Resorts
AffiliationJW Marriott
Technical details
Floor count6[1]
Design and construction
ArchitectPaul Steelman
Developer
Main contractorJ.A. Jones Construction
Other information
Number of rooms469
Number of suites79
Website
marriott.com/hotels/propertypage/lasjw

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa is a resort in Summerlin, Nevada, near Las Vegas. The Rampart Casino is located within the hotel. The property is owned and operated by Hotspur Resorts, which franchises the JW Marriott name from Marriott International.

History[]

Development and opening (1996-2000)[]

In May 1996, the Howard Hughes Corporation, developer of the Summerlin planned community, announced an agreement for a casino resort to be developed by Seven Circle Resorts, an American affiliate of Swiss gaming firm .[2][3] Paul Steelman was the architect.[2] The resort's opening was originally planned for 1998.[2] Developers envisioned it as a luxury golf and spa resort, similar to those found in destinations like Scottsdale, Arizona and Palm Springs, California.[4][5] The property would have relationships with several nearby golf courses, including exclusive control of half of the tee times at the neighboring Tournament Players Club at the Canyons.[4]

Seven Circle purchased the 54-acre (22 ha) site from Howard Hughes Corp. in August 1996 for $16.6 million.[6] By February 1998, construction was underway.[7] Managed by J.A. Jones Construction, the project was marked by delays and cost overruns.[8] The final cost of development was $276 million, including $76 million contributed by Swiss Casinos and $200 million borrowed from lenders.[9][10]

The Resort at Summerlin quietly opened its doors on July 15, 1999.[9] Its developers described it as Las Vegas' first off-Strip luxury resort. At opening, the property included a 286-room hotel, two restaurants, and a casino.[11][12] The hotel was named the Regent Grand Spa, under a franchise from Regent International Hotels.[13] Because of construction delays, other amenities, including the spa, pool, retail shops, and more restaurants, opened over the following months.[14]

A second hotel, the 255-room Regent Grand Palm, opened in January 2000.[15][16] By the next month, the entire property had been renamed as The Regent Las Vegas, to capitalize on its affiliation with the upscale Regent brand, and the two hotels were known simply as the Spa tower and the Palms tower.[16][17]

In June 2000, Swiss Casinos announced plans to purchase a 22-acre (8.9 ha) parcel next to the Regent and to develop it with timeshare units and tennis courts,[18] but this project never came to fruition.

After completion (2000-present)[]

Signs of financial trouble appeared as early as November 1999, when the resort's operating company revealed that it was seeking new financing and its credit rating was downgraded.[19][20] By March 2000, the resort was in technical default on its mortgage debt, as a result of having borrowed additional money from Swiss Casinos.[21] Executives began to shift the casino's focus to attract more locals, such as by replacing slot machines with video poker machines.[22]

In September 2000, the Regent defaulted on various payments to creditors.[23][24] By November, executives were attempting to renegotiate the property's debt, and 239 of the resort's 1,700 employees had been laid off.[25] The Regent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection later that month,[14] and soon began seeking a buyer for the property.[26] Real estate developer Peccole Nevada was selected as the stalking horse bidder, with an offer of $150 million, but then withdrew its bid after a disagreement with its financing partner.[27][28] A new bid of $80 million by Los Angeles-based hotel company Maritz, Wolff was then selected, but was also withdrawn after negotiations with the Regent's creditors broke down.[29][30] Finally, the resort was sold to Hotspur Resorts, the hotel affiliate of Canadian real estate firm , for $80 million.[31] Observers had expected a competitive auction with bids from major casino operators, but most potential buyers lost interest after the September 11 attacks, which occurred two weeks before the auction.[31] Hotspur completed its purchase in November 2001.[32]

Hotspur rebranded the hotel under the JW Marriott name, hoping that it would be a better draw than the Regent name, which was found to have good name recognition in Asia but not in America.[33] The casino was leased in 2002 to Nevada-based Millennium Management Group on a 10-year lease.[34][35] Millennium renamed the casino as the Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin, and continued the effort to shift the casino's marketing emphasis away from high rollers towards locals,[35] and performed major renovations, including redesigning the gaming floor, acquiring new slot equipment, and constructing three new restaurants.

When the casino lease expired in 2012, Hotspur opted not to renew the agreement, assuming direct management of the casino, with the help of consulting services from Affinity Gaming.[36] Michael Gaughan, Jr., the son of casino magnate Michael Gaughan, was hired as the property's general manager.[37] Meanwhile, revenues declined because of a slow economy and increased competition from newly opened Strip resorts, leading the property to again default on its mortgage payments.[38] The owners were able to avoid foreclosure, ultimately negotiating a loan modification in December 2013.[39]

Facilities[]

The hotel has 469 rooms and 79 suites,[1] with rooms starting at 560 square feet (52 m2). There is a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) spa and 115,900 square feet (10,770 m2) of meeting and event spaces.[1][40]

The casino has 57,610 square feet (5,352 m2) of gaming space with 1,560 slot machines, 28 table games, and a race and sports book.[41][42]

Film history[]

In April 2004, scenes were shot at the casino for the fourth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[43]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa - Hotel Details". Marriott International. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Summerlin unveils plan for 300-room resort-casino". Las Vegas Sun. May 24, 1996. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Thompson, Gary (December 2, 1998). "Regent resorts topped off in Summerlin". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Kern, Kirk (March 24, 1999). "Resort at Summerlin a mini mega-resort". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  5. ^ "Resort at Summerlin likened to Scottsdale, Palm Springs". Las Vegas Sun. April 30, 1999. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Seven Circle buys Summerlin land". Las Vegas Sun. August 27, 1996. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Berns, Dave (February 23, 1998). "Resort on its way in Summerlin". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  8. ^ Berns, Dave (May 24, 1999). "Resort at Summerlin blames overruns on contractor". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ a b Strow, David (July 16, 1999). "Resort at Summerlin quietly opens doors". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  10. ^ "Equity investment increased at the Resort at Summerlin". Las Vegas Sun. May 25, 1999. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  11. ^ Thompson, Gary (November 2, 1999). "After slow summer start, Summerlin resort says momentum is building". Las Vegas Sun – via NewsBank.
  12. ^ Smith, Hubble (July 13, 1999). "Resort opening delayed". Las Vegas Sun – via NewsBank.
  13. ^ Thompson, Gary (July 12, 1999). "Flooding delays the opening of the Resort at Summerlin". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Berns, Dave (November 22, 2000). "Regent files for bankruptcy". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  15. ^ "Las Vegas' Resort at Summerlin opens its second hotel tower". San Jose Mercury News. January 2, 2000 – via NewsBank.
  16. ^ a b "Resort may change name to add affiliate". Las Vegas Sun. January 10, 2000 – via NewsBank.
  17. ^ "Regent Las Vegas takes over in Summerlin". Summerlin View. February 12, 2000 – via NewsBank.
  18. ^ Simpson, Jeff (June 15, 2000). "Summerlin projects planned". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  19. ^ Berns, Dave (November 16, 1999). "Resort owners seek loans". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  20. ^ Thompson, Gary (November 15, 1999). "Resort at Summerlin financial challenges outlined". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  21. ^ "Resort operator in default on debt". Las Vegas Sun. March 3, 2000. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  22. ^ Hogan, Jan (March 13, 2000). "Regent president tackles challenges". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  23. ^ Berns, Dave (September 28, 2000). "Regent defaults on payment". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 28, 2003.
  24. ^ Berns, Dave (September 29, 2000). "Regent executives meet creditors to sort out debt troubles". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on November 4, 2002.
  25. ^ Berns, Dave (November 18, 2000). "Executives for Regent pursue creditor talks". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on November 15, 2002.
  26. ^ Berns, Dave (December 31, 2000). "Regent's chief aims to market property". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  27. ^ "Regent picks Peccole as preferred buyer". Las Vegas Sun. May 23, 2001 – via NewsBank.
  28. ^ Simpson, Jeff (July 4, 2001). "Company withdraws bid for Regent". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  29. ^ Berns, Dave (August 10, 2001). "Preferred bidder for Regent tapped". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  30. ^ Simpson, Jeff (September 11, 2001). "Preferred bidder pulls Regent Las Vegas bid". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  31. ^ a b Strow, David (September 26, 2001). "Canadian firm to buy Regent". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  32. ^ "Hotspur takes over Summerlin resort". Las Vegas Sun. November 23, 2001. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  33. ^ Simpson, Jeff (November 20, 2001). "Regent Las Vegas changing hands". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  34. ^ Strow, David (March 7, 2002). "Casino to get its fourth name in three years". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Simpson, Jeff (November 30, 2002). "Different name, different game". Las Vegas Review-Journal – via NewsBank.
  36. ^ Green, Steve (9 May 2011). "Herbst Gaming in noncompete, consulting deal with Rampart Casino". Vegas Inc. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  37. ^ O'Reiley, Tim (6 March 2012). "Michael Gaughan Jr. to take over Rampart Casino management". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  38. ^ O'Reiley, Tim (January 6, 2012). "Court battle over mortgage on JW Marriott delayed a month". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  39. ^ "Talmage, LLC successfully modifies $160 million JW Marriott – Las Vegas Resort and Spa loan" (Press release). Talmage, LLC. December 20, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2018 – via BusinessWire.
  40. ^ "Events and Promotions at Spa Aquae". Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin. November 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  41. ^ Nonrestricted Square Footage Report (Report). Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  42. ^ Nonrestricted Count Report (Report). Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  43. ^ Cling, Carol (5 April 2004). "Shooting Stars: 'CSI,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Dr. Vegas' headline busy week". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 5 January 2006.

External links[]

Coordinates: 36°10′33″N 115°17′27″W / 36.1758°N 115.2908°W / 36.1758; -115.2908

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