Altes Aladdin schliesst die Spieltische
25.11.1997, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Altes Aladdin schliesst die Spieltische».
The Aladdin Hotel closes on the Las Vegas Strip November 25 making way for a $1.2 billion gambling and hotel complex. Plans call for development of a Middle East-theme shopping center, a 2,600-room hotel as well as a joint venture with Planet Hollywood Inc. for development of a neighboring $250 million, 2,000-room music-theme resort. Planet Hollywood drops out of the deal in 1998.
The Aladdin finally runs out of wishes The slots are silent and gaming tables are empty as a 31-year-old Strip fixture closes its doors to be readied for implosion.
(By Warren Bates and Glenn Puit / Review-Journal)
The Aladdin is closed. The words have been uttered before, but never have they been as final as they were Tuesday night, when tearful employees hugged each other and said goodbye to yet another character-drenched Las Vegas resort about to be blown to rubble. "I'm homeless, but I'm looking for a home," said Karyn Monroe, the hotel's official goodwill ambassador for the past five years. "They're taking down some more of what Las Vegas is about." Bartenders at the 31-year-old Strip property announced last call at 6 p.m., and within minutes the casino started to empty.
The slots and marquee turned dark, a final few drinks were finished off by tearful workers, furniture was unceremoniously hauled away and gamblers ambled toward nearby megaresorts from the once golden, now faded venue. Mycal Colvin has spent most of the last decade as an assistant surveillance director for the Aladdin. With fat cigar in hand, he gathered with slot change technicians, fellow surveillance directors and cocktail waitresses at a casino bar to reminisce about the hotel's history. "Watching through those cameras I've seen it all, the happy times, the good times, the bad times, and I can tell you that of everything I've seen, the most memorable is probably watching all these employees come together as a family," he said as one of his slightly intoxicated co- workers started singing "He's a Jolly Good Fellow." "I've seen criminals, parties, the drinkers, gamblers, even stripteases, but the most memorable thing that I've seen is the dedication of these workers," Colvin said. Many of the employees went to an after-closing party at a nearby club while rock band Motley Crue, at the Aladdin Theatre for Performing Arts, prepared to perform Tuesday night. At the same time, dealer David Rolfes flipped over a 17 in what was one of the last -- if not the last -- blackjack hands dealt in Aladdin history. "Two winners, two losers and a push," he said shortly after he drew in the $5 chips that lined the green felt table. Rolfes said he has seen everything from bums to high-rolling celebrities come into the casino in the last five years. One such celebrity was actor Tom Cruise, who arrived in disguise to play roulette. Cruise, chatting amiably with Rolfes, asked which number he should bet his last $25 chip on. In turn Rolfes asked a woman standing nearby, who said 13 was the best bet. "Sure enough it came up 13, and I said, `Hey lady, you just won Tom Cruise 900 bucks!' " Rolfes said. "He looked at me like, you jerk, shut the heck up!" Tourist Jim Smith, of Ann Arbor, Mich., came into town this week specifically for the Aladdin's closing. For an avid casino chip collector, the opportunity to gobble up what may someday be highly valued chips while soaking up the passing of history was too much to miss. "It's a special place, a lot of character," said Smith, who has attended chip collecting seminars at the Aladdin annually for the last five years. "There are only a few places like this on the Strip anymore." Jim and Marietta Beckham said they've been coming to the Aladdin for the last 10 years because the homey, old-time environment is impossible to find at the newer, more expansive resorts. "It's the old Las Vegas," Marietta said as her husband busted on his last hand of blackjack. "The new places are just so big, not as personal. The Aladdin is dark and historic." Lenny Dawson, a gaming instructor working in the pit Tuesday, said, "This was probably the greatest job I've ever had. I've worked for more money but it's not been as much fun. Working here was like working with family." Dawson recalled coming into the resort as a visitor in 1967, a year after its opening. It was a high-class place, he said, and only Caesars Palace could boast a bigger drop at the time. Though the Aladdin had become synonymous with the words bankruptcy court, Dawson said morale rose significantly the past few years under the direction of President Joe Burt, who was killed in a 1993 accident, and JMJ Management Inc. About a third of the hotel's 1,485 employees have already found work, said Dawson, who is looking forward to some time off to write a book on gaming instruction. The hotel held a job fair and many resorts showed up and hired people on the spot. The Aladdin's 17-story tower is scheduled for a midwinter implosion that will most likely occur in February. In about two years, a $1.2 billion development featuring two hotel-casinos and a Middle East themed shopping center will emerge on the 35-acre parcel of land. The 7,000-seat theater is being spared the dynamite. Richard Goeglein, Aladdin president and chief executive officer, said longtime employees will be given top priority for job placement at the new facility. "I know it's not full consolation for the trauma of the loss of a job," Goeglein said in a statement. "We want the people who have been with the Aladdin ... through it all to know they are appreciated and will not be forgotten." Cocktail waitresses Kristene Honzik and Debbie Silva said they are hoping to find work as waitresses at The Reserve, a resort expected to open in January. "It's so sad, a lot of memories," Honzik said. "I think it is going to be all the friendships, the camaraderie, that we'll miss the most." A few years after the Aladdin opened in 1966, the property, like many Strip resorts, fell prey to mob control. The Detroit, Kansas City and St. Louis organized crime factions had their fingers in the count rooms. Eventually, indictments were handed down and organized crime was forced out of Nevada gaming. Entertainer Wayne Newton was part owner of the resort from 1980 to 1982. By then, the Aladdin's history of financial problems was well established. Newton's partner sold out to Ginji Yasuda, the first foreigner to hold a gaming license, who owned the property in the mid to late 1980s. After Yasuda lost his license, the Aladdin was placed again in bankruptcy court control, then over to a series of careful managers. Jack Sommer and his Sigman Sommer Family Trust are the most current landlords. As the crowd of history seekers started to make their final exit from the Aladdin on Tuesday night, Buffalo, N.Y., resident Joyce Christopher watched her friend Laura Green pump a few quarters into a slot machine for the last time. "I've been coming here for about 10 years and I feel fortunate to have been here for this," she said. "I wanted to get one last look at the charm of the old hotels."
Über Aladdin Resort & Casino:
The Aladdin öffnete seine Tore am 31. März 1966. Der Betrieb des Casinos und des Hotels dauerte bis im Jahre 1997.
1997 wurde The Aladdin abgerissen und an der gleichen Stelle The New Aladdin gebaut. Die Eröffnung von The New Aladdin fand offiziell am 17. August 2000 statt. Eigentlich öffnete es aber erst am 18. August 2000 wegen fehlenden Sicherheitsabnahmen.
Im Jahre 2003 wurde The New Aladdin von einer neuen Betreibergesellschaft übernommen und bekam den Namen Planet Hollywood Las Vegas.
Nach einer Renovation im Jahre 2007 erfolgte eine erneute Namensänderung in Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
Seit dem Jahre 2010 ist der aktuelle Besitzer Caesars Entertainment.
--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung Altes Aladdin schliesst die Spieltische ---
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