Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAY 2020年5月 亞博匯 32 COVER STORY RWLV will be a US$4.3 billion IR with 3,500 guest rooms on the Strip; Lucky Dragon was a US$150 million, 202 room off-Strip property. Co-owned by the families of former Las Vegas Sands President and COO William Weidner and local property developer Andrew Fonfa, Lucky Dragon tried to tap the local and California Asian market. “They said they were differentiating themselves from the rest of the competition, but really they weren’t,” Westar Architectural Group Vice President Paul Heretakis says. “They bragged that they had Asian employees and Asian restaurants. Well, I can go to the Rio and the Gold Coast and the bathroom signs are in Asian languages.” Adds RWLV President Scott Sibella, “I do think they made a mistake with Lucky Dragon when they came out and said they’re only catering to the Asian market. In this city, you have to be diversified.” Sold in February 2019 for US$36 million to Donald Ahern, chairman and CEO of eponymous construction equipment firm Ahern Rentals, the property partially reopened late last year without gaming as the Ahern Hotel. The new owner plans to convert the casino into meeting and convention space with its grand opening slated for 4 July before coronavirus put tourism on hold. 元、擁有202間客房，且並不在拉斯維加斯大道上。 威龍酒店由前拉斯維加斯金沙集團總裁兼首席營運總監 William Weidner及當地房地產開發商Andrew Fonfa的家族共同 持有，威龍酒店亦在開拓當地及加州的亞洲市場。 「他們稱自己與眾不同，但事實並非如此，」W e s t a r Architectural集團副總裁Paul Heretakis表示。「他們吹噓自己 有亞洲員工和亞洲餐廳。但如果我去到Rio酒店和黃金海岸，那 裡洗手間的牌子上都有亞洲語言的標識。」 雲頂中華世界總裁Scott Sibella亦補充稱：「我認為他們在推 廣威龍酒店時犯了一個錯誤，他們說只為亞洲市場服務。但在這 個城市，你必須多元化。」 這間酒店在2019年2月以3600萬美元賣給了建築設備公司 Ahern Rentals的董事長兼首席執行官Donald Aher，於去年以 Ahern Hotel酒店的名號部分開業，不含博彩。新任老闆打算將賭 場改建成會展場地，在新冠疫情抑制旅遊業之前還曾計劃在7月 4日舉行盛大開業 。 DEC 1-3, 2020