In the past, Lynk would have been considered an amenity for the development of a multibillion-dollar strip hotel casino. That was before the bottom of the Las Vegas economy hit. Caesars Entertainment executives said Wednesday they agreed with analysts’ assessment that Las Vegas does not need another hotel casino for now.
The theory is the main driver behind Lynk, a $550 million outdoor retail, dining and entertainment district modeled after the Grove of Los Angeles. Caesars executives unveiled Lynk’s various appearances and construction plans during a briefing at Caesars Palace’s Pure Nightclub.
In addition, the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino will be renamed, renovated, and themed as part of its development. The small O’Heas Casino will be demolished and will be part of the reconstructed Imperial Palace. 사설 토토사이트
Jan Jones, the senior vice president of Caesars Entertainment, touted Linq as the first new Las Vegas development project announced since the economy collapsed in 2007. It is also the first new construction project at Strip since the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opened in December.
Caesars operates 10 strip-area casinos. Providing new entertainment options and attractions keeps the strip alive for visitors filling the city’s 150,000 hotel rooms, Jones said. During a brief stint on Wednesday, Jones channeled her former job as a two-term mayor of Las Vegas.
“We don’t need another big box,” Jones said. “Las Vegas needs a new experience. We live here, and we see all the headlines about the economy and unemployment. But for the rest of the world, we’re Las Vegas. We’re the entertainment capital of the world, and they expect us to be like Lynk.”
The project will be built along a private street separating the Flamingo and the Imperial Palace, which will return to Audrey and Aida streets, which will be converted from public to private streets.
Caesars officials hope Lynk, which will hire 3,000 construction workers in the middle of next year, will spur further development.
The center of Linq is a 550-foot (“don’t call it a Ferris wheel”) wheel called the Las Vegas High Roller. The structure is 9 feet taller than the Singapore front and 107 feet taller than the London Eye. With 28 airtight, transparent spherical cabins, each holding 40 passengers, the wheel can carry about 2,240 passengers per hour. It will take 30 minutes to do one lap.
Caesars executives expect to charge less than $20 per person for the observation wheel, with the first rider expected sometime in 2013. “Our observation wheel will provide a memorable experience that soars above the strip’s skyline,” said Gary Miller, Caesars’ senior vice president of development.