M Resort bartender Edgar Manago smiled broadly Sunday night as he poured free drinks for 4,000 guests at the grand opening party of the billion-dollar hotel-casino. After more than 15 years as a bartender in the gaming industry, Manago got his first job in months.
“It feels great,” said Mr. Manago, who was fired from several casinos in 2008. “Everyone is really happy and ready to go to work,” he said, speaking on behalf of the 1,800 employees of Resort M.
At least in the evening, the opening of the 390-room M Resort has left people forgetting the Southern Nevada economy, which sank in 2008 to a record drop in gaming revenue and visitor numbers.
“Not only is it a good sign that things are looking up, but the opening has a great morale booster effect for the community,” D-Nev, D-Nev., said while touring the casino. Resort M is located in the council district of Titus. 사설 토토사이트
Alexis Shapiro ran his own wholesale design company before joining M Resort as a promotional ambassador. For small business owners, the sour economy created a challenging business environment.
A full-time job at M Resort means a steady salary. It is one reason why she and other employees feel vested in the success of the property. “Customer service is very important in this day and age,” Shapiro said. “That’s something we’re going to highlight.”
If VIP parties were any indication, resort M would grow rapidly. Invited guests helped pay guests open their accommodation before passing through the entrance shortly after 10 p.m.
After 18 months of construction and more than four years of planning, fireworks shows and water and fire shows viewed from the building’s spacious swimming pool signaled the opening.
Some of the gaming industry’s elite – Boyd, chairman of Boyd Gaming Corp., CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin, representatives of slot machine companies, and Rossi Ralenkotter, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority – made their way through Southern Nevada’s newest casino, located about 10 miles south of the center of the strip.
“A lot of people want to check us out, which is great,” said Anthony Marnell III, CEO of M Resort. “It makes me feel good to have people who want to come and see what we’ve done.”
Manel, 35, who owns two casinos in Loughlin and one in Parrump, learned the gaming business from his father, Tony Manel, a pioneer in casino construction, when his family owned Rio in the late 1990s.
Seeing paying customers come through the entrance to Resort M will not peak his dream but will start a new endeavor. Building a hotel casino was his first challenge. Operating in the current business environment is his next challenge.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for cars to line up (to get into a property at Resort M),” Marnell said. “We’re a new property and we don’t have any customers. We have marketing plans in March, April and May to build our customer base from scratch.”