Trump Hotels denies interest in LV land

Monday, Nov. 2, 1998 | 9:13 a.m.

Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts is denying reports it is interested in a 15-acre Strip site owned by Grand Casinos. But the broker who is trying to sell the site for Grand stands by his assertion that Donald Trump has personally expressed interest.

"A press release issued by Resort Properties of America describing a possible property acquisition in Las Vegas was unauthorized and is inaccurate," said Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts in a statement Friday afternoon.

"What's in the press release is absolutely true," said David Atwell, of Resort Properties. "I've talked to Donald personally."

The Resort Properties release was issued Friday morning after press inquiries into rumors Trump had made an offer for the site.

"He's looking at it pretty seriously," said Atwell. "He already told me this is the best one he's seen, and he intends to move on it quickly."

The land is a roughly L-shaped group of parcels located near the corner of Harmon Ave. and the Strip. It wraps around the separately-owned Harley Davidson Cafe on the corner, and includes several undeveloped parcels as well as a Travelodge Motel and the Polo Plaza Shopping Center.

A resort built on the Grand parcels would abut the MGM Grand amusement park, be directly across Harmon from the planned Aladdin hotel-casino and be across the Strip from the Monte Carlo.

According to the statement, Trump Hotels "has no interest in the 15-acre site described in the press release."

Atwell suggested that it might be Trump, personally, and not his public company, that is interested in the land.

"The interest may be on his own personal behalf and not on behalf of the company," said Atwell, who said he has had a long-standing personal relationship with Trump.

Several other "big entities" are also looking at the site, said Atwell. Grand is asking about $120 million, which includes a $90 million land purchase and the assumption of some leases.