Second tower at Palms is confirmed

Monday, Sept. 8, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

The Palms hotel-casino on Flamingo Road expects to begin construction within a year on a new room tower, property owner George Maloof confirmed today.

The tower is expected to have no more than about 300 rooms, Maloof said, though the exact number hasn't yet been decided. Maloof also said the construction date hasn't been determined.

The look of the tower and its amenities also are under development, he added.

"Design takes a while," he said.

News about the tower had appeared in a regional magazine about three months ago but Maloof at the time denied reports that he had made a final decision to build it. According to an article in Chicago magazine, restaurateurs Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff said they were developing two attractions for the new tower.

In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun in 2000, Maloof said the resort would eventually be expanded to 2,000 rooms over the next five to 10 years according to a master plan.

The privately held resort, which opened in December 2001, has just under 500 rooms.

The room capacity is relatively small given the amount of business the property has generated in its casino and at non-gaming attractions, observers have said. Maloof has created a profitable guest mix of locals who gamble as well as out-of-towners drawn to the resort's nightclub and party scene.

The Greenspun family, owner of the Las Vegas Sun, is a minority investor in the Palms.