New owners brush Aladdin’s old image under the carpet

By Liz Benston

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 7:10 a.m.

Last year the Aladdin, in the midst of a two-year reconstruction project, pulled in only about as much cash as the Tropicana or Riviera - properties decades older and supposedly less competitive.

Seems the Aladdin couldn't dump its Arabian theme fast enough.

But the Aladdin needed more than new carpets and curtains. And it couldn't do much about its front entrance, which was uninvitingly raised above the Strip.

Short of imploding the resort - it already had been razed once - what could be done to save it?

Goodbye, I Dream of Jeannie. Hello, Sugar Ray Leonard.

The owners of the chronically struggling 7-year-old Aladdin have been stroking the genie lamp for two years and what has finally appeared is - poof! - Planet Hollywood. Its soft opening was launched last week.

Along with adopting a new brand name, the owners have done what they can to address the resort's fundamental design problems, which they well knew when they bought the property out of bankruptcy in 2003.

The biggest problem was a maze of walkways at the front entrance. While many Strip casinos' front doors open from street level, enticing visitors with slot machines, fancy lobbies or posh porte cocheres, the Aladdin's entrance was elevated above the Strip and presented an imposing, stone like facade that didn't promise fun or excitement. Rather than navigate the maze, many pedestrians kept walking.

Planet Hollywood hopes people movers will help pull gamblers inside. A terraced patio spilling into Trader Vic's, a new store in the casino's mall, may also lure customers. There will be additional entrances, as well as a 670-foot-long, 60-foot-high electronic display promoting the casino that will draw comparisons to Times Square.

Inside, the jewel-colored mosque decor has given way to a modern, geometric design of reds and blacks. Dealers wear slacks and button-down shirts, black with red pinstripes, while cocktail servers wear black hot pants, tight jackets and peek-a-boo red bustiers.

New uniforms were easy. Altering design elements proved more difficult.

The owners could hardly get rid of the casino's unusual mezzanine level - which seemed to divide and dilute the excitement. So instead they've expanded its offerings.

Casino customers entering the property from the parking garage off Harmon Avenue still must walk the length of the old Desert Passage mall - derisively nicknamed Deserted Passage by frustrated tenants and now renamed the Miracle Mile Shops.

While the mall still wraps around the resort's casino and performing arts theater - there was no way to change that - the new mall is losing its Marrakesh market and other Arabian accents in favor of a more urban, contemporary look. No more thunderstorms over the fake waterfront.

Makeover aside, there is some question whether the resort will benefit from its new name, Planet Hollywood - a trendy 1990s restaurant brand that some skeptics say is past its prime. To some, it conjures memories of unspectacular food and a well-publicized bankruptcy.

Las Vegas has given a mixed reception to such casino branding. Hooters is limping into its second year , but the Hard Rock Hotel has cultivated an edgy hipness and exclusivity that transcended the reputation of Hard Rock restaurants.

Skepticism regarding the Aladdin's reincarnation stems from its checkered past under various colorful owners. The original property, which endured multiple bankruptcies, was razed in 1998 and redesigned - with the new troublesome entrance, the two-level casino and a hotel check-in desk and nearby elevators that, for better or worse, allowed guests to avoid slot machines altogether.

Deutsche Bank bond analyst Andrew Zarnett says a key to the casino's success will be the involvement of Robert Earl, who co-founded the restaurant chain and is a majority investor in the casino.

"He's trying to recreate the brand by associating it with Hollywood - and Hollywood works with the masses," Zarnett said. "You see how much Hollywood gets mentioned in the media. Everyone wants to talk about Paris Hilton and Tom Cruise."

With Los Angeles restaurateur Peter Morton selling his celebrity-popular Hard Rock Hotel to New York hoteliers who don't have Morton's personal relationships with stars, Earl - an entrepreneur who hobnobs with the rich and famous - can "bring that celebrity prominence to Planet Hollywood," Zarnett said.

Some of that star power was on hand during Tuesday's soft opening, including former Planet Hollywood investor and Earl's neighbor, actor Bruce Willis. Earl introduced the first three celebrity "ambassadors" of the property: boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, tennis star Pete Sampras and Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens.

The casino is also hoping to cash in on its name-dropping restaurants, including New York eateries Strip House and Alfredo's and, from Los Angeles, Japanese restaurant Koi and Pink's, the hot dog stand to the stars.

The casino's central bar features 32 plasma screens stacked atop one another - all the better to watch actress and dancer Carmen Electra (starring in the Hans Klok magic act that debuts there next month) writhe at an incredible height.

Zarnett calls the Planet Hollywood brand "a huge shift in a positive direction."

"Whether it's the best name out there doesn't matter," he said. "It's 10 times better than the old name and theme," Zarnett said.

Liz Benston can be reached at 259-4077 or at [email protected].