Jeff Simpson catches up with Steve Wynn, whose projects in Macau and in town are on pace

Sunday, March 25, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

Six months ago I witnessed Stanley Ho announce a deal to partner with Steve Wynn on the Hong Kong airport-to-Macau helicopter concession.

During the Wynn Macau preopening banquet, Ho stood up in front of the assembled dignitaries and made a big deal out of the supposed partnership.

I recently saw a Macau news report that Ho was awarded the helicopter concession, and asked Wynn last week what had happened to the Ho-Wynn helicopter deal.

"It never happened," said a bemused Wynn, who once had considered bidding for the helicopter concession. "I was surprised when Stanley did that at the dinner. He stood up and announced we were going to join up, but I knew nothing about it. Nothing ever happened."

Wynn plans to rely on Ho's helicopters to bring the Wynn Macau customers from Hong Kong.

"They're required to provide helicopter service to everybody," he explained. "Besides, it's the junket operators who buy the helicopter tickets for the VIP customers. Stanley's not going to refuse to send their customers."

Despite news reports that said Wynn is building a heliport at his Wynn Macau and Diamond Macau, he said there are no such plans. "It's too noisy for our guests," he said.

Spending almost $3 billion on new resort construction in Las Vegas and Macau keeps Wynn very busy, and he told me that's just the way he likes it.

"This is what I do," Wynn said with feeling. "It's all about the detail. It's all about every wall, every view, every lamp, every view corridor."

Macau plans and operations are going exceptionally well, he said.

Despite the recent opening of Ho's new Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau will continue to increase its market share, he predicted.

"The Grand Lisboa's not affecting us," Wynn said.

Much of his Diamond property is slated to open in July, with a showroom set to open in December. He expects to book Chinese entertainers in the showroom along with a yet-to-be-chosen production show.

Wynn Macau slots continue to do well, with the average device pulling in about $400 per day, well over double the Las Vegas Strip average.

Here at home Wynn said Encore construction is up to the 20th of an eventual 50 floors and on pace to open late in 2008.

Wynn and his design team are just now getting into details on Encore interiors.

At Wynn Las Vegas, customer reaction to preview shows of "Monty Python's Spamalot" have been strong.

"It's been great," Wynn said. "With all that's happened in Las Vegas with musical theater, if anything can succeed, I think 'Spamalot' will succeed."

Wynn and I discussed the column I wrote last week, where I selected the New Frontier, Imperial Palace, Sahara, Circus Circus and Riviera, in that order, as the Strip hotels most deserving of implosion.

Wynn laughed and said we were in total agreement, except that he'd add the Tropicana.

And he jokingly said he'd chip in to pay for a New Frontier implosion if it would hasten the removal of the eyesore across the street from his property.

"And while we're on the subject," he added, "I'd like to see 'the Cloud' disappear as well," referring to the big grey metal structure at the Strip front of Fashion Show mall, another Wynn Las Vegas neighbor. "It's hideous."