Tropicana Las Vegas emerges from bankruptcy

Hotel-casino to undergo renovations starting later this year

Thursday, July 2, 2009 | 3:52 p.m.

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Tropicana Las Vegas has come out on the other side of its bankruptcy woes with a new leader and the bulk of its financial burden gone.

The Toronto-based Onex Corporation and former MGM Mirage President Alex Yemenidjian acquired a majority stake in the Las Vegas property when it emerged from bankruptcy Wednesday.

The new owners took over the property right after midnight this morning from the Tropicana’s former parent company, the Las Vegas-based Tropicana Entertainment LLC, and have promised to return the Tropicana to its “glory.”

The once debt-ridden Tropicana emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with no debt, more than $10 million in cash and $75 million in commitments from its new owners and other equity holders to give the property some long-awaited upgrades.

Renovations are expected to begin at the Tropicana later this year, the company said, including a revamped casino floor, hotel rooms, pool and spa facilities, new dining options and even a nightclub. Tropicana’s facelift is expected to be complete in 2010.

Today’s change-over marks the end of the year-long period Tropicana Las Vegas spent in bankruptcy limbo.

Tropicana Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2008 after it defaulted on nearly $2.7 billion in bonds. The company lost its biggest asset when the New Jersey Casino Control Commission voted in December 2007 not to renew the Tropicana’s casino license. Tropicana Entertainment said without the New Jersey property, it couldn’t afford to pay its debt.

Yemenidjian’s named appeared on the table in March when creditors of Tropicana Entertainment wanted the Las Vegas hotel-casino split from the company. The reorganization plan stated that a new company controlled by lenders would run the Tropicana with Yemenidjian as the hotel-casino’s new CEO.

The former MGM Mirage president received approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission to run the Tropicana last month.

Yemenidjian said at the June gaming commission hearing that he knows he faces a challenge, but that there is “nothing more rewarding than while people say something can’t be done to be interrupted by people who are doing it.”

Sun reporter Rick Velotta contributed to this report.

Discussion: 6 comments so far…

By vcaruso

7/2/09 at 5:28 p.m.

Suggest removal

Hallelujah!

Finally the sharpest operator that las vegas has seen in the last fifteen years can show how its done! And without condominiums and timeshares.
By Gregory

7/3/09 at 12:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

Good luck Alex.
By teambeam

7/3/09 at 9:38 a.m.

Suggest removal

Good Luck!!!.......the sham this guy in Northern Kentucky (Columbia Sussex) tried to pull was criminal
By LVBear

7/3/09 at 2:19 p.m.

Suggest removal

I hope this dump can be saved and rehabilitated, but I have doubts. Years of mismanagement have driven away most of the patrons, particularly the ones playing more than chump change. A good starting point would be to replace the entire staff and management of the table games department. The long-standing hostility and bad attitudes there will stifle any attempt to regain patrons, without a thorough housecleaning of the deadwood.

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By stevem

7/3/09 at 8:50 p.m.

Suggest removal

first thing they have to do is get rid of all the sun-faded signs on the outside of the building. there's a sign for some magic show that looks like it's been up since 1983.

these smaller resorts are going to have to do micro-niche marketing in order to stay competitive.
By American_Gaming_Guru

7/6/09 at 12:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

I hope it comes back. Good luck!