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Aleza Freeman/VEGAS.com
The Paradise Tower rooms at Tropicana Las Vegas have been redone and are expected to open this spring.
Monday, Jan. 25, 2010 | 1:50 a.m.
The Tropicana Las Vegas is in the midst of an overhaul and the head-to-toe makeover is starting to take shape.
Vegas.com, a sister company of the Las Vegas Sun, got a sneak peek last week of the property’s changeover to a South Beach-feel.
Before the revamp, the Tropicana had remained virtually unchanged since its last renovation in 1985. A $125 million facelift was announced shortly after the hotel-casino emerged from bankruptcy as a stand-alone company under the leadership of Alex Yemenidjian last July.
Since the announcement, Tropicana has released an updated logo, brought in a new executive team and unveiled phases of the renovation project.
The project included redesigning Tropicana’s casino floor, hotel rooms, convention space, restaurants, pool and adding a nightclub to bring the hotel-casino up to speed.
Tropicana added two new restaurants in September, including Biaco Pasta and Vino, and Havana GO GO, which replaced the hotel’s Java Java coffee shop. Legends Steakhouse and Seafood is undergoing renovations.
The Paradise Tower rooms have been redone and are expected to open this spring.
The Island Tower walkway, which once held a string of kiosks selling novelty items, has been revamped with white marble and is vendor-free.
The next phase of the project will include remodeled rooms in the Island and Garden Towers, a nightclub, a sports book and exterior renovations.
Looks nice ! I miss the waterfall Jacuzzi however...
Rooms are always a start, but what are they going to do on the casino floor where the people go? Are they going to offer value or charge $8 for a beer? Cant wait to see how their operational/marketing approach is going to be.
I've been working @ the Trop since the '70s... Really looking forward to our new renovation. Mr.Y is a knowledgeable hotel exec who will bring us back to the Tiffany of the Strip. Rooms look great, nightclub will be awesome, restaurants need an upgrade & Sports Book is a necessity. When renovation is done, we will be on par with the Palms & Hard Rock.
Trop has always been one of our favorites, but we never ate there even when free. The buffet has always been one of the worst on the Strip. The restaurants are all terrible, except for one exception. The Garden Cafe has always had friendly staff and excellent quality/value for the money. If you go there, eat at the MGM buffet, then plan lunch or dinner at the Cafe. Stay away from all other restaurants as moving from Steak to Italian doesn't make it good. Changing Java Java to Havana did absolutely nothing. Still awful priced food with little decent taste. The staff there all want things to be better and do try. In my opinion, if the restaurants are improved, and the Casino floor is more welcome to visitors, this could be a hot spot once again. The pool has always been exceptional, so if you go, give it a try. There is one major flaw that will distract frequent visitors. The Trop used to allow people to build up cash as comps. When you left, you could cash in your comps for cash and at least go home with some money. That policy changed last year when they switched to the same strategy that other properties use, the comps are not the same. Hello Trop Management, this was one of the best draws! Your comps were better than anyone else's. Without that distinguishing factor anymore, your longtime VIP's are going to continue to leave. I did and I know of others that left for that one reason.
visited on the weekend of 01/15/10, what a dump. only 1 bar was available, about 6 people at bar. this was at 9 at night. no fun no atmosphere, no anything. bathrooms about 1/2 mile from bar. will not go there again.
Mikeyg--
Hopefully, someone from Trop's PR department can address the issues you've pointed out: only one bar, bathroom too far away, no atmosphere, nothing going on, etc.
Otherwise, the credibility of the "so called" facelift project is trashed, just when things were sounding good.
Why in the world advertise improvement and then expose customers to lousy conditons?
The Tropicana rebranding and renovation is still a work in progress, not complete. An older property has many stories to tell, but design spaces that worked and made sense 30-40 years ago require a lot of hard-smart work to meet the current tastes and expectations of 2010 customers. Give Yemenidian, McCartney and Tom time, they will do a fantastic job, including Tom on F and B offerings that are both reasonable and quality in an inviting, interesting environment.
Good luck to the Trop team, top down, from the executive offices down to the pits and the people who keep the property up daily. It takes everyone.
total dump--implode immediately! not fixable, don't even kid yourselves. what a waste of prime real estate!
Settle down! Renovations take some time people. The rooms look great, but I'm sure the large scale remodel of the casino floor and the restaurants will take a bit of time. Patience, my friends. With the right management and oversight the Trop may yet go back to some of its swinging glory of the old days.
Good luck Trop you'll need it.
ONE THING YOU CAN'T OVERLOOK...WITH ALL THE LAYOFFS, WE HAVE THE MOST EXPERIENCED & KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF IN THE CITY!!! NO CASINO-HOTEL HAS A STAFF WITH AN AVERAGE OF 25-30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON THR STRIP. IF YOU WANT EMPLOYEES WHO KNOW HOW TO GIVE SERVICE, NO HOTEL IS IN OUR CLASS!!! WE ARE THE BEST EMPLOYEES IN LAS VEGAS!!! IF WE CAN'T GIVE YOU SERVICE (ESPECIALLY AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE LAST FEW DECADES) NO HOTEL STAFF ON THE STRIP CAN EVEN COME CLOSE!!! THE EMPLOYEES @ THE TROP ARE THE BEST IN TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!
Just hope there is a stampede of bedbugs out the door. Trop and Sahara have been noted for being the worst on the Strip for the nasty little creatures.
TropWorker--
You're solid gold! You've just earned a promotion to CEO of the PR department. A million a year to start, OK?
Will the remodeling job be completed -similar to like Hooters next door ?
The rooms look a lot nicer,but it is hard to compete with a 40 year old building against the big boys.
So your feet won't stick to the carpet anymore?
Try not to type in ALL CAPS TROP!!$!@%@)%(!@#%
It will be interesting to watch Las Vegas revamp, readjust and scale down to meet the demands of the tourism market, or what's left of it.
Just b/c they are the oldest servers does not mean they are the best servers. Sometimes having old people change there ways is harder than just hiring new people who are fresh faced, not jaded and ,of course, cheaper. Old people tend to look... well old and stoggy and when I go out I don't want to see someone who could be my grandma or grandpa serving me...it's sad and it ruins the whole experience.
Sorry I can't totally agree with thekube. It is all about attitude and the staff's willingness to make someone's stay enjoyable. As I have stated before, the Trop was one of my favorites for a while. Most of the staff is friendly, except for a few in the gift shop and at the players club, no personality at all. I have entered in no less than four tournaments there and from top to bottom, the staff has always been attentive and friendly. That is of big importance to me, but maybe not to others. With that said, everyone that used to love the Trop hopes they improve those things that really went downhill; buffet, restaurants, sports book, bar with karaoke (horrible), walk to the back area near Hooters, parking lot security, hours for selected places such as coffee house (Java Java), casino layout and floor, and finally, the rooms. The casino and rooms are on the way, but the rest is a big question mark. I wonder if TropWorker can give us insight to how management sees the problems. Is there a roadmap, plan to improve that you have personally seen? How up to date is the staff when a visitor asks these types of questions?
We went there a couple of years ago and it was a dump. That dancing show that they hold on top of the slot machines was a joke. My friends and I were standing there laughing at them and the old fart for a MC leaned over and threatened to have us beaten up if we didn't stop laughing at him. That place is a joke. The food was nasty, the rooms were dirty, and the casino stunk like puke. I hope this renovation helps or they are done.
Cimex Lectularius linnae
They need indoor pool, bowling,movie theater and inside tennis.I say indoor because some part of the year are to hot or to cold.
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Tropicana. With guests significantly lowered in downtown, and almost 900 rooms being taken off the market. Strat, Sahara, Riviera are all down. And MGM MIRAGE is pulling the center of the strip toward the south. Excalibur is the center of the budget rooms right now, but Tropicana is well positioned for the next few years.
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Why isn't Comedy Stop there anymore...? That was the only reason to go a few years ago... Cheap ticket w/ a free drink and some laughs...
I really hope Mr Y has solid plans... Im sorry to agree but the place is a dump, up there with Hooters, Circus Circus, and most of the downtown properties... sadly... Im hopeful thou~
I agree with your comment, PACO. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Tropicana. Sure, it is old (as are a lot of Strip properties) but we need some of the old properties to help keep some costs down. I think the MIRAGE is somewhat the center of the Strip but that is perfectly okay, as long as the north end is supported with quality hotels (Circus Circus, Riviera, FountainBleau?). Las Vegas cannot implode EVERYTHING! A little remodeling and an effort to keep some places at "low" or "middle" end will be appreciated by many a blue collar Vegas visitor.
Good luck to the Trop! There's no reason it can't become a solid mid-tier property again. With that pool it can become the Flamingo of the South Strip. There are plenty of unhappy Harrah's players who wouldn't mind finding a new place to call home.
I will always remember losing my virginity at the Tropicana in one of those rooms with the mirrors above the bed. Unfortunately I was 24 at the time!
vegasObserver. Thanks, that was a good laugh. My wife was totally uncomfortable with those mirrors. You almost had to force yourself to ignore them.
thekube - Couldn't agree with you more. I don't want grandma & grandpa serving me when I'm trying to have a good time out and about. If I wanted that kind of service, I'd eat at Denny's or IHOP. This is the Strip, it should be full of young, energetic people serving you and providing a vibe that makes you want to gamble and stay out all night long.
What we are experiencing right now is very big split in terms of overall experience in Vegas. You have the older properties with old employees and old building and then you have the newer properties with younger employees and the new, more modern building. As much as I enjoyed the Vegas of the past, it's time to move on and change.
I wish the Trop well. I just wouldn't expect too much out of it. It can only be as good as it's weakest link.
S711
Do they still have the "Million Dollar Slot Pull" in front of the building and the collectors' chips exposition?
Just got back from Vegas last night. Stayed at MGM but gambled mostly at Tropicana. What a change from when I stayed there a year ago. Staff seemed fresh and alive compared to last Jan. Drink service was fast, box office was helpfull & friendly, the dealers were joking and personable and the doormen were always on the ball. Friendly pit boss gave us comps for Dirk Arthur, which is quite a horrible show, but that's just my opinion. Wayne Newton was enjoyable, even though he can`t sing anymore, I had to see him `once before he goes`.
However, if they go after the Hard Rock & Palms crowd they will seriously fail. It`s not their demographic.
Balogna! Trop Worker sounds ridiculous. Both sides of the argument are wrong. It doesn't take 25 to 30 years. Who did you pay off to keep your job? It doesn't take all those years of service to be a good employee! The jobs are not that mentally complicated. Your just defending your age!!! Congratulations for being at Tropicana 25 to 30 years but there are to many of you in the same age category. There needs to be a diversified balance of age and the lay offs are over done. There just hiring more executives and firing more Employees. The Government will have to get involved more with Vegas CEO schematics on its employees and implement more laws and regulation on "revamping" Hotels. It sucks that many people at Trop are collateral damage. The BARTENDERS GOTTA GO! RETIRE!!!!! but The Hotel has gotta realize their view is screwed up to. Miss America cant Tend Bar. She wont get her hands dirty. The whole Micro-Managed situation is unrealistic and will fail. Its over at Trop. Good work gets no respect
I have an offer to stay there at the end of April in the new Paradise Tower.
Is the casino still under construction and only one bar open?
I know that a band Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns is playing there on Monday's and I really want to see them?
Can anyone give me an opinion that has been in there in the past month?
Thanks
I, unfortunately, had a room in the unrenovated "5000" tower this past weekend. As lovely as the photos are of the new Tropicana rooms, the antiquated accommodations I had were almost comical. The bed had the hardest matress I have ever experienced outside of a futon; the in-room safe did not open; although there was shampoo in the bathroom, there was no conditioner & when I asked, was told that the room did not 'get' conditioner; the television was circa the early 1980's with bad reception and few channels; there was a huge empty space where a sofa/coffee table or some other furniture should have been - - but was not; and the water in the bathroom sink had a strange odor to it. I did enjoy the skylit glass above the gaming tables but otherwise, the Hotel I was staying at couldn't compete with most of its neighbors on the strip.