{"id":90013,"date":"2018-10-09T18:58:53","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T01:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=90013"},"modified":"2018-10-09T19:00:33","modified_gmt":"2018-10-10T02:00:33","slug":"sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/","title":{"rendered":"Long-Beleagured SLS Las Vegas Getting $100 Million Renovation from New Owner Alex Meruelo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developer Alex Meruelo is ready to turn the SLS Las Vegas — long the butt of many jokes for everything from its Michelin Man-esque entry statue to its poor performance — into a beautiful swan.<\/p>\n

\"\"
New SLS Las Vegas owner Alex Meruelo is hoping he can mirror the success of his Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada which he purchased in 2011. (Photo: LoyaltyTraveler.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The plan to reinvigorate SLS Las Vegas with $100 million of renovations began this week. Upgrades to the casino floor and the hotel\u2019s 1,600 room are underway, along with a refurbished pool area and refreshed entertainment venues.<\/p>\n

In March, new SLS owner Alex Meruelo announced plans to renovate the Las Vegas Strip property he agreed to purchase in May 2017. The founder of The Meruelo Group\u00a0also owns the Grand Sierra Resort<\/a> in Reno.<\/p>\n

The Task Ahead<\/h2>\n

Shortly after Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) agreed to transfer the SLS gaming license to Meruelo, the new owner informed the Nevada Gaming Commission of his plans to renovate the property.<\/p>\n

\n

He said at the time they would \u201cmake a dramatic impact\u201d on the casino\u2019s appeal. Since reopening in 2014, the venue has had difficulty overcoming challenges, including its location near north Strip construction sites and unoccupied buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After it reopened in 2014, the casino lost a reported $122.7 million<\/a> in the first nine months. The next year, SLS lost nearly $84 million, according to financial reports from former owner Stockbridge Real Estate Group.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meruelo purchased the Grand Sierra in Reno in 2011 and immediately pledged to make improvements. He spent $25 million to upgrade the casino\u2019s floor, lobby, hotel rooms, restaurants, and entertainment venues.<\/p>\n

In speaking with the NGCB earlier this year, the new\u00a0 owner was confident he would be able to duplicate his Reno success in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

I was told there was no way in hell that I would be able to turn the Grand Sierra around. If I can turn around the Grand Sierra Resort, I could do that at SLS,\u201d <\/strong>Meruelo said.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Looking Ahead<\/h2>\n

After it was announced that the casino would undergo a facelift, rumors began to circulate<\/a> that Meruelo might be planning to return the building to its original roots.<\/p>\n

The SLS was formerly the Sahara — an iconic Strip casino that showcased the Rat Pack in its heyday — until it closed in 2011. Paperwork filed for the renovation project identifies the SLS as the \u201cGrand Sahara,\u201d but a spokesperson for Meruelo said that was just a \u201cworking name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aesthetically, one of the most noticeable differences will be the absence of the 32-foot tall \u201cblob\u201d statue in front of the casino, which was the target of ongoing ridicule from the moment it was installed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When renovations are completed, the property will join the refurbished skyline of the northern Strip. The nearby Resorts World Las Vegas<\/a> is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by 2020.<\/p>\n

Also by 2020, the formerly abandoned Fontainebleau is expected to open as the rebranded\u00a0The Drew<\/a>. The casino was purchased earlier in the year for $600 million by developer\u00a0Steve Witkoff and Miami investment group New Valley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Developer Alex Meruelo is ready to turn the SLS Las Vegas — long the butt of many jokes for everything from its Michelin Man-esque entry statue to its poor performance — into a beautiful swan. The plan to reinvigorate SLS Las Vegas with $100 million of renovations began this week. Upgrades to the casino floor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":90014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSLS Las Vegas Getting $100M Renovation from New Owner Alex Meruelo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The $100 million plan to renovate the SLS Las Vegas, located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, began this week under new ownership of Alex Meruelo.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SLS Las Vegas Getting $100M Renovation from New Owner Alex Meruelo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The $100 million plan to renovate the SLS Las Vegas, located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, began this week under new ownership of Alex Meruelo.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-10T01:58:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-10-10T02:00:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/SLS-Las-Vegas-sign.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lucas Thomas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lucas Thomas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/\",\"name\":\"SLS Las Vegas Getting $100M Renovation from New Owner Alex Meruelo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/SLS-Las-Vegas-sign.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-10T01:58:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-10T02:00:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/9cbf3fd9ff73f999c8c3e15fb67789fa\"},\"description\":\"The $100 million plan to renovate the SLS Las Vegas, located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, began this week under new ownership of Alex Meruelo.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sls-las-vegas-getting-100m-renovation-from-new-owner-alex-meruelo\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/SLS-Las-Vegas-sign.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/SLS-Las-Vegas-sign.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":681,\"caption\":\"The plan to pour $100 million into renovations at SLS Las Vegas began this week. 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