Tropicana closing April 2, 2024

We enjoyed a couple of stays there around 10 years ago but it never caught on as a place in our regular rotation.

One of our daughters had her 21st birthday celebration and we had a pool cabana (one kind of under the building). It was a neat experience.

Later trips included short gambling visits but we just never seemed to really do well there.

Old things go; new things come about. Sometimes, they don't and you have a big empty space for a while. We will see where this goes now...

 

I stayed at Tropicana back in the day, 90’s. Even saw the Follies show.

 

One fond memory there: on my first trip in 2019, this was the place where I played my first table game in Vegas. I played $5 BJ in the pit under the stained glass which was, to me, stunning to look at.

I left the table up $70 after 90 minutes. A few Coronas along the way.

One other short visit in 2021 but didn’t play. Felt like a ghost town at that time…

Sad to see it go but always looking forward to new, shiny things!

 

I stayed at the Trop a few times in the late 80's/early 90's. It was decent back then but what I remember is the tv remotes were bolted on a swivel to the nightstand. That was
the start of "ghettoness"

 

Don't forget Horseshoe that was Bally's that was MGM Grand opened in 1973.

I don't have any fond memories of Tropicana but I'll pay my last respects in March. I'd like to see a Vegas implosion someday and this might be my last chance for a while if it's later this year.

 

Articles i've read say that the A's still have to come up with a billion of their own funding in addition to the taxpayer funded amout. I guess if they cant come upwith the money Bally's will just build a new casino there. They sound determined to demolish either way.

 

My first adult stay in Vegas was the Trop in 1981. Just turned 21. $29.95 for two nights (got back a roll of quarters $10 at check in and free tixs to Follies). The buffet was in a showroom. Came back a winner. Hit 777 on a dime slot machine (jackpot $60).

 

Even though I'm sure it's owned by someone completely different it's still managed by Hilton under the Doubletree name so I'd assume (possibly very incorrectly) that it would be easier to walk you to another Hilton property. RW would be a hell of an upgrade and they could always send people to a Homewood Suites or something I suppose.

 

I know there are only 2 cocktail waitresses there and they "cover" 3 shifts/day.

 

Ballys isn't exactly rolling in the dough; their lack of announcement of other plans speaks volumes. It's more an admission that the place is toast than anything else. What are the odds Trop was significantly cash flow negative ever since the COVID reopening? 99%? Per John Mehaffey, they were down to eight table games and one shift a day at one video poker bar. One restaurant only open for all seven days a week.

Using cash from selling some of the lower value land in back to pay for a demolition makes sense. I wouldn't be surprised if this sat empty in front for years unless another operator buys the land. Higher rates, RW and FB are soft (and Park MGM not exactly killing it), no remaining historical player base of value. It's not an obvious home run.

 

Bally's doesn't own the land though. Gaming and Leisure Properties (REIT) owns it.

 

good point, thanks. Says a lot about how bad the casino must be doing!

 

Looks like FlightSimExpo (6/21-6/23) needs a new home

 

I've never really frequented the Trop although I did stay there for a couple of nights in 2008 because I was on a tight budget and it was cheap. It was pretty bad even then. However, when husband and I were in Vegas last November, we stopped in for a little gaming since we suspected it might be our last chance to do so. It was an absolute ghost town. Only one roulette table open and we were the only two players at it, almost nobody at the slots, half the toilets and sinks were out of order. We didn't stay long. I hate to see another Vegas icon go, but I think it has been at the end for a long time now.

 

We stayed a few times after the remodel around 2011 to 2014. There were some really great things about the “new” Trop, solid restaurants with Biscayne Steakhouse, Bacio the Italian restaurant and the South Beach restaurant was fabulous and was 24/7 initially. The pool was fabulous.

My host put us in a poolside suite for my husband’s 50th with a huge terrace, private hot tub and yard area. He arranged for the restaurant to set up BBQs in our yard and a mini “buffet” on our terrace staffed by Trop South Beach staff for our guests for hubby’s birthday lunch. All our guests were given a $39/night rate, no resort fee (no gambling history). Host went above and beyond and it was a fun celebration.

It was a shame that with the initial positives at the “new” Trop, they just didn’t seem to find their legs and the formula to get a new clientele in and quickly the positives were chipped away.

Kind of sad I won’t get the chance to say goodbye. I do hope that stain glass ceiling is preserved.

 

Yeah, I’m sure they will find a different location but it’s tough when it’s less than 6 months out and contracts have already been signed, etc

 

Sad that people will be losing their jobs but it might be the last implosion for a long time. I’m gonna try to get a room at Excalibur facing it for that day.

 

As the poet said, "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" While sort of sad, let's get the thing blown down and a baseball stadium built. I'm really looking forward to watching Major League Baseball in Vegas.

 

Was there a reason that Tropicana didn't get acquired by either MGM or Caesars during the turn of the century consolidation when they were hoovering up all the other mid-Strip properties?

 

I've been to casino openings (Strat and Resorts World) but not to a closing. Does anything happen that last week?