Almost 10 years ago, right after Harrah’s Entertainment became the world’s largest gaming company by acquiring Caesars Entertainment and its four Las Vegas Strip casinos, Harrah’s chief Gary Loveman told the Las Vegas Sun that change would be coming to one of those new acquisitions—a resort located at the ideal corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas boulevards, a casino that needed some love.
Loveman said then that Bally’s would likely be renamed because it lacked a compelling brand identity. He said its location was one of the greatest, adding, “there’s probably something better that could be done there.” He said the 2,800-room hotel-casino could be imploded and rebuilt from scratch.
That was the summer of 2005. Now, Loveman just stepped down as CEO of Caesars Entertainment in the wake of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of its largest operating division. Bally’s has seen some change in the past decade, with more coming later this month. But it’s still Bally’s, it’s still standing on the most iconic corner of the Las Vegas Strip and it still lacks a specific identity.
On February 26, the Grand Bazaar Shops will open on the two acres in front of the resort, a retail remedy replacing the familiar neon loops of its Tomorrowland-ish Strip entry. The makeshift outdoor mall managed by Juno Property Group will eventually feature 120 shops of various sizes, including Swatch, Ugg, Hammitt, AG by Anna Gutierrez Wearable Art and a 400-square-foot Swarovski boutique resembling a cut crystal topped off with a 14-foot-diameter crystal and LED starburst installation created by Young Electric Sign Company. At midnight every night, the starburst will blast out a three-minute light and sound show.
Street-side retail and restaurant attractions are all the rage right now, so the Grand Bazaar is expected to add some timely excitement. But we thought the same thing in June when Victor Drai opened Liaison, the first gay nightclub inside a Strip casino. It seemed an odd fit for Bally’s, which generally attracts an older crowd at night looking for more mainstream entertainment options—the long-running vintage fest Jubilee!, female tribute singer Véronic DiCaire and less-elaborate productions like 50 Shades! The Parody and dinner show Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. And Liaison didn’t work; it closed last week.
There are plenty of older Strip resorts that could benefit from an overhaul, but most of them are much more easily identified, if not outright memorable. If Bally’s has been known for anything, it’s for capturing (and refusing to relinquish) the Vegas vibe of the ’80s. That spirit is epitomized in Jubilee!, in the indulgent Sterling Brunch (brought back to life last year at the new BLT Steak restaurant), and in the layout and decor of the casino. Bally’s has only been Bally’s since 1985; how much has really changed?
Despite its supreme placement encircled by icons Caesars Palace and Bellagio, Bally’s is overlooked and under-considered. Las Vegas just doesn’t love it. Maybe this property was destined to be intentionally forgotten after the hotel fire on the morning of November 21, 1980, when 85 people died and hundreds were injured. It was known as the original MGM Grand Hotel then, built by Kirk Kerkorian and opened in 1973 as the largest hotel in the world. Its original version was also a bit odd, adding a movie theater and a jai alai field to more routine amenities.
The remnants of bygone Vegas are everywhere at Bally’s. Go exploring and you’ll find a food court, sports book and swimming pool at the end of a long, half-empty stretch of shops. There are no trendy restaurants or bars, and even when such venues have been recently remade—like BLT Steak and the nearby Indigo Lounge—it has happened with a consistent injection of older Vegas. I was just as awed by the continuing existence of Jubilee! as I was by its throwback glitz when I went to see it right before last year’s revamp from choreographer Frank Gatson Jr., a Beyoncé collaborator. The last refuge for our final showgirls, this production still has one of the all-time terrific marketing taglines: “Hundreds of Thousands of Rhinestones Covering Practically Nothing.” It must go on, altered or otherwise.
The shuttered Liaison space could transform into a different nightlife experience, but how will it compete with the Strip’s heavy hitters? The Grand Bazaar Shops could charm Strip pedestrians, but will it drive traffic into Bally’s? Only smaller steps are in store for this property, when something bigger is required ... a lot like Loveman said 10 years ago.
