Intersection

Examining the (possible) loss of Alon through the five stages of grief

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A rendering of Alon resort, a nearly 35-acre 1,100-room resort in development on the Strip across from the Wynn, is shown.
Courtesy Photo

1. Denial. Crown Resorts might have given up on the 1,100-room luxury boutique resort planned for the 35-acre former site of the New Frontier—yet another failed attempt for the Australian company to make a dent in Las Vegas—but that doesn’t mean Alon is over. “The founders and developers of Alon Las Vegas will continue to explore all of its options to advance the project and optimize the value for its stakeholders,” read a statement released last Thursday, and project leader Andrew Pascal told the Las Vegas Sun the following day that his team would move forward and hunt for new financing. “The group that’s part of Alon are mature and experienced and have been around this a long time,” Pascal said. “Everyone here is in our professional prime. Nobody wants to be attached to a project that’s not (going forward).”

2. Anger. Unlike neighboring development Resorts World—set to kick construction into gear in early 2017 after also seeing significant delays—Alon hasn’t released many design details. But judging from the experience and talent assembled on the executive team and the buzz from insiders, Alon sounds like the stylish second coming of the Cosmopolitan, with some added extravagance to compete with Wynn across the street. And that’s exciting. So yes, never getting to see that would be infuriating.

3. Bargaining. Is there any way these guys could just take over the nearby Fontainebleau?

4. Depression. Increasingly disenchanted blog VegasTripping, which appears to have gained more access to Alon’s plans than any other media outlet, asserts that “Alon has the potential to save Las Vegas from itself,” and considering that most of the current Vegas web chatter has focused on the death of free parking and comped drinks and whether a stadium for an NFL team is worth another bump in the hotel-room tax, it’s hard to argue. Nothing renews interest in this city like a super-sexy new resort. We haven’t had one in six years, and it’s hard to foresee the next one.

5. Acceptance. We’ll accept Alon isn’t gonna happen when Pascal does. “It’s more a matter of saying to ourselves, ‘What are the active opportunities we’re pursuing’ and qualifying them to see if they feel real,” he said. “To the extent they don’t, then we’ll make the hard decisions.”

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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