Station Casinos, owner of more than a dozen locals-driven casino properties in the Las Vegas area, has announced changes to its nightlife department that its representatives say have nothing to do with the company’s recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and the re-structuring of nearly $7 billion in debt the company currently holds.
First at Red Rock Resort & Casino, the Rande Gerber-designed and formerly operated Cherry Nightclub is now officially closed. The indoor/outdoor space opened with the property in 2006 but was never able to make a major splash on the nightclub scene, causing the relationship between Gerber’s Midnight Oil Company and Station Casinos to become tenuous almost immediately. After Gerber and Stations agreed to part ways less than a year after the project’s opening, a local nightlife team had limited success drawing a local industry crowd with one-off events and specific promotions built around the hotel property, but they weren’t able to lure nightlife visitors away from The Strip or have the financial success other Las Vegas nightclubs saw during that period. Station’s PR representative, Lori Nelson, told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper that, “Cherry simply reached the end of its life cycle.” And while it is probably true that reviving Cherry would have been impossible at this point, we would argue that its life cycle was probably over while still in the club’s infancy. Nelson continued, “We are exploring new concepts for that space that will complement our other entertainment offerings that locals enjoy,”
At Santa Fe Station, another of the company’s off-strip properties, Stoney’s North Forty has been closed since November, but Nelson confirmed that the space will soon hold a new concept named Revolver Saloon and Dancehall, which would seemingly continue the country theme that Stoney’s had brought to the property. Stoney’s, named after owner Stoney Grey, says they are negotiating for another location and expect to re-open sooner rather than later.
Grey is Vegas’ reigning country nightlife king after serving as the general manager for the now-defunct country spot Gilley’s at The Frontier before opening Stoney’s successful southern-Strip location. And since we’re on the topic of Vegas country-themed hotspots, look for Gilley’s to re-open with an all-new Strip-front location at Treasure Island toward the flusher half of 2010. This comes after tycoon Phil Ruffin picked up the TI from MGM Mirage last year with the goal of making the property price-approachable and themed toward the masses. Most of the third-party managed outlets on the property have been vacated or moved and new tenants are in the construction process.