Hooters Casino Hotel
Giving Vegas Something to Howl About

By Tony Illia

Look for even more women in skimpy outfits on the Vegas Strip now that the Hotel San Remo is being refurbished as the first Hooters Casino Hotel.

 

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The San Remo signed a management agreement with the Hooters restaurant chain in late 2004 to make changes in the 10.2-acre property at 115 E. Tropicana Ave., across from the MGM Grand. The $130 million project entails a complete makeover with new finishes, restaurants and rooms.

"It's basically a Hooters on steroids," said Richard Langlois, the property's executive vice president. "The Hooters restaurant we're adding to the property would be the second-largest Hooters in the company. But when you look at the overall scope of the project, it is absolutely the largest Hooters around." The 10-month fast-track project calls for 110,000 sq. ft. worth of renovation and 16,300 sq. ft. of new construction.

Penta Building Group is the general contractor under a guaranteed-maximum-price contract.

The property currently consists of two hotel towers - one 10 stories and the other 18 - connected by a single-level building and a seven-level parking garage. The 130-ft. and 202-ft.-tall concrete hotel buildings combine for 711 rooms, each averaging 450 sq. ft. in size.

"The hotel-casino has remained fully operational as work takes place," said Randy Corwin, Penta's project superintendent. "It has meant some strategic phasing, night work and multiple temporary certificates of occupancy in order to stay open during construction."

Penta is self-performing the concrete, carpentry and light-demolition work, while Aderholt Specialty Co. of Las Vegas, Nev. is doing the framing, drywall, taping and stucco.

Portions of the property, which has operated under several names throughout its existence, date back to the late 70s, which means that the current project entails plumbing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing upgrades as well as remediation.

Quality Mechanical Contractors is the mechanical contractor, and G&G Systems is the electrical contractor, both of Las Vegas, Nev.

The buildings are being "Hooterized" with the company's trademark cedar wall siding and trim, hard pinewood flooring and orange lighting. The rooms will have a Florida casual look with new TVs and balconies. The exterior has been repainted gray with palm tree silhouettes.

Maverick Design of Clearwater, Fla. is the concept architect with C & B Nevada Inc. serving as architect-of-record.

The gaming area is being expanded to 30,000 sq. ft. with 622 slot machines and 32 table games, while the outdoor pool deck will nearly triple in size. It will now consist of two pools, including a swim-up bar, plus two Jacuzzis and three gas fire pits.

The tropically themed pool area will additionally have a two-story, 39-unit private cabana complex with waterfalls and palm trees. There will also be a 3,871-sq.-ft. health club and 4,500 sq. ft. of new meeting rooms.

Four new restaurants are also being added to the property, giving it eight dining options that include an 8,434-sq.-ft. upscale steakhouse by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.

The casino's Hooters Restaurant will be connected to Porch Dogs, a Caribbean themed casual indoor-outdoor club with a full-service bar and live entertainment. The Bait Shoppe will feature a sushi bar, and the retro lounge "13" Martini Bar will be added, along with Pete & Shorty's Sports Book and Bar.

The restaurant waitresses, referred to as "Hooter" girls, wear scantily clad uniforms consisting of a white tank top and high-cut orange shorts.

The Hooters franchise now operates in 375 restaurants in 46 states and 14 countries.

The first restaurant opened in 1983 in Clearwater, Fla., and the concept has undergone little change. >>

The San Remo's 600 employees will be kept, and an additional 400 workers, including 250 Hooter girls, will be hired.

Atlanta-based Hooters of America will have a management stake in the hotel-casino, which will be run by 155 East Tropicana LLC, a joint venture that includes the hotel's current Japanese investors, Hooters Management Corp., and the owners of the two existing Hooters franchises in the Las Vegas area.

"We think we have a winner in bringing the notoriety and wackiness of our brand together with this great location and the experienced and dedicated folks of the San Remo," said Neil Kiefer, Hooters president.

There will be 170 skilled trades and 30 subcontractors and suppliers at the height of construction activity. The Hooters Casino Hotel was scheduled to open this month.

Key Players

The Hooters Casino Hotel

Owner: Hooters of America
General Contractor: Penta Building Corp
Architects: C & B Nevada, Inc.; Maverick Design
Electrical Contractor: G & G Systems
Mechanical Contractor: Quality Mechanical Contractors
Concrete Contractor: Penta Building Corp.
Drywall/Framing Contractor: Aderholt Specialty Co.

 
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