\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i40.tinypic.com\/1673vjt.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\tBy CHRIS SIEROTY
\n\tLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL<\/p>\n
\tSeth Schorr\u2019s vision for the Downtown Grand Las Vegas was always different from the typical resort. The hotel-casino, which blends into the urban core of downtown more than other properties, opened on Sunday as the first guests checked in, restaurants opened, and the race and sports book took its first bet.<\/p>\n
\tBut Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO and Chairman Steve Wynn was the main attraction.<\/p>\n
\tWynn, who worked with Schorr\u2019s father, Marc, for years starting at the Golden Nugget gave him the honorary job as vice president of kids marketing at the hotel when he was 9-years-old, christened the casino with a $200 bet on the craps table.<\/p>\n
\tWynn and Schorr\u2019s father each received $5,000 in chips to open the casino. Like most visitors to a casino, the two longtime friends gambled away $10,000 in about 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThere is so much going on here,\u201d Wynn said. \u201cIt\u2019s really interesting. We are getting back to our roots when Fremont Street was available to (guests) of any income level.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWynn said the Downtown Grand reminded him of a quote political columnist George Will said on a former episode of Assignment America on PBS that was filmed in downtown Las Vegas. \u201cHere in Las Vegas in the eyes of Lady Luck everyone is equal,\u201d Wynn said. \u201cThis is what Fremont Street is all about. Seth and his team have brought it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe price of the renovation, redesign and transformation of the Lady Luck into the Downtown Grand alone was about $100 million. The Downtown Grand at 3rd Street and Ogden Avenue will hire 800 employees.<\/p>\n
\tThe Downtown Grand features 634 rooms, about 600 slot machines and 30 table games.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThis has been three years in the making,\u201d said Schorr, CEO of Downtown Grand. \u201cWe\u2019ve created nearly 800 jobs. That\u2019s a dramatic impact on the Las Vegas economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tSchorr described the Downtown Grand as an \u201curban hospitality experience.\u201d As for opening on the same weekend as the Life is Beautiful festival, Schorr called it \u201cgreat timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tSchorr said the Downtown Grand will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 12.<\/p>\n
\tSituated on the corner of Stewart and Ogden avenues, Downtown Grand is the anchor of Downtown3rd, an entertainment district that is home to restaurants and bars, including Triple George Grill.<\/p>\n
\tDowntown Grand includes an 18-story Casino Tower and a 25-story Grand Tower. The exterior of the hotel casino blends multiple storefronts with brick and granite facades and includes a variety of indoor and outdoor experience, including a William Hill sports betting window.<\/p>\n
\tSchorr said the design of the casino was to get away from the typical design found on the Strip. Those designs encourage guests to never leave the building by providing every amenity.<\/p>\n
\tDowntown Grand was built to encourage guests to leave the building and walk around downtown Las Vegas. That means there are a number of doors to go in and out of the casino.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe took a different approach,\u201d Schorr said. \u201cGuests don\u2019t have to walk through the casino to get to a restaurant. There are indoor and outdoor spaces. There is even outdoor gaming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tOn Sunday, Schorr welcomed Alan Oshiro of Torrance, Calif., as the first guest at the Downtown Grand. Oshiro stayed at the former Lady Luck many years ago and as the resort\u2019s first quest received tickets to Life is Beautiful and a $100 chip.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThis is the first we stayed on Fremont Street. We probably wouldn\u2019t have it this wasn\u2019t here,\u201d said Dawn Odenbach, who checked in Sunday with her husband, Randy.<\/p>\n
\tSchorr, who partnered with Jeffrey Fine to create Fifth Street Gaming, oversaw every detail of the property\u2019s redevelopment and his firm will now manage the casino-resort for developer CIM Group.<\/p>\n
\tThe 743-room Lady Luck closed in February 2006 and sat vacant until CIM Group acquired the property in 2007. The New York-based developer is also planning to build a 100,000-square-foot retail complex and convention space adjacent to the Mob Museum.<\/p>\n
\tCIM Group\u2019s investment in the Downtown Grand and surrounding Dwontown3rd neighborhood will top $200 million when completed.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019m thrilled with the results,\u201d said Justin Gardinier, vice president, investments with CIM Group in New York. \u201cIt took three years of hard work, but we\u2019ve built a beautiful and exciting product.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tGardinier, who declined to discuss the property\u2019s financial expectations, said the firm was \u201cCIM Group focuses on investing capital to help revitalize urban centers.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThat is the poster child for our overall investment philosophy,\u201d Gardinier said. \u201cWe define Las Vegas as a market that we see opportunity in, We are constantly looking around for investment opportunities in and around Las Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tContact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty@reviewjournal.com<\/a> or 702-477-3893. Follow @sierotyfeatures on Twitter.<\/p>\n