The marquee of the popular Palms Casino Resort near the Las Vegas Strip went down on Tuesday after a 17-year run. The sign went under deconstruction to be replaced with a fully digital one as part of the ongoing $485-million renovation of the iconic property.
The sign went up back in 2001 when the hotel and casino resort was first launched. In 2016, the Palms was purchased by casino operator Station Casinos. Last year, the company announced that it has undertaken property-wide renovation that would see the addition of new hotel rooms and of new food and beverage facilities as well as the expansion of existing ones.
On Tuesday morning, a 120-foot crane disassembled the sign that has promoted the largest events to have taken place at the property over the years. The letter “M” went down first in honor of the Palms’ original owner, George Maloof Jr., local news outlets reported. A fully digital sign will replace the old marquee. It is expected to go up later this year.
Jon Gray, General Manager at Palms, who started his career at the resort back in 2005 at the front desk, told local news channel News3 Las Vegas that they want to bring the energy of Palms back. Mr. Gray further pointed out that the boutique-style property has always been known for its ability to provide guests with fun and that they now intend to take that to a “much more elevated level”.
Ongoing Expansion
Renovation work at the property began in 2017 and it is believed that it will be completed toward the end of 2018 or early in 2019. Station Casinos announced last year that the process would include the renovation and redesign of 282 rooms at Palms’ Fantasy Tower, the addition of 60 new hotel rooms at the tower, the opening of a 29,000-square-foot nightclub that would be managed by the Tao Group, and the development of a 73,000-square-foot pool club that would, too, be developed together with the Tao Group and would be capable of fitting up to 5,000 guests.
New food and beverage options as well as renovation of 15,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and of the 2,600-seat Pearl Theater were also included in the renovation plan.
Renovation at some of the above has already been completed, while work at others is still going on. Officials for Station Casinos have previously pointed out that the Palms is an iconic resort that has always been considered a place to see and be seen. The renovation at the property is intended to not only restore its memorable status but to also bring it to a higher level through a combination of both classic Vegas and whole new experience.
