Las Vegas New Frontier May Become Montreux

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – As reported by the Las Vegas Sun: "The Kansas real estate tycoon who bought the New Frontier eight years ago has long had designs on creating a Strip resort rivaling
Image courtesy of Vegas Today and Tommorow  the best in town.

"By the end of this year, Phil Ruffin hopes to start making good on that intention, by replacing his aging casino with a $2 billion hotel named after Montreux, the Swiss resort town alongside Lake Geneva.

"Ruffin, who made millions in dollies, gas stations and modestly priced hotels, has never built a resort. Nor has Paul Steelman, Ruffin's appointed visionary and a veteran casino architect, ever designed a Strip resort from the bottom up.

"Even without equity investors or corporate partners, Ruffin, who bought the property for about $200 million in 1998, said he is up for the challenge.

"…Word of Ruffin's 2,750-room resort a few months ago conjured up images of Alpine cottages and quaint stores peddling Swiss watches, cheese and chocolates.

"But that's hardly the case, based on a Paul Steelman Design Group digital tour featuring more than two hours of three-dimensional video images of the resort's final design. Montreux's interior - a mix of glass artwork, waterfalls and reflective surfaces - resembles the hip, boutique hotels of New York and Los Angeles, or the latest of Las Vegas' posh ultralounges.

"…But instead of mountain scenery and yodelers, the Montreux will feature a lobby with a massive chandelier dipping into a giant vase of water.

"…Reflecting the Strip's diminishing dependence on gambling, less than 2 percent of the property - about 100,000 square feet of the resort's 6 million square feet - will feature casino games. More than a half-million square feet of retail space will put the property in a league with the biggest malls in town.

"…Montreux could start construction before the New Frontier comes down before the end of the year, he said. The timing depends on several variables, including obtaining demolition and construction permits. . ."