CASINO COMMUNICATIONS
Q &
A
Paul Hobson
President and General Manager , Sahara Las Vegas Hotel Casino
The establishment of the SLS from the former Sahara didn ’ t go according to plan . The L . A . hospitality brand didn ’ t resonate in Las Vegas , so when Alex Moreno , the Southern California businessman and owner of baseball ’ s Los Angeles Angels , purchased the property to go along with his Grand Sierra Resort in Reno , he got a bargain . Even though SLS had renovated the former Sahara , Moreno began a program to once again redevelop the original Sahara brand . He brought in Las Vegas casino veteran Paul Hobson to lead that effort and the results have been dramatic . Hobson explained how it worked in a discussion with GGB Publisher Roger Gros at the Sahara in January . To hear and see a full version of the interview , visit the GGB Podcast at GGBMagazine . com .
GGB : Let ’ s talk about that transition from SLS back to Sahara . It was a nice property when it was SLS , but bringing it back to Sahara was kind of bringing it back to its roots . How did you accomplish that ?
Hobson : I think the most challenging part of doing it was continuing to be open all the way through it . When you ’ re doing complete renovation , you ’ re interrupting the business , and it ’ s very , very challenging operationally . But I think that the results certainly speak for themselves . It was worth it . I think we took something that was very heavy on the nightlife vibe — everything that SLS did was clubs — the whole place sort of felt like a dark nighttime club . Alex really wanted to bring back some warmth and light with some great finishes to create an environment where people want to spend time .
Now that one thing that SLS did — because when the Sahara went out , it definitely wasn ’ t a premium product — SLS was a good pallet cleanser for the period of time that it was installed . And it really laid the foundation to reintroduce Sahara as more of a premium up- scale boutique intimate property . That ’ s what we ’ re striving for , and that ’ s what we ’ ve done in in our design .
What do you believe is the legacy of the Sahara ?
We want to lay claim to some of that authenticity . A lot of times Las Vegas tears down its legendary properties to make way for what ’ s next . What we wanted to do is sort of claim that history as our own and use that foundationally for creating a new Sahara . It gives us a reference point to continue to evolve and build on going forward .
“ Our restaurants are emblematic of how we see the property . We have a lot of best-in-class restaurants .”
What are some of the most key changes in your view ?
I think having a single owner like Alex is very different for today ’ s Las Vegas . It used to be like that all the time — every property had an individual owner , and that individual had their thumbprint on everything that was that was going on . But now it ’ s the exception . Outside of Alex maybe you have Phil Ruffin and maybe Derek Stevens Downtown . But being able to work to fulfill what he sees is the vision for the property and not having corporate interests or a board of directors , you ’ ve got one guy . If you want do something , you go and talk to that guy .
Every property in Las Vegas says locals are important to them , but locals are really abandoning the Strip with these parking fees now . You have no parking fees . So how important are locals to you ?
No fee . You ’ re able to drive right into the park . And I hope you had a good experience leading up to that , because it is really hard to get into the places on the center Strip . Where we sit right off
Sahara it ’ s easy to hop off I-15 and head to Las Vegas Boulevard , and you ’ re in our free parking garage .
I think that the most important part of it is everybody who works here lives here . So as far as the labor market goes , we ’ re deep in the locals market . But as you know , most people will tell you that your strongest locals market is the rooftops around you . And some of our most compelling rooftops are in the high-rise condo towers very close to us , not to mention some of the old neighborhoods close by .
How did you build your employee base ?
Dealers are in short supply these days , so we sort of reverted back to running our own dealer school — advertising for the right kind of person that is really into service , wants to be in this industry , and grow our own dealers that are going to provide the type of guest experience that we see as being so important to us , and our future . And it doesn ’ t stop with dealers . There are jobs here where you could come in with minimal experience . If you were a couple , you could both get jobs in housekeeping , and immediately your household income is $ 100,000 . And you get free health care .
You ’ ve got a really aggressive food-and-beverage strategy . We ’ ve had a chance to enjoy Bazaar Meats and thought it was one of the most fantastic meals ever .
That is a universal sentiment . Our restaurants are emblematic of how we see the property . We have a lot of best-in-class restaurants . Our sports bar , Chickie ’ s & Pete ’ s , is an East Coast brand that you won ’ t find outside of the Philadelphia region . We were their first restaurant in the West . We ’ ve got some of the greatest Asian artisans making dim sum and hand-pulled noodles . Our Balla Italian Soul with chef Shawn McClain is a James Beard winner . And a lot of people don ’ t know this , but he is also Iron Chef winner . So we ’ re really happy with our F & B offerings .
54 Global Gaming Business APRIL 2024