LAS VEGAS
The owner of The D Las Vegas—who hails from Michigan— is spending $20 million to make the hotel worthy of Detroit and has signed a deal to install the first American Coney Island outside Michigan.
Derek Stevens purchased the faded Fitzgeralds casino-hotel in downtown Las Vegas last September. He bought the 638-room property from the estate of the late cable mogul Don Barden. Barden, also a Detroiter, had owned it since 2002 and even had a penthouse there.
Since April, new carpets, furniture, lighting and paint have upgraded the two-level casino. Deep cleaning of the entire building cleared away decades of grime. Rooms on floors 16-34 have been totally renovated, with work on the lower floors progressing in a way that allows renovation to continue while the property stays open.
Downtown Las Vegas has long been known for its historic Fremont Street casinos, homey atmosphere and its many locals. Now, Fremont Street is moving up in the world. Zip lines soar above pedestrians. The Mob Museum just opened a couple of blocks away, as did a new City Hall. Free concerts, light shows and new nightclubs liven up the atmosphere, and its 13 casinos are easily walkable.
Courtesy of The Detroit Free Press
