Stealing some of the thunder from a recently announced stadium planned for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas area, MGM Resorts International has announced that it will build a 20,000-seat indoor sports and events arena on land it owns behind the Monte Carlo and New York-New York. The facility will be built in a partnership with AEG, which already operates several sports venues nationwide, and will include retail, dining and entertainment offerings. While complete details weren’t announced, the timetable calls for a groundbreaking later this year, with an opening slated for 2015.
» Sign removed: The iconic Sahara hotel sign was removed last week, as work continues on the property’s reincarnation as the new SLS Las Vegas in a $750 million renovation and re-branding for the resort, which is expected to open in 2014.
» Night market: F.A.M.E., a two-story Asian night market and lounge, is the latest concept announced for the Linq retail complex at center-Strip. Night markets in Asia are typically busy areas that sell all types of offbeat street food, and F.A.M.E. will offer fare you would find in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore and Taipei. The lounge will have a sushi bar and give off a "smooth Tokyo- or Seoul-type vibe."
» Coffee shop closed: Studio Cafe, the coffee shop at MGM Grand, has closed. The space is undergoing renovations and will reopen this summer as the 24-hour Avenue Bar & Grill.
Question: Last week you wrote about the new Asian resort planned for the Echelon Place location. Will the steel frame that’s already in place there be torn down or incorporated in the new plan?
Answer: Owners Genting Group say that the unfinished Echelon buildings, including hotel towers, foundations and a parking structure, will be incorporated into Resorts World Las Vegas to expedite construction time.
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