The implosion of the defunct Tropicana Hotel, set for 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 9, is the latest of what has become something of a tradition in a town that almost abhors tradition.
As we reported on the 9th September it has now been confirmed that The Clark County Building Department issued the demolition permit on September 23, allowing Controlled Demolition Inc. to oversee the implosion of the two 22-story towers. The project, valued at $1.2 million, is part of broader redevelopment plans for the historic Las Vegas Strip property.
Bally’s Corp. and the Oakland Athletics will host a commemorative event featuring a drone and Grucci fireworks display that morning. Removing the two 22-story towers, which date from 1979 and 1986, will clear the site to build a stadium for the Major League Baseball team.
While the Tropicana is coming down, room rates around the demolition site are going up, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Strip View rooms at Oyo Hotel & Casino on the night of the event start at $549 (a $500 jump from the rate for the same room one week earlier). Rooms at the MGM Grand are going for $1,550, about a $1,000 jump from the days before or after the implosion. And nearby New York-New York and Excalibur are sold out, according to MGM Resorts International’s online reservation system. (The implosion is set to take place during the Global Gaming Expo, better known as G2E, when room rates tend to increase, especially near the convention site.)