DEALMAKERS
CUTTING THE BIGGEST DEALS FOR THE HOTTEST SPOTS.
Jon Gray
If you ask Palms alum Jon Gray what his current position as vice president and general manager of The Linq entails, even the short answer would take several minutes. Caesars Entertainment’s monster project in the old O’Sheas space will not only include a 550-foot High Roller observation wheel (partly designed by one of the companies behind the London Eye), but a retail, dining, and entertainment complex developed by the creators of The Grove in LA, Caruso Affiliated. Part of Gray’s job? Signing the right mix of tenants for the 35 or so available spaces in time for a late 2013 opening. “It is going to change the whole skyline,” he says. “People have already been calling to get married here, which is really cool.”
Cashmere jacket ($3,695), trousers ($495), shirt ($345), and tie ($195), Ermenegildo Zegna. Crystals, CityCenter, 702-560-5837. Watch, TW Steel ($595). Nordstrom, Fashion Show, 702-862-2525.
Jonathan Segal
Leading the One Group’s continuing Vegas invasion is its founder and CEO, Jonathan Segal, who took the traditional, male-focused steakhouse to the next level by introducing the female-friendly environment of its white-hot STK. Next, they attack the sports bar with Heraea at the Palms, which will offer gourmet food and LED screens showing games from around the world. Once the last game is over, the venue will transform into a music destination with guest DJs. Additionally, Bagatelle—with its Bagatelle Beach and correlating brunch experience currently unrolling at Tropicana—taps into the burgeoning supper club scene. Look for Xishi, One’s next big project at Palms, by January. “The Palms and Tropicana are hotels that are going through a reinvention themselves,” he says. “To be a part of a phoenix rising is great.”
Suit ($3,295), shirt ($595), and striped tie ($195), Giorgio Armani. Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300.
Bronson Olimpieri
As vice president and co-general manager of 9Group Las Vegas, Bronson Olimpieri often does double shifts “to make sure everything that we execute during the day is happening at night.” In addition to overseeing the entire company and focusing on the creative and brand management aspects, he’s busy securing deals for the Palms’ renaissance. “The new owners and new president, Joe [Magliarditi], are letting me help shape the future of the property,” he says, noting that its original venues such as N9NE Steakhouse and Ghostbar will be some of the first to be revamped. The young exec has paid his dues; Olimpieri will celebrate eight years with 9Group in January, right around the time he’ll unveil his nightclub plans for the old Playboy Club space.
Micro-design wool suit, Gucci ($2,750). Crystals, CityCenter, 702-730-1946.
TRAILBLAZERS
FEMALE STARS OF MALE-DOMINATED FIELDS.
Renee West
Just call Renee West “Mrs. President.” In 2005, the president and COO of Luxor Las Vegas and Excalibur Hotel Casino Las Vegas became the very first female president of a major Strip resort. While many other women executives on the Strip say they look up to her for paving the way in the ruthless male-dominated hospitality field, she says she was never aiming to break the glass ceiling. “I never sat back and said, ‘How am I going to maneuver this?’” she says. “But after I got the job, I did feel a certain pressure to create the right impression of how women lead.” This fall she is focusing on Public House, Luxor’s new gastropub, and Jabbawockeez’ upcoming spring debut. Sienna dress, Elie Tahari ($398). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-732-2454. 18k-gold classic 38mm quartz watch with diamonds, David Yurman ($35,000). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545. Earrings, Kenneth Jay Lane ($75). Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300.
Mary Giuliano
Mary Giuliano, general manager of CityCenter’s Vdara Hotel & Spa, was practically born to be a hotel executive on the Strip. “Being female never stopped me from wanting to move up on the hotel path,” she says. “Growing up in Las Vegas with both parents working in the casino industry, I never thought that it was one-sided.” Vdara is a nongaming boutique hotel with no nightclub or music venue, so Giuliano focuses on promoting amenities such as its spa, which was recognized as the first Las Vegas spa in the Green Spa Network. “It is a very intimate setting,” she says, “a holistic experience.” Blazer ($259) and skirt ($345), Hugo. Hugo Boss, The Venetian, 702-836-0940. Diamond and gold Huggie earrings ($20,900) and Moonlight ring ($15,700), Kwiat. The Palazzo, 702-650-2680. Watch, TW Steel ($725). Nordstrom, Fashion Show, 702-862-2525. Begonia pin, Alexis Bittar ($495).
Debra Nutton
Don’t let the 5-foot 2-inch frame of petite Debra Nutton fool you—she’s a shark when it comes to Vegas’s ruthless gaming industry. This tiny powerhouse started in 1979 as a craps dealer— one of the first women to do so—before becoming one of the first female pit boss managers at The Mirage Hotel & Casino. “All the dealers hated me and called me names,” she says. “It never stopped me.” Now senior VP of casino operations and casino marketing at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Nutton oversees all of its gaming, from table games to the sportsbook. Rendezvous dress, Diane von Furstenberg ($398). The Shoppes at The Palazzo, 702-818-2294. Fidelity hoop earrings ($11,100), bracelets ($15,900), and lotus ring ($19,500), Kwiat. The Palazzo, 702-650-2680.
Susan Wolfla
Culinary veteran Susan Wolfla put in five years at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino before receiving her prominent title. “I knew that I would be the first executive chef on the Strip, but I didn’t really think of myself in that way or know how important it would be to other people,” says Wolfla, who now oversees a workforce that is 70 percent male. Wolfla has since created a healthy employee dining room initiative, Jim’s Plate. Next year will be huge: “We are reconcepting THEhotel with Morgans Hotel Group to be the Delano Las Vegas,” she says. “And then doing three restaurants with them.” Python-print dress, Roberto Cavalli ($1,295). Crystals, CityCenter, 702-736-7300. 18k-gold classic 38mm quartz watch, David Yurman ($32,000). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545. Pyramid earrings, Alexis Bittar ($295). alexisbittar.com
HEADLINERS
OUR FAVORITE SONG-AND-DANCE STARS OF THE STAGE.
Frankie Moreno
Frankie Moreno is singing and laughing his way to Strip stardom. After a rapid rise from little-known singersongwriter to Vegas household name, the fun-loving Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower headliner recently re-signed through 2015. On stage, Moreno performs with an Elvis-meets-Rat Pack swagger, a 10-piece band that includes two of his brothers, and plenty of banter. It doesn’t hurt that the show feels like a party, one that never ends until an entire bottle of Crown Royal has been finished. (Moreno leads the pack, but don’t worry, he shares.) “We take you through some deep songs and then some really fun ones,” he says. “And the band goes through the crowd like it’s Mardi Gras.” Velvet dinner jacket ($4,700), tuxedo trouser ($1,250), and tuxedo shirt ($750), Brioni. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3440. Belt, Ermenegildo Zegna ($325). Crystals, CityCenter, 702-560-5837.
Jeff Timmons
As a member of boy band 98 Degrees, Jeff Timmons exploded to superstardom in the mid-’90s. After the group went on hiatus in 2002, the loyal dad never guessed that the resurrection of his career would happen in Sin City. But during a guest stint in Chippendales in summer 2011, he fell in love with Vegas, moved his family here, and put together Wired, his Friday and Saturday night show at Green Valley Ranch that ran through August. “It would be so cool to start the trend of mainstream pop artists doing residencies here,” he says, “rather than just ending their careers.” Timmons is fine-tuning a brand-new show, amid talks of a 98 Degrees reunion, and putting together a Magic Mike–inspired male revue in the wake of his Chippendales success. Three-piece windowpane suit ($8,000), striped shirt ($500), and silk tie ($200), Brioni. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3440.
Michael Grimm
America’s Got Talent season five winner Michael Grimm was raised in Mississippi before he moved to Vegas at 21 to play guitar in Legends in Concert. He began touring across the country and performed regularly at Green Valley Ranch, until eventually he landed in front of the judges of America’s Got Talent. Now he headlines at Green Valley every Saturday night, and later this year, he’ll release Southern Fairytales, a disc of all-original material that ranges from Americana to rock ’n’ roll and blues influences. “Vegas,” he says, “is a crossroads for the world.” Hampton jacket ($1,495), pants ($498), shirt ($268), and scarf ($228), John Varvatos. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-939-0922. Maritime North Starring, David Yurman ($450). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-794-4545. Hat, Grimm’s own
GROUNDBREAKERS
ENTERTAINMENT ’S MOST OUT-OF -THE-BOX THINKERS.
Monty Lapica
Las Vegas native Monty Lapica got his big break when he wrote, directed, coproduced, and starred in his 2007 indie film based on true events, Self Medicated. This year, his two-year-old production company and creative agency, Thought Division (the only one of its kind in Vegas), is producing commercials for Nike and Heineken, plus doing a citywide Ultimate Sports Fan casting call with ESPN SportsCenter. “I segued into advertising with a partner of mine, Tim Kendall,” he says. “The level of creativity involved in commercial production can rival filmmaking.” Suit ($2,700), shirt ($545), scarf ($630), and Epi leather belt ($505), Louis Vuitton. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3492. Watch, TW Steel ($895). Nordstrom, Fashion Show, 702-862-2525.
James Hadley
As the Strip says goodbye to one Cirque du Soleil show, it welcomes two more, an expansion that animates the creative James Hadley, senior artistic director. He’s in charge of quality—and finding new talent to keep the shows fresh. It’s a huge task: There are so many Cirque productions on the Strip that the Montrealbased company practically thinks of us as its adopted hometown. (Zarkana, which previews on November 1, makes seven; a Michael Jackson–themed production arrives this spring.) “We are always looking to evolve,” he says. “That is what I love about my job.” Suit ($798) and Aiken sweater ($228), Elie Tahari. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-732-2454.
Adam Steck
Ever wondered how shows like The Australian Bee Gees Show and Human Nature made their way to town? Thank founder and CEO of SPI Entertainment, Adam Steck, an event promoterturned- producer who has lived in Vegas since 1999. This year, he scored a major coup with Mike Tyson’s one-man show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, which packed the house each night, hit Broadway, and will return to Vegas next year. “I look for unique things, like Thunder from Down Under because there were no male revues,” he says. “It is a sickness actually; all I do is look for that next unique thing. I love it.” Button-down cord shirt ($175) and slim-leg jeans ($189), PRPS Goods and Co. Nordstrom, Fashion Show, 702-862-2525. Hudson pinstriped-lapel sport coat, Joseph Abboud ($595). Nordstrom, see above. Watch, TW Steel ($850). Nordstrom, see above
