Rumor: Flamingo Sold to Hilton Grand Vacations
Originally published at Vital Vegas
Caesars Entertainment has publicly said it plans to sell at least one of its Strip casinos, and some time back we shared it would be Flamingo.
Now, we hear the buyer could be Hilton Grand Vacations. The plot thickens.
Flamingo could again be called Flamingo Hilton. The mind reels.
Back in February 2022, we noted surveyors were seen at Flamingo. Which means somebody was kicking the tires (surveying is part of the due diligence process).
We also heard a number of improvement projects had been abruptly canceled. And members of the Caesars Entertainment operational staff had been relocated to Harrah’s.
All indications Flamingo was the most likely candidate for a sale. Planet Hollywood has also been in the rumor mill for some time. As was Bally’s, but Caesars opted to keep Bally’s and rebrand it as Horseshoe.
Caesars Entertainment isn’t talking about a potential Flamingo sale, but we’re hearing the buyer is Hilton Grand Vacations. Which would spice up this ongoing conversation considerably.
Could Flamingo become a timeshare, we asked in the form of a rhetorical question to cover our ass?
There’s already a Hilton Grand Vacations Club Flamingo Las Vegas at Flamingo that pretty much shares Flamingo’s amenities. So an acquisition makes a lot of sense.
Hilton Grand Vacations is a leader in what’s known as the “vacation ownership industry.” Translation: Timeshares.
Back in March 2021, Hilton Grand Vacations purchased Diamond Resorts. The largest independent timeshare operator.
That acquisition was funded ($1.4 billion) by, wait for it, Apollo Global. The former owners of Caesars Entertainment, the company that owns Flamingo. Apollo recently purchased Venetian and Palazzo.
Things move fast in Las Vegas.
Some were skeptical when we said it’s Flamingo on the block for a sale because it’s in the middle of Caesar’s row. A string of casinos including Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally’s, Cromwell, Linq, and Harrah’s. How do you avoid selling a casino to a competing company? Sell it to a company that’s not really a competitor. And continue to manage the place yourself. Big influx of cash (to pay down some debt) and tenants tend to have fewer headaches than landlords.
As the potential sale hasn’t been officially announced or confirmed, details are few but expect to hear more soon.