Paul Steelman's guest appearances

Paul Steelman

UNLV Gaming Podcast

GGB Magazine Podcast

Oral Arguments for the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Hotel Design Podcast

Rahul Sood

Erika Nardini

Matt Wilson

Bill Bryson

David Jacoby

Kevin Brown

Jonodev Chaudhuri

Kevin Kline

Joe DeSimone

Steven Hill

Richard Schwartz

Bill Miller

Wayne Newton

John English

Marie Jones

OwlTail

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast we welcome design industry icon Paul Steelman. He’s been involved in some of the most influential casino resort and hotel projects around the globe. His company Steelman Partners, has been closely tied to the leaders of the casino resort business such as Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and Kirk Kerkorian. Glenn and Paul touch on it all, from his start in a pre-gaming Atlantic City to a chance design the Golden Nugget and how that led to a seminal shift in what casinos would become. Paul talks about Steve Wynn being a visionary and how he got The Mirage launched with 1980s junk bonds with the help of the infamous Michael Milken and how the launch of this property changed everything about the Las Vegas casino resort scene. Plus, they talk about the pressure of creating what would become the model for the modern casino resort, what the Mirage design process was like and how much money the resort needed to make every day to survive. They even talk Siegfried and Roy the former Kokomo’s restaurant, which was a staple at Mirage. Steelman shares examples of why great design is essential and how it creates sense of place. Paul also reflects on the state of The Mirage today, and other stories from the early modern era in Las Vegas. Also, Steelman and Glenn discuss how Frank Sinatra and Steve Wynn’s relationship transformed the Golden Nugget both in Vegas and Atlantic City, how the Nugget the property reinvented east coast casino gaming. We even get an update on the current state of the city by the sea. The discussion moves onto the notion of creating an experience at “personal scale,” says Steelman and how that relates to properties and how that notion created design challenges at the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s), and how the casino forms the basis for a property’s energy and how other elements emanate from that energetical center. This conversation even examines the cruise ship like form of Showboat Atlantic City, Sol Kerzner and the creating of African casino resorts such as the famed Sun City. Also on tap, discussing designing casinos and resorts around the world from Dubai and Macau to Vietnam, South Africa and more. Here creating cultural relevance is critical and we learn about the process of how different cultures gamble differently and how that is reflected in design. After all, the American casino goer is very different than the prototypical player in Macau. In Macau, we hear about public casinos, VIP casinos and super VIP private casinos none of us will ever see. Plus, casino maverick Sheldon Adelson comes up as the conversation turns toward Venetian Macau. Other famous names that pop up in the conversation include Bill Bennett and Stanley Ho, before the conversation turns toward developing ship-based casinos. Finally, Paul and Glenn discuss the current and future state of the casino resort experience including the importance of great design to creating social media moments, the incredible resurgence of downtown Las Vegas, and creating highly organized entertainment experiences. Paul and Glenn also discuss Steelman’s ownership in a slot machine company, and how that company is using technology in new ways to lure younger casino goers. They sum the conversation with Steelman’s reflections back on how he and others changed the design-scape of the casino gaming resort business. Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) who’s New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each honor of the guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers of William Pederen’s KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities and more. Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  info@hoteldesignpodcast.com Visit us at www.hoteldesignpodcast.com or email us at info@hoteldesignpodcast.com.

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast we welcome design industry icon Paul Steelman. He’s been involved in some of the most influential casino resort and hotel projects around the globe. His company <a href="https://www.steelmanpartners.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steelman Partners</a>, has been closely tied to the leaders of the casino resort business such as Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and Kirk Kerkorian. Glenn and Paul touch on it all, from his start in a pre-gaming Atlantic City to a chance design the Golden Nugget and how that led to a seminal shift in what casinos would become. Paul talks about Steve Wynn being a visionary and how he got The Mirage launched with 1980s junk bonds with the help of the infamous Michael Milken and how the launch of this property changed everything about the Las Vegas casino resort scene. Plus, they talk about the pressure of creating what would become the model for the modern casino resort, what the Mirage design process was like and how much money the resort needed to make every day to survive. They even talk Siegfried and Roy the former Kokomo’s restaurant, which was a staple at Mirage. Steelman shares examples of why great design is essential and how it creates sense of place. Paul also reflects on the state of The Mirage today, and other stories from the early modern era in Las Vegas. Also, Steelman and Glenn discuss how Frank Sinatra and Steve Wynn’s relationship transformed the Golden Nugget both in Vegas and Atlantic City, how the Nugget the property reinvented east coast casino gaming. We even get an update on the current state of the city by the sea. The discussion moves onto the notion of creating an experience at “personal scale,” says Steelman and how that relates to properties and how that notion created design challenges at the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s), and how the casino forms the basis for a property’s energy and how other elements emanate from that energetical center. This conversation even examines the cruise ship like form of Showboat Atlantic City, Sol Kerzner and the creating of African casino resorts such as the famed Sun City. Also on tap, discussing designing casinos and resorts around the world from Dubai and Macau to Vietnam, South Africa and more. Here creating cultural relevance is critical and we learn about the process of how different cultures gamble differently and how that is reflected in design. After all, the American casino goer is very different than the prototypical player in Macau. In Macau, we hear about public casinos, VIP casinos and super VIP private casinos none of us will ever see. Plus, casino maverick Sheldon Adelson comes up as the conversation turns toward Venetian Macau. Other famous names that pop up in the conversation include Bill Bennett and Stanley Ho, before the conversation turns toward developing ship-based casinos. Finally, Paul and Glenn discuss the current and future state of the casino resort experience including the importance of great design to creating social media moments, the incredible resurgence of downtown Las Vegas, and creating highly organized entertainment experiences. Paul and Glenn also discuss Steelman’s ownership in a slot machine company, and how that company is using technology in new ways to lure younger casino goers. They sum the conversation with Steelman’s reflections back on how he and others changed the design-scape of the casino gaming resort business. Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) who’s New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each honor of the guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers of William Pederen’s KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities and more. Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> Visit us at <a href="http://www.hoteldesignpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> or email us at <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a>.

Paul Steelman Of Steelman Partners

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast, we welcome Paul Steelman - CEO of Steelman Partners. Paul Steelman was previously on our show during  Episode 10. Host Glenn Haussman is an avid casino resort design enthusiast, and he starts the conversation with Paul Steelman by discussing his rich and vibrant background. Paul began his career prior to the birth of modern Las Vegas, which began with the creation of Steve Wynn’s The Mirage – the world’s first mega-resort. Paul notes that the entrepreneurial spirit of Steve Wynn was absolutely incredible and they discuss how he parlayed a small investment into the ownership of The Golden Nugget, before setting out to redefine the entire notion of Las Vegas with the creation of The Mirage.   One of the most prominent projects that Steelman Partners designed was Resorts World Las Vegas – a recently opened $5 billion mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Steelman recounts the long process from its initial design &amp; concepts in 2012, to finally opening the modern Asian-inspired resort in 2021 after many design changes. Paul and Glenn discuss the challenges of basing the resort over a failed mega-resort project called Project Echelon, a Boyd Gaming Project which was partially completed before succumbing the financial crisis in 2008. They also reviewed the maturation of casino resorts and how the design of this project pushes the project into a new era of design. This influenced the casino to be located centrally to the building with all amenities surrounding the casino floor. Paul’s philosophy is that the casino must be the most energetic room in any casino resort building - 24 hours a day.  Resorts World Las Vegas has a different casino design, which is long and narrow, and allows guests to take less steps overall to reach their destination. This makes the gaming floor easily accessible from all sides, an idea that Paul sees as successful through his many years of designing multiple Asian resorts in Macau, China.   Paul believes that every new casino must have something new that attracts and entices guests. A beautiful hotel and beautiful restaurant simply aren’t enough any longer. Customers crave something new and unique within a singular attraction. When Steelman Partners designed Circa, they designed the most incredible sports books - one inside that stretches three stories - and Stadium Swim, an unique and redefining outdoor sports experience. They also discuss the Freemont Street Experience - which spans over 4 blocks and accommodates entertainers, free concerts, and more. They also discuss the concept of themed resorts, and creating buildings and that transcend a specific style and remain timeless.   They also talk about how Lorenzo Doumani, a young, new developer and the son of Edward Doumani, imagined building a non-gaming hotel. That project has recently broke ground, and is called The Majestic – which is located directly across from the Las Vegas Convention Center. Paul shares how this convention focused hotel has redesigned the experience to better help businesses achieve their meetings’ goals.   Finally, they discuss new endeavors that Steelman Partners is working on, along with concepts that Paul things will remain prevalent. They discuss sports, e-sports, and sports viewing – which is slated to reinvent the town and will reinvent these buildings a great deal. Paul thinks the integration of various digital services, including digital live gaming will in fact change the future. They are anticipating that artificial intelligence and virtual reality applications will be the next wave of entertainment. Visit our website to view our extended notes and follow along with some great project visuals - http://hoteldesignpodcast.com/ - and make sure to subscribe to our new Youtube page to watch the video interview!

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast, we welcome Paul Steelman - CEO of Steelman Partners. Paul Steelman was previously on our show during <a href="https://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/hotel-design-podcast-paul-steelman-steelman-partners/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Episode 10</a>. Host Glenn Haussman is an avid casino resort design enthusiast, and he starts the conversation with Paul Steelman by discussing his rich and vibrant background. Paul began his career prior to the birth of modern Las Vegas, which began with the creation of Steve Wynn’s The Mirage – the world’s first mega-resort. Paul notes that the entrepreneurial spirit of Steve Wynn was absolutely incredible and they discuss how he parlayed a small investment into the ownership of The Golden Nugget, before setting out to redefine the entire notion of Las Vegas with the creation of The Mirage. One of the most prominent projects that Steelman Partners designed was Resorts World Las Vegas – a recently opened $5 billion mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Steelman recounts the long process from its initial design &amp; concepts in 2012, to finally opening the modern Asian-inspired resort in 2021 after many design changes. Paul and Glenn discuss the challenges of basing the resort over a failed mega-resort project called Project Echelon, a Boyd Gaming Project which was partially completed before succumbing the financial crisis in 2008. They also reviewed the maturation of casino resorts and how the design of this project pushes the project into a new era of design. This influenced the casino to be located centrally to the building with all amenities surrounding the casino floor. Paul’s philosophy is that the casino must be the most energetic room in any casino resort building - 24 hours a day.  Resorts World Las Vegas has a different casino design, which is long and narrow, and allows guests to take less steps overall to reach their destination. This makes the gaming floor easily accessible from all sides, an idea that Paul sees as successful through his many years of designing multiple Asian resorts in Macau, China. Paul believes that every new casino must have something new that attracts and entices guests. A beautiful hotel and beautiful restaurant simply aren’t enough any longer. Customers crave something new and unique within a singular attraction. When Steelman Partners designed Circa, they designed the most incredible sports books - one inside that stretches three stories - and Stadium Swim, an unique and redefining outdoor sports experience. They also discuss the Freemont Street Experience - which spans over 4 blocks and accommodates entertainers, free concerts, and more. They also discuss the concept of themed resorts, and creating buildings and that transcend a specific style and remain timeless. They also talk about how Lorenzo Doumani, a young, new developer and the son of Edward Doumani, imagined building a non-gaming hotel. That project has recently broke ground, and is called The Majestic – which is located directly across from the Las Vegas Convention Center. Paul shares how this convention focused hotel has redesigned the experience to better help businesses achieve their meetings’ goals. Finally, they discuss new endeavors that Steelman Partners is working on, along with concepts that Paul things will remain prevalent. They discuss sports, e-sports, and sports viewing – which is slated to reinvent the town and will reinvent these buildings a great deal. Paul thinks the integration of various digital services, including digital live gaming will in fact change the future. They are anticipating that artificial intelligence and virtual reality applications will be the next wave of entertainment. Visit our website to view our extended notes and follow along with some great project visuals - <a href="http://hoteldesignpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://hoteldesignpodcast.com/</a> - and make sure to subscribe to our new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKej92FSxBQSVo-op9vaQVg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube page</a> to watch the video interview!

#23: Paul Steelman

Paul Steelman has been involved as an architect in many of the iconic properties in gaming. From the Mirage to Resorts World Las Vegas to many of the most impressive Asian properties, Steelman’s expertise and gaming knowledge is unmatched in the casino design world. For his latest project, Downtown Las Vegas’ Circa Casino Resort, he teamed with owner Derek Stevens to allow Circa to stand out, yet blend in with the historic Downtown area. But it’s the Stadium Swim—six pools on different levels—and a massive sportsbook that truly mark Circa as something special. Steelman talks about Stevens and his vision and how Steelman and his team worked together to create the project Stevens desired. Steelman spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros at his Las Vegas offices in September.GGB: Circa is the first new project in Downtown Las Vegas in 40 years. What were some of the differences between Circa and some of the other projects you’ve designed?Paul Steelman: I think number one, we have a superstar in the making with Derek Stevens. Derek’s vision of this property is unlike anyone else’s. And Circa has a unique spin on it. One of our unique challenges on this design—and Derek’s challenge, of course—was to design, from the ground up, a facility that was compatible with Fremont Street. And Fremont Street is a fantastic place—free entertainment, a world-class digital show, free entertainers in the circles, and parades from NASCAR, and the football and hockey games, and so forth. It was a very interesting exercise to see how any building would relate to this. We’re very pleased that Derek, in fact, did that. So, it’s the first one in 40 years, and it’s filled with unique technology design, and integrating technology with Fremont Street is a sure winner to me.Derek told us that before they decided upon Steelman, he did a little competition. He chose four or five architects and paid them to do a conceptual design. Why do you think he chose Steelman Partners as the winner?We competed against some very reputable firms for this project. I think that Derek chose us because we got it. We are firm believers that Las Vegas has a style. And that gambling style is not necessarily based in Rome, or even in Tahiti or whatever. It has a style all its own. I think we’re the architect who actually gets that. And we also are a business-based architect. So, consequently, our success is not necessarily based on the beautiful design. And of course, we want to create new gambling adventures for almost every single thing. Derek wanted a building that looked new and modern, but it looked like it belonged on Fremont Street. And that was really important to Derek. And I think that Derek chose us just because I respect it, and I believe in Las Vegas, and I believe Las Vegas has a style, now influenced by Derek Stevens.Even before the pandemic hit, there was a movement to spread the slot machines out across the floor. And now, of course, they’ve got every other machine shut off, which is not a good look. How is that going to impact the way you design a casino floor in the future?I think those casinos that do, in fact, have every other slot machine shut off will probably have to consider some serious reconfiguration. There were many studies down over the years: what is the proper length of a slot bank on the basis of “How much do you win at each machine?” And of course, the ends always win more. The slot machines are much more successful at the ends. So, I would suspect that we’re going to have a lot more ends in the casinos.Another area that’s been impacted by the pandemic has been food and beverage. Is this something that’s impacting your designs as you go forward?You know, casinos used to be a dark box in a big building. Steve Wynn would say, “I need brilliance and a bright casino.” But over time, we have started to see a lot more integration of outdoor spaces. Now, they weren’t necessarily integrated in accordance with the virus that we currently have. But they have proved useful now, during this virus type of situation. I’d be surprised in the future if we do a lot of indoor restaurants. I think a lot of the restaurants will have that indoor/outdoor activity.Mohegan Gaming has received a license in Greece, for the old airport project there, and you’re the designer of that project. And what a fantastic building it looks like, in just the renderings. Tell us about what you went through to do that, especially since Greece is one of the centers of architecture in all of history.I was an architect before I was a casino architect. So, obviously, to me, this was a unique opportunity. We’ve worked in Athens for the last 25 years. I think it’s a great place. And fortunately, I was teamed up with a great company, Mohegan Sun, and a great team led by Mario Kontomerkos and Richard Lindsay, just a marvelous group of people that were really inspired by the site, the sea, and the sky.What we wanted to do was take a lot of our experience in Macau, and our experience in Sochi, in Russia. Put them together, and assume that we’ll have some Asian clients who will want to visit this spectacular resort. And there’s a very large market in Russia who already visits Greece. I fully believe that the project in Greece has the capacity to do to Greece, and to Athens, what the Singapore projects did to Singapore, and really increase the tourism industry there.

Paul Steelman has been involved as an architect in many of the iconic properties in gaming. From the Mirage to Resorts World Las Vegas to many of the most impressive Asian properties, Steelman’s expertise and gaming knowledge is unmatched in the casino design world. For his latest project, Downtown Las Vegas’ Circa Casino Resort, he teamed with owner Derek Stevens to allow Circa to stand out, yet blend in with the historic Downtown area. But it’s the Stadium Swim—six pools on different levels—and a massive sportsbook that truly mark Circa as something special. Steelman talks about Stevens and his vision and how Steelman and his team worked together to create the project Stevens desired. Steelman spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros at his Las Vegas offices in September. GGB: Circa is the first new project in Downtown Las Vegas in 40 years. What were some of the differences between Circa and some of the other projects you’ve designed? Paul Steelman: I think number one, we have a superstar in the making with Derek Stevens. Derek’s vision of this property is unlike anyone else’s. And Circa has a unique spin on it. One of our unique challenges on this design—and Derek’s challenge, of course—was to design, from the ground up, a facility that was compatible with Fremont Street. And Fremont Street is a fantastic place—free entertainment, a world-class digital show, free entertainers in the circles, and parades from NASCAR, and the football and hockey games, and so forth. It was a very interesting exercise to see how any building would relate to this. We’re very pleased that Derek, in fact, did that. So, it’s the first one in 40 years, and it’s filled with unique technology design, and integrating technology with Fremont Street is a sure winner to me. Derek told us that before they decided upon Steelman, he did a little competition. He chose four or five architects and paid them to do a conceptual design. Why do you think he chose Steelman Partners as the winner? We competed against some very reputable firms for this project. I think that Derek chose us because we got it. We are firm believers that Las Vegas has a style. And that gambling style is not necessarily based in Rome, or even in Tahiti or whatever. It has a style all its own. I think we’re the architect who actually gets that. And we also are a business-based architect. So, consequently, our success is not necessarily based on the beautiful design. And of course, we want to create new gambling adventures for almost every single thing. Derek wanted a building that looked new and modern, but it looked like it belonged on Fremont Street. And that was really important to Derek. And I think that Derek chose us just because I respect it, and I believe in Las Vegas, and I believe Las Vegas has a style, now influenced by Derek Stevens. Even before the pandemic hit, there was a movement to spread the slot machines out across the floor. And now, of course, they’ve got every other machine shut off, which is not a good look. How is that going to impact the way you design a casino floor in the future? I think those casinos that do, in fact, have every other slot machine shut off will probably have to consider some serious reconfiguration. There were many studies down over the years: what is the proper length of a slot bank on the basis of “How much do you win at each machine?” And of course, the ends always win more. The slot machines are much more successful at the ends. So, I would suspect that we’re going to have a lot more ends in the casinos. Another area that’s been impacted by the pandemic has been food and beverage. Is this something that’s impacting your designs as you go forward? You know, casinos used to be a dark box in a big building. Steve Wynn would say, “I need brilliance and a bright casino.” But over time, we have started to see a lot more integration of outdoor spaces. Now, they weren’t necessarily integrated in accordance with the virus that we currently have. But they have proved useful now, during this virus type of situation. I’d be surprised in the future if we do a lot of indoor restaurants. I think a lot of the restaurants will have that indoor/outdoor activity. Mohegan Gaming has received a license in Greece, for the old airport project there, and you’re the designer of that project. And what a fantastic building it looks like, in just the renderings. Tell us about what you went through to do that, especially since Greece is one of the centers of architecture in all of history. I was an architect before I was a casino architect. So, obviously, to me, this was a unique opportunity. We’ve worked in Athens for the last 25 years. I think it’s a great place. And fortunately, I was teamed up with a great company, Mohegan Sun, and a great team led by Mario Kontomerkos and Richard Lindsay, just a marvelous group of people that were really inspired by the site, the sea, and the sky. What we wanted to do was take a lot of our experience in Macau, and our experience in Sochi, in Russia. Put them together, and assume that we’ll have some Asian clients who will want to visit this spectacular resort. And there’s a very large market in Russia who already visits Greece. I fully believe that the project in Greece has the capacity to do to Greece, and to Athens, what the Singapore projects did to Singapore, and really increase the tourism industry there.

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast we welcome design industry icon Paul Steelman. He’s been involved in some of the most influential casino resort and hotel projects around the globe. His company Steelman Partners, has been closely tied to the leaders of the casino resort business such as Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and Kirk Kerkorian. Glenn and Paul touch on it all, from his start in a pre-gaming Atlantic City to a chance design the Golden Nugget and how that led to a seminal shift in what casinos would become. Paul talks about Steve Wynn being a visionary and how he got The Mirage launched with 1980s junk bonds with the help of the infamous Michael Milken and how the launch of this property changed everything about the Las Vegas casino resort scene. Plus, they talk about the pressure of creating what would become the model for the modern casino resort, what the Mirage design process was like and how much money the resort needed to make every day to survive. They even talk Siegfried and Roy the former Kokomo’s restaurant, which was a staple at Mirage. Steelman shares examples of why great design is essential and how it creates sense of place. Paul also reflects on the state of The Mirage today, and other stories from the early modern era in Las Vegas. Also, how Frank Sinatra and Steve Wynn’s relationship transformed the Golden Nugget both in Vegas and Atlantic City, how the Nugget the property reinvented east coast casino gaming. We even get an update on the current state of the city by the sea. The discussion moves onto the notion of creating an experience at “personal scale,” says Steelman and how that relates to properties and how that notion created design challenges at the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s), and how the casino forms the basis for a property’s energy and how other elements emanate from that energetic center. This conversation even examines the cruise ship like form of Showboat Atlantic City, Sol Kerzner and the creating of African casino resorts such as the famed Sun City. Also on tap, discussing designing casinos and resorts around the world from Dubai and Macau to Vietnam, South Africa and more. Here creating cultural relevance is critical and we learn about the process of how different cultures gamble differently and how that is reflected in design. After all, the American casino goer is very different than the prototypical player in Macau. In Macau, we hear about public casinos, VIP casinos and super VIP private casinos none of us will ever see. Plus, casino maverick Sheldon Adelson comes up as the conversation turns toward Venetian Macau.   Other famous names that pop up in the conversation include Bill Bennett and Stanley Ho, before the conversation turns toward developing ship-based casinos. Finally, Paul and Glenn discuss the current and future state of the casino resort experience including the importance of great design to creating social media moments, the incredible resurgence of downtown Las Vegas, and creating highly organized entertainment experiences. Paul and Glenn also discuss Steelman’s ownership in a slot machine company, and how that company is using technology in new ways to lure younger casino goers. They sum the conversation with Steelman’s reflections back on how he and others changed the design-scape of the casino gaming resort business.   Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) who’s New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers of William Pederen’s KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities and more. Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  info@hoteldesignpodcast.com Visit us at www.hoteldesignpodcast.com or email us at info@hoteldesignpodcast.com.

In this episode of the Hotel Design Podcast we welcome design industry icon Paul Steelman. He’s been involved in some of the most influential casino resort and hotel projects around the globe. His company <a href="https://www.steelmanpartners.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steelman Partners</a>, has been closely tied to the leaders of the casino resort business such as Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and Kirk Kerkorian. Glenn and Paul touch on it all, from his start in a pre-gaming Atlantic City to a chance design the Golden Nugget and how that led to a seminal shift in what casinos would become. Paul talks about Steve Wynn being a visionary and how he got The Mirage launched with 1980s junk bonds with the help of the infamous Michael Milken and how the launch of this property changed everything about the Las Vegas casino resort scene. Plus, they talk about the pressure of creating what would become the model for the modern casino resort, what the Mirage design process was like and how much money the resort needed to make every day to survive. They even talk Siegfried and Roy the former Kokomo’s restaurant, which was a staple at Mirage. Steelman shares examples of why great design is essential and how it creates sense of place. Paul also reflects on the state of The Mirage today, and other stories from the early modern era in Las Vegas. Also, how Frank Sinatra and Steve Wynn’s relationship transformed the Golden Nugget both in Vegas and Atlantic City, how the Nugget the property reinvented east coast casino gaming. We even get an update on the current state of the city by the sea. The discussion moves onto the notion of creating an experience at “personal scale,” says Steelman and how that relates to properties and how that notion created design challenges at the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s), and how the casino forms the basis for a property’s energy and how other elements emanate from that energetic center. This conversation even examines the cruise ship like form of Showboat Atlantic City, Sol Kerzner and the creating of African casino resorts such as the famed Sun City. Also on tap, discussing designing casinos and resorts around the world from Dubai and Macau to Vietnam, South Africa and more. Here creating cultural relevance is critical and we learn about the process of how different cultures gamble differently and how that is reflected in design. After all, the American casino goer is very different than the prototypical player in Macau. In Macau, we hear about public casinos, VIP casinos and super VIP private casinos none of us will ever see. Plus, casino maverick Sheldon Adelson comes up as the conversation turns toward Venetian Macau.   Other famous names that pop up in the conversation include Bill Bennett and Stanley Ho, before the conversation turns toward developing ship-based casinos. Finally, Paul and Glenn discuss the current and future state of the casino resort experience including the importance of great design to creating social media moments, the incredible resurgence of downtown Las Vegas, and creating highly organized entertainment experiences. Paul and Glenn also discuss Steelman’s ownership in a slot machine company, and how that company is using technology in new ways to lure younger casino goers. They sum the conversation with Steelman’s reflections back on how he and others changed the design-scape of the casino gaming resort business.   Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) who’s New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers of William Pederen’s KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities and more. Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> Visit us at <a href="http://www.hoteldesignpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> or email us at <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a>.