LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In one day, the Tropicana hotel-casino will be no more. The doors will permanently close opening the gateway to a new piece of Vegas history.
The goodbye, though, is bittersweet for employees who have been with the hotel through its ups and downs. Dean Davis is one of hundreds of employees saying farewell to the Tropicana. He’s been with the hotel casino for more than three decades.
“It’s an old girl, it’s been a good run,” said Davis. “It’s bittersweet for an awful lot of the team members here.”
On Tuesday, he will hang up his tan Tropicana work jacket and badge for the last time. He says the closing was inevitable, but it still comes as a shock.
The Tropicana isn’t just a hotel to him, but also a home.
“It’s a second home,” Davis said. “I have spent eight hours of my life, every day, five days a week, since 1989 for the most part. A lot of relationships. A lot of good times.”
The Tropicana’s closing also marks the end of an era for Davis. Once the hotel-casino closes, he will officially retire from the career he has had for more than 30 years. As a member of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, he will continue to receive benefits through the union’s severance package. It includes continued health care coverage for members for at least eight months following the closing. And for those who want to continue working, they will also receive first access to job opportunities.
The Tropicana will officially close its doors on Tuesday, April 2. It will eventually become the home of the Las Vegas A’s. The hotel will be demolished later in the year.