Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Queen of Hearts dealt deal

A last-minute agreement saved the crime-plagued Queen of Hearts hotel from losing its business license, but several changes are in the works at the troubled downtown inn.

The agreement, spelled out Monday in front of the Las Vegas City Council, will see the temporary closure of the hotel's bar, where police say most of the drug and prostitution activity is centered. Security will be beefed up as well.

"You have my 100 percent cooperation," Queen of Hearts owner Ann Meyers said after her attorney, Mark Ferrario, detailed the agreement. "I would love to work with Metro (Police) to clean up the area."

But Metro Capt. Ray Flynn, who heads the department's organized crime section, said Meyers' attitude is a first.

"We have had difficulty with her cooperating. We have had difficulty getting a hold of her," Flynn said. "We've been dealing with this issue for more than a year."

Under the agreement, which is expected to be ratified April 17, Meyers agreed to be available on an hour's notice to talk with city and county authorities, to allow inspections of the hotel with 48-hour notice and to hire a security guard to patrol the property from 4 p.m. to midnight.

In addition, Meyers will close the hotel's bar for 30 days, starting April 18. Even after it reopens, the agreement forces her to close from midnight to 8 a.m. daily.

If Meyers violates the terms of the agreement, the city can file a complaint, seeking to revoke her business license.

"Anybody that knows anything about downtown knows ... there are problems in the area," Ferrario said. "We're looking forward to moving on and not having to come back here."

At least one councilman, however, was not so sure. Michael McDonald, a Metro officer, said he is skeptical the hotel can change.

"Anybody can toe the mark for a certain time," he said. "We need to get a commitment for the life of downtown."

Meyers has said she refuses to rent rooms to people she suspects are involved in drugs or prostitution, and has lost money in doing so. She charges customers $129 to rent a room at the hotel for a week.

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