Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1999 | 9:29 a.m.
LAS VEGAS - Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has begun a search for 500 workers to staff its new property here, another sign that this gambling capital is intent on upping the ante in its bid for upscale visitors.
"We believe there will be a lot of interest in Las Vegas for a high-end, non-gaming boutique-type hotel," Randy Morton, general manager of the new property, said Tuesday.
His comments came as Four Seasons kicked off a recruiting drive to hire 500 new employees to run their Las Vegas property. Some 350 people applied for jobs in the first three hours, according to Four Seasons spokeswoman Lori Kennedy.
A part of the new Mandalay Bay hotel-casino, the Four Seasons will have its own entrance, a separate pool and health spa, and will consist of 424 rooms and suites on the 35th through 39th floors of Mandalay Bay. Four Seasons guests will access the floors via three express elevators.
Morton said he thought Las Vegas would be a draw for the company's international clientele. The company has 42 resorts in 18 countries, with 15 properties under development.
Four Seasons joins a growing list of Las Vegas resorts eyeing upscale customers. Resorts such as Caesars Palace, Desert Inn and The Mirage have long catered to the high-end market. Bellagio joined those ranks in October. In the next four months, Mandalay Bay, The Venetian and The Resort at Summerlin will be added to the list.
Rates at the Las Vegas Four Seasons will range from $200 to $600 a night, with some of the 87 suites going for $1,500 nightly, Morton said.
Mandalay Bay will have a total of 3,724 rooms, including Four Seasons' 424. The properties are scheduled to open March 2.
The 43-story Mandalay Bay will have its own high-end suites on floors 40-42 for the resort's high-rolling casino customers, according to spokesman Bill Doak. The top floor will feature an exclusive club.
The Four Seasons areas will have no gambling while Mandalay Bay's features include a casino.
"We're a non-gaming company," Morton said. "Gaming is not a part of the future of Four Seasons."
Four Seasons will have 650 employees at its Las Vegas property. Morton, who transferred to Las Vegas from the general manager's job at the Four Seasons in Maui, said 150 of the company's employees sought transfers to the Las Vegas property, the largest number of Four Seasons workers ever to relocate to a new hotel.
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