Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002 | 8:29 a.m.
Our Thursday analysis and commentary on various hotel groups continues with the Coast Resorts -- Barbary Coast, Gold Coast, Orleans and Suncoast ... Michael Gaughan is the hands-on head of the Coast Resorts team ... His father, Jackie Gaughan, has El Cortez, a constant winner, and the Plaza, starting to rebuild again, as his main Casino Center holdings.
Jackie Gaughan also owned the Royal Inn on Convention Center Drive in the late 1960s and 1970s ... Son Michael learned the business with his father ... His father's good friend, a miner named Guy Empey, had a motel on the corner where Barbary Coast now stands ... Hilton Hotels had acquired the Flamingo and the International, now the Las Vegas Hilton.
The Hilton representative who called on Empey to get him to sell his motel so the Hilton could expand the Flamingo Las Vegas out to Flamingo Road so alienated the old man, that he called Jackie Gaughan and said he would like to sell his property ... Michael Gaughan was in business ... Barbary Coast was an instant success and financed building Gold Coast.
Good food and service, a friendly atmosphere, catering to locals and visitors alike was the Gaughan hallmark, plus the good Chuck Diamond Dixieland Jazz Band, afternoons, and Brendan Boyer and the Irish Show Band, evenings, were identifying components as well ... The Dixieland Band, led by Jim Fitzgerald, plays afternoons at Gold Coast.
Michael's at Barbary Coast, a restaurant modeled after the Flamingo's Candlelight Room, rates as one of the finest in Las Vegas year after year .... Gold Coast followed, pioneering the area that now includes the Rio, now a Harrah's property, and the recently opened Palms ... Neither has seemed to affect the continued success of Gold Coast thus far.
The Orleans at Tropicana Avenue and Arville Street came next and still stands alone in that area ... Recently Coast Resorts announced a major expansion of rooms, restaurants and casino space, plus the addition of an events center ... The Orleans got off to a slow start with a Western production show ... Once it closed and was replaced with star-policy acts, The Orleans became a big winner, obviously still expanding.
Michael Gaughan and his team -- Frank Toti, Ken Epstein and the late Leo Lewis -- turned their attention to the northwest sector ... The result was still another success, Suncoast ... The ambiance is constant at all the Coast Resorts ... Suncoast operation is similar to that at The Orleans.
The Orleans and Suncoast star-policy operation is similar although the latter showroom is approximately half the size of The Orleans ... The acts are Las Vegas regulars, many of whom have enjoyed a renaissance at The Orleans ... The Righteous Brothers and Smothers Brothers are two examples of this, now with long-term contracts at the Las Vegas Hilton.
It should be noted that the Plaza is now included in the Coast Resorts advertising and special programs, such as the annual pro-football contest ... It should also be noted that Jackie Gaughan, an octogenarian, shows little signs of slowing down ... In fact, our guess is that he is still the leader emeritus of the Michael Gaughan Coast Resorts team, which is still expanding.
Next Thursday we will start with Harrah's and Rio, then the rest of the Strip hotels ... We are interested in your comments on this series.
Star-policy rundown
It's Tony Orlando, 8 p.m., and Amazing Johnathan, 10 p.m. (Golden Nugget); Mac King afternoons, Clint Holmes evenings (Harrah's); Jamie Foxx, 8 p.m., the Commodores, 10 p.m. (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); George Carlin, Drew Carey's Improv All-Stars, and Rick Springfield starring in "EFX Alive" (MGM Grand).
Plus Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans, in separate theaters (Mirage); Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Rita Rudner (New York-New York); David Gates (Orleans); Ronn Lucas, Scintas and Louie Anderson, separate theaters (Rio); Marlene Ricci (Riviera); Steve Wyrick (Sahara); and Wayne Newton (Stardust).
There's more: The Lettermen (Suncoast); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic, 7 p.m., and "Bravo" starring Charo, 9 p.m. (Venetian) ... "The Second City" (Flamingo Las Vegas) has a new Sunday feature, "Celebrity Salute," where the cast honors a star performer with improv scenes built around its performance and stage personas ... Clint Holmes (Harrah's) was its first Sunday show subject.
Texas Station is hosting a Sunday Gospel Brunch, 1:30-3 p.m. ... "Backs to the Wind," a drama, continues through Sunday (University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Paul Harris Theatre) ... Mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade, part of the Charles Vanda Master Series, is in concert Friday at 8 p.m. (UNLV's Ham Hall) ... Actors Repertory Theatre's "Oleanna," final weekend (Summerlin Library Theatre).
Nevada Opera Theatre's "La Traviata" will be performed Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Paris Las Vegas' Le Theatre des Arts ... The Mexican Vivo Dance Company presents "Feliz Fiesta," 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Winchester Center) ... Stuttering John Melendez plays Sunset Station at 8 p.m. Saturday ... Check out the various Super Bowl parties this Sunday ... See you Friday.
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