Speaker 1: I was saddened to hear the news that Elaine Wynn
Speaker 1: died in Los Angeles on April fourteenth. Elaine was someone
Speaker 1: I had known and liked for many years. I asked
Speaker 1: her to be a guest on my podcast a couple
Speaker 1: of years ago. Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short and
Speaker 1: we never got to finish the podcast. It was such
Speaker 1: a shame because I loved talking to Elaine. She was
Speaker 1: a dynamic woman, a beloved mother, and a visionary businesswoman.
Speaker 1: I want to share some of that conversation here, as
Speaker 1: I know you will enjoy learning more about this remarkable woman.
Speaker 1: Elaine Wynn is among the most successful entrepreneurs in the
Speaker 1: United States. She is a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a
Speaker 1: passionate art collector. Known as the Queen of Las Vegas,
Speaker 1: Missus Wynn co founded Mirage Resorts and Win Resorts with
Speaker 1: her former husband, Steve. Wynne has played an instrumental role
Speaker 1: in shaping what Las Vegas has become today, and our
Speaker 1: philanthropic endeavors are endless. It is a pleasure to welcome
Speaker 1: the woman who has been called the epitome of grace, warmth,
Speaker 1: and class to my podcast. Welcome e Lane, and I'm
Speaker 1: so pleased that you agreed to do this podcast with me.
Speaker 2: Well, I am delighted to be reunited with you, Martha.
Speaker 2: It's been way too long since we were able to connect.
Speaker 1: Well, I wanted to know right off the bat, what
Speaker 1: was your vision for Las Vegas and when did that
Speaker 1: vision realize itself.
Speaker 2: Well, it depends on how much time you have, because
Speaker 2: I have lived all my adult life in Las Vegas.
Speaker 2: Steve and I moved out there in the late sixties,
Speaker 2: and it was in connection with at that time, the
Speaker 2: Frontier Hotel, which was a brand new property, and of
Speaker 2: course I was moving along to be the supporting, urturing wife.
Speaker 1: We had a.
Speaker 2: Ten month old daughter, and we were in our mid twenties,
Speaker 2: quite young to be starting on a new path in
Speaker 2: a new city. We had relocated from Washington, d C.
Speaker 2: But as we continued to settle and see that Las
Speaker 2: Vegas was going to be our destiny, I became increasingly
Speaker 2: more involved in the company and the businesses that unfolded.
Speaker 2: Because fortunately Steve and I were very close. We were
Speaker 2: not only one another's best friends and of course married,
Speaker 2: we had a lot of the same kind of passions
Speaker 2: and kind of ideas, creative ideas. Of course, no one
Speaker 2: can take anything away from Steve's vision and what ultimately
Speaker 2: became what we call the modern Las Vegas. But I
Speaker 2: understood that I was married to a workaholic, and if
Speaker 2: I had any chance at all of remaining in a
Speaker 2: meaningful marriage, that I would need to somehow work alongside
Speaker 2: of him. And fortunately that turned out well. I was
Speaker 2: invited to do so. And as the years evolved and
Speaker 2: we became more smitten with the opportunity in Las Vegas,
Speaker 2: which was evidenced by all of the people continually wanting
Speaker 2: to come there, that we thought this was the opportunity
Speaker 2: that could not be replaced for us in any other city.
Speaker 2: We both had experienced life in Miami Beach in our
Speaker 2: late teens.
Speaker 1: He was away at prep school, but I went to
Speaker 1: school there. I just wanted to tell everybody that you
Speaker 1: were also miss Miami. What year was that, oh, nineteen
Speaker 1: oh nine.
Speaker 3: It was in the sixties, and you had been at
Speaker 3: school there together, so you were sort of like childhood
Speaker 3: sweethearts forging ahead out into the West.
Speaker 2: In a sense. Steve was a way at prep school.
Speaker 2: I was at school Miami. Our fathers fixed us up.
Speaker 1: Oh they did they? Yeah, Well, having known you for
Speaker 1: about I would say more than thirty years, it was
Speaker 1: kind of interesting to see what's happened and to hear
Speaker 1: this story is so exciting. So you go out to
Speaker 1: the west, you go out to a town light like
Speaker 1: Las Vegas, which was emerging as a city, of course,
Speaker 1: but it was not what it is today. Do you
Speaker 1: think your vision has been realized as you had hoped? Well?
Speaker 2: I think that clearly the timing of the mega resort
Speaker 2: is what evolved while we were creating our properties.
Speaker 1: What was the first mega resort? I would say the Mirage.
Speaker 2: Well, Caesar's had taken a stab at it, but then
Speaker 2: the Mirage came on with multi thousands of rooms, and
Speaker 2: that sort of gave all of our brethren permission to
Speaker 2: building these much larger properties that had more than just
Speaker 2: a few hundred rooms.
Speaker 1: And those properties incorporated not just gambling, but showbiz. Fantastic
Speaker 1: shows were brought to Las Vegas. Fantastic restaurants were brought
Speaker 1: to Las Vegas. I think, as far as my research
Speaker 1: shows that you and Steve were really instrumental in changing
Speaker 1: the entire tone of this desert city into a mega
Speaker 1: resort of its own.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for that compliment, and I will there'll
Speaker 2: be no false humility here. I would say that the
Speaker 2: Mirage kind of was the ushering in of that new
Speaker 2: way of thinking. Up until then, Las Vegas certainly was
Speaker 2: known primarily as a gaming destination, but there were gourmet
Speaker 2: rooms and as you recalled, the rat pack was there,
Speaker 2: and we had extraordinary singular performers. But once we got
Speaker 2: involved and branched out into the world of culinary arts,
Speaker 2: especially getting to know our mutual dear friend Elizabeth Blow,
Speaker 2: we were able to entice some of the finest chefs
Speaker 2: in the world to come and partner with us in
Speaker 2: restaurant concepts. And I would have to say that Bellagio
Speaker 2: was sort of the beginning of that. Although Wolfgang had
Speaker 2: been there, he was in a shopping mall and we
Speaker 2: kept losing customers every.
Speaker 1: Night to Wolfgang, and we said, what's this all about?
Speaker 1: So you brought him to Bula, Yes, Michael Mina, George,
Speaker 1: So you brought the top chefs in America as well
Speaker 1: as in Europe, to the world of entertainment out in
Speaker 1: Las Vegas. Can you tell us who your favorite restauranteurs
Speaker 1: were and are, and also your favorite entertainers. I mean,
Speaker 1: you've seen them all, Elaine, Yes, I have seen them all.
Speaker 2: In terms of restauranteurs, Martha, you know that that's a
Speaker 2: very difficult thing to do because the different genres and
Speaker 2: types of food that we're all exposed to now, you know,
Speaker 2: are really extraordinary. But certainly I was enamored with Danielle Bullou,
Speaker 2: Jean George Adoor, John George, Julian Serrano, Michael Mina, Todd English.
Speaker 2: They were all beginning to ascend. They already had wonderful reputations,
Speaker 2: but you know their expressions in Las Vegas, I think
Speaker 2: they had more freedom because first of all, they had
Speaker 2: more capacity, which was a challenge. You know, it's one
Speaker 2: thing to run a restaurant that only has eighty or
Speaker 2: ninety covers, and then all of a sudden you have
Speaker 2: one hundred and twenty and they turn over twice a day.
Speaker 2: So for them it was a creative challenge. But they delivered,
Speaker 2: and as a result, you've seen the stampede of everyone
Speaker 2: following them, and now a whole host of new chefs,
Speaker 2: many of whom I don't even know I'm starting to
Speaker 2: experiment with as well.
Speaker 1: And what about the show Viiz.
Speaker 2: What about the performers, Well, there was never a substitution
Speaker 2: for Frank and Sammy and Dean. I mean that show
Speaker 2: was the quintessential Las Vegas paradigm. But what followed, of course,
Speaker 2: was Elvis, and if anyone has seen the latest Elvis movie,
Speaker 2: it is such an accurate portrayal of his impact, especially
Speaker 2: in Las Vegas. He was every bit as electric as
Speaker 2: the movie portrays him to be Barber streisand was extraordinary.
Speaker 2: Jennifer Lope has put on probably one of the best
Speaker 2: shows of all time in the modern era.
Speaker 1: Don't know how.
Speaker 2: That woman lasts the hours that she performs, but it's
Speaker 2: a treat.
Speaker 1: And then of Lady Gaga Bruno Mars.
Speaker 2: Right now we're all anticipate painting Adele, which will be
Speaker 2: you know, the penultimate as well.
Speaker 1: Kevin Sharky and I are coming out to see Adele
Speaker 1: as well.
Speaker 3: You should should?
Speaker 1: We should hook up? You're going to go? Yes? Yes?
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: The funny thing is with me, I try not to
Speaker 2: put pressure on my friends to go to the opening
Speaker 2: show because I know how much and demand these tickets are,
Speaker 2: but that one is what I might make an exception for.
Speaker 2: But then we can't talk about this topic without mentioning
Speaker 2: de Solet. And you know, the bringing of Cirq to
Speaker 2: Solet was probably one of the greatest brainstorms we ever had.
Speaker 1: And they opened first.
Speaker 2: At the Mirage and a tent literally, and then we
Speaker 2: did them at Treasure Island, we did Misstare. And my
Speaker 2: favorite show of all time to this day is Oh,
Speaker 2: which is currently at Bellagio.
Speaker 1: Mind you mine too. I love it so much. That
Speaker 1: show is the epitome of Las Vegas for me in
Speaker 1: terms of of extraordinary performance and ingenuity. Those creators of
Speaker 1: Circus Sole are just amazing. Well they're brilliant, Yes they are. Yeah,
Speaker 1: if our listeners have not seen any of the Circus
Speaker 1: Sole shows, you're missing out on something extraordiny. What is
Speaker 1: on in Las Vegas now from Circusol.
Speaker 2: Well, they still have Oh, they have Love, which is
Speaker 2: the show about the Beatles. I'm not sure if Ka
Speaker 2: has restarted yet, but you know, when COVID yet, a
Speaker 2: lot of things shut down, and then when we've re
Speaker 2: emerged from it, it was an opportunity to do new shows.
Speaker 2: So I'm not exactly current on what the other shows are,
Speaker 2: but just seeing ohs enough.
Speaker 1: Says you and Steve brought ceirc to Sol to Las Vegas. Yes, well,
Speaker 1: what a feather in your cap. But I just want
Speaker 1: everybody to understand that you were instrumental in shaping, really
Speaker 1: shaping what Las Vegas has become. When I saw you
Speaker 1: just a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, you said
Speaker 1: you hadn't been there for a while. It's kept you away.
Speaker 2: The heat, you know, the summers can be a bit
Speaker 2: challenging if you're a guest. They're not because everybody comes.
Speaker 2: And of course we go from air conditioned cars into
Speaker 2: the air conditioned hotels, and if you go outside to swim,
Speaker 2: you're pretty much in the pool a good portion.
Speaker 1: Of the time.
Speaker 2: But I would say that, you know, temperatures that are
Speaker 2: one hundred and six to one hundred and ten don't
Speaker 2: lend itself for walking around a lot throughout the years.
Speaker 2: Because we had children as well, I would take the
Speaker 2: kids and escape up to the mountains of Idaho for
Speaker 2: those few months. And so I do commute to Las
Speaker 2: Vegas all the time, though, and I was there frequently
Speaker 2: this summer. We used to train the US Olympic team
Speaker 2: at the wind so I would be there for sure
Speaker 2: all the time. That the big boys were there and
Speaker 2: that was great fun.
Speaker 1: Is Las Vegas know what you really hoped it would
Speaker 1: be and stay or has it changed even more?
Speaker 2: I think that it is evolved, and it's evolved in
Speaker 2: a very good way. You used to think of Las
Speaker 2: Vegas as a place primarily for so called high rollers
Speaker 2: and the fast life, but Las Vegas has become a
Speaker 2: midway and because of our capacity, our room capacity, we
Speaker 2: can appeal to a far wider range of the market,
Speaker 2: so that people from all over the country and the
Speaker 2: world who have modest means and don't fancy themselves as
Speaker 2: gamblers still come to Las Vegas.
Speaker 1: And get great value. They can get.
Speaker 2: Hotel rooms cheaper than anywhere else that are larger than
Speaker 2: anyone else.
Speaker 1: They can get food at reasonable price.
Speaker 2: There is a variety of entertainment aside from the big shows.
Speaker 2: There are lounges, there are small cafes, there are piano bars,
Speaker 2: and so people can come and see the glitter and
Speaker 2: glamour of Las Vegas and feel like they're a part
Speaker 2: of it without feeling like there's no place for them.
Speaker 2: I don't know that we ever envisioned Las Vegas that way,
Speaker 2: but I see it as being quite democratic, meaning little
Speaker 2: d that it's welcoming to all, not to mention the
Speaker 2: marvelous conventions that we have midweek when most people are
Speaker 2: not vacationing, that come in and hold extraordinary meetings and
Speaker 2: convenience in luxurious properties with huge and enormous rooms as
Speaker 2: well as breakout rooms that serve the convention needs very well.
Speaker 2: So we've become kind of everything to everyone, including younger
Speaker 2: clubgoers that are now going to all these crazy nightclubs
Speaker 2: with all the crazy DJs. You know, we're bigger than
Speaker 2: IBISA in that regard.
Speaker 1: That was a conversation cut far too short with Elaine Win,
Speaker 1: a friend and a peer whom I respected. I want
Speaker 1: to thank Elaine for the time she gave us that
Speaker 1: day and for the time we spent together over the years,
Speaker 1: along with her daughters Kevin and Jillian. I will remember
Speaker 1: Elaine fondly.