A shake up in management has occured at the new MotorCity Casino Hotel and the property has yet to open to the public. As reported in the Detroit News today:
"Randall K. Villareal will run the casino's new luxury 400-room casino scheduled to open on Nov. 1. He replaces Asaad Farag who was hired several months ago, but suddenly left for personal reasons."Back on July 12th, executives at the Ilitch owned-MotorCity Casino project announced Farag had been hired as VP of Hotel Operations and Farag gave a tour of a "model hotel room" which was captured on video by the Detroit News. They emphasized his experience with luxury hotel projects.
Farag was previously general manager at the Regent Wall Street Hotel & Spa in New York City; and he had been VP and General Manager of the exclusive Stirling Club Turnberry Place in Las Vegas. In addition, he has managed the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles and held various senior positions with the RitzCarlton in Cleveland, the Walt Disney Dolphin in Orlando, the Beverly Hills Hotel in California and the Plaza in New York City.
Since 2006 Villareal had been vice president for Remington Hotels Corporation where he had oversight of 11 U.S. hotels affilated with these mainstream travel brands: Crowne Plaza, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Marriott, Radisson and Sheraton properties. Prior to that he was with Tishman Hotel Corp.
The announcement of Villareal's hiring promotes his experience managing two casino-hotel properties; but, further research indicates the two Puerto Rican properties he most likely managed actually had very small, rather insignificant casino operations that are considered an amenity to their respective properties rather than an "attraction." MotorCity Casino is ten times the size of the casinos with which Villareal previously has been affiliated.
It would seem based on the change in personalities and their respective career experience that MotorCity Casino may very well be revisiting its marketing strategies. Or perhaps Villareal was always management's second choice.
As of now, MotorCity Casino Hotel is still scheduled to open on November 1st.
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