Fontainebleau Las Vegas hires former Station Casinos executive as president
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Fontainebleau Las Vegas has selected a former general manager from Station Casinos to lead the long-awaited Strip resort.
Mark Tricano was named president of the resort, expected to open in December. Tricano, who previously led Red Rock Resort between 2012 and 2015, assumes the role that Brett Mufson held “provisionally,” according to a Monday news release.
“It is a tremendous honor to take on the responsibility of leading the Las Vegas team toward a defining moment in Las Vegas history,” Tricano said in the news release. “Fontainebleau Development’s leadership has conceived this resort with a unique, independent vision that sets it apart from everything there is, and anything there has ever been on the Strip. I am grateful for the trust that has been placed in me, and the recognition of my decades-long love and commitment to the Las Vegas hospitality industry.”
More recently, Tricano was a senior vice president for Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment Corp., where he oversaw operations and labor strategy for more than $7.5 billion in annual gross gaming revenue with a team of 13,000 employees, according to the release. His career also includes stops at Caesars Entertainment and JACK Entertainment.
Fontainebleau officials also announced the hiring of Michelle Reda as chief casino marketing officer of the property. Reda has 25 years of luxury hospitality and casino marketing experience for Las Vegas resorts, according to the release, including multiple roles over 13 years at Wynn Resorts. Reda also led casino marketing efforts for Caesars Entertainment and Station Casinos.
The property’s “vice president of people” – a human resources leader – Kimberly Virtuoso was also promoted to senior vice president of people. She will oversee the resort’s human resources strategy and the online recruitment portal, the company said. Virtuoso previously served as executive director of corporate human resources for MGM Resorts International and is an instructor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ continuing education department.
“Our executives have all proven to be extraordinary leaders throughout their careers,” Mufson, who was selected in January to oversee the resort’s construction, said in the release. “Their passion, appreciation for excellence, and entrepreneurial spirit make each one of them a natural fit to complement the leadership team we have built to date. As stewards of our brand, its culture and heritage, we are thrilled to welcome them to Fontainebleau, as we look to establish ourselves as the pinnacle of luxury hospitality to a new generation of guests.”
The 67-story Fontainebleau will open almost two decades after Florida developer Jeffrey Soffer initially unveiled plans for the resort in 2005. Its development history includes bankruptcy proceedings, halted construction, changing ownership, a name change and multiple recessions.
But the developers — including Soffer, who reacquired the property with Koch Industries’ real estate team in 2021 — secured a $2.2 billion construction loan to finish the property in December 2022.
The 3,644-room resort is expected to offer visitors a collection of restaurants, shops, pool experiences, nightlife, spa and wellness services as well as 550,000 square feet of convention space, according to the release.
The executive team announcement is the first part of Fontainebleau’s job recruitment plan. The first phase will focus on management and leadership positions. A wider push in the fall will recruit for front line positions that include hotel operations, casino, food and beverage and other roles.
McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.
