BackinMemphis

A flight of fancy Who should pay for a $15,000 flight for Lisa Marie Presley to promote her father’s legacy in Las Vegas? Not LMP, for starters. But who was responsible for this air fare was an issue tucked into the court documents in Westgate Las Vegas’ legal filing against Third-party production company Exhibit A Circle LLC.  (Joel Weinshanker.) Westgate won a nearly $2.5 million judgment from Exhibit A Circle, which had been contracted to stage and operate “The Elvis Experience” sage show and “Graceland Presents: Elvis the Exhibition.” The show closed in May 2015 after a two month run; the attraction of Presley memorabilia closed in February 2016 after running for 10 months. In April 2015, Lisa Marie and her mother, Priscilla Presley, appeared at the opening of both the public display of Elvis’ personal items and the production show at International Theater (where “The King” headlined more than 600 sold-out shows).   Westgate sent its private jet to Tennessee t...

Westgate scores 2 Million! 2 million in a legal dispute centered on its ill-fated Elvis Presley attraction and stage show. The production “The Elvis Experience” ran from April to May 2015, while the 28,000-square-foot “Graceland Presents: Elvis the Exhibition” was open from April 2015 to February 2016. The two-team parlay of Elvis attractions was never profitable (hence the untimely closings). The abrupt shuttering of the show and exhibit sparked a messy lawsuit between Westgate and third-party production company Exhibit A Circle LLC, which was contracted to stage the Elvis events. Exhibit A Circle made the decision to shut down both the exhibit and the stage show. As a result, Westgate claimed in court papers that it suffered serious financial losses as Exhibit A Circle was in breach of its 10-year operating contract with the hotel. On June 27, after a lengthy legal back-and-forth, Westgate was awarded about $2.25 million in damages by a federal arbitrator. Still to be determine...

“Graceland Presents Elvis” was a short-lived attraction inside the former International Hotel, an off-strip resort that hosted hundreds of performances by the legend. The exhibit opened in April of 2015, and closed the following February. The 28,000-square-foot exhibit offered visitors the chance to view 350 pieces of Elvis memorabilia, the largest collection outside of Graceland. The artifacts included stage outfits, jewelry, letters, guitars, and other relics that were loaned to the casino from his estate in Tennessee. But with the exhibit poorly attended, Elvis Presley Enterprises threatened to abandon its 10-year lease agreement less than a year after opening . Westgate, which claimed to have invested over $9 million in preparing the space for the spectacle, subsequently closed the attraction and locked the memorabilia as ransom.     Despite a lawsuit filed in March of 2016 that sought for the items to be returned, the Westgate has maintained their possession. ...

Hundreds of Elvis Presley artifacts and memorabilia are still being held by a Las Vegas casino, a year after the King’s estate filed a lawsuit to get those valuables back from a short-lived exhibit. Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino’s chief operating officer Mark Waltrip said Wednesday that the items — including stage outfits, jewelry and letters, among other artifacts from the career, home and wedding of Elvis — remain locked up at the casino site where the now-shuttered “Graceland Presents Elvis” attraction once stood. The dispute stems from the 10-year leasing agreement that Westgate alleges the exhibit defaulted on when it vacated the off-Strip casino space. A judge ruled in May 2016 that Elvis Presley Enterprises, which runs the Graceland attraction in Memphis, Tennessee, could get them back by posting a $9 million bond while the leasing issue was pending. All parties instead agreed to take the case into arbitration. Waltrip said a judge’s decision is expected in the next ...

UPDATE Electrical Fire at Westgate Las Vegas Two people were treated for smoke inhalation after an electrical fire at the Westgate in May. The fire started at 9:52 p.m. in an electrical room within the 12th floor of the hotel, Clark County Fire Department deputy chief Roy Session said. Five engines, two ladder trucks, two rescues and two battalion chiefs initially responded to the hotel at 3000 Paradise Road, Session said. The fire was contained within the electrical room and quickly extinguished. But even though the blaze was out, smoke had spread throughout the 12th floor. Crews used electrical fans to quickly clear the floor of lingering smoke, and one maintenance worker and one hotel guest were treated for smoke inhalation on scene but not taken to a hospital, Session said. The damages had not been determined as of 11:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Source Las Vegas Journal, May 11, 2016 (Interesting and scary at the same time, especial...