Another downtown core property is about to change hands, with the Siegel Group adding to its holdings with the purchase of the Nevadan Hotel Tower from the Cal Neva folks. Siegel now controls the Truckee River Lane Building (Java Jungle), the Virginian Casino Hotel across the street from the Nevadan, the El Cortez, the Senator Hotel on 2nd Street, and the Nugget Courtyard Motel in Sparks.
I’m ready to see some ACTION on these properties. El Cortez has been cleaned out and rebranded as another Siegel Suites property. The Senator is a dump. Truckee River Lane wants Reno to donate their riverfront parks to make remodeling feasible. Virginian just sits there fading a bit more every day. My vision for downtown isn’t slightly more hygienic weekly hobotels with “Siegel Points”.
And the winner of the Lipstick on a Pig Award goes to this previous renovation proposal for the Nevadan!
REreno 
Abbi Holtom Whitaker (@abbijayne) said:
i agree with you. the last thing we want is a repeat of his endeavors in vegas.
H.E. said:
Well, I hate to always be a naysayer on this blog, but it seems evident we’ll only get a copy of his Vegas plans. Also, “visions” for downtown won’t beat cold hard cash when it comes to hygienic hobohotels. For now we are at Siegel’s mercy.
Steve Jobs said:
OK, I’m the only one who doesn’t know – what did these guys do (or not do) in Vegas?
Eric Raydon said:
Buying buildings isn’t hard. Fixing them is. Show me.
Rory said:
Sadly, slumlords only know one way. If history is any indication, the Siegel Group is in the business of propagating seediness and investing as little as possible. They seem destined to become another bad actor in the local development community. Not optimistic.
Brett S. Beck said:
I have lived in Nevada for 38 years…, I know the people of our state are grateful and thankful to anyone who comes into our beautiful and business friendly state that creates jobs particularly if it is a non-gaming jobs. Our state must diversify the economy, if we are to compete with other no state income tax like Alaska, Florida, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, and Texas. Our state must compete and win the competition with these states which have a higher percentage and number of college educated citizens. We must all work together to find a way to employee more people thus improving the outlook and tax base of the state. I personally believe that our taxes are too much for the job creators and we could potentially lose a little bit of competitive edge we possess. In short amount of time…, I’ve witnessed The Siegel Group (TSG) as a creator of jobs and provides a Hugh tax base for an unbelievable
Benefits of citizens of our state by directly and indirectly improving and impacting the lives of people who work for TSG in our state. TSG employees over 1500 people and will continue to employee more and TSG will be the one of the largest employers in Northern Nevada. Let’s all work together as a team for the benefit of our citizen of this great state called NEVADA by helping and assisting not only TSG but other job creators by being positive and uplifting. The journey has just begun and let’s make 100% certain that all the job creators of this state will be successful for the benefits
of citizens of Nevada.
geopower said:
Thanks for the tutorial on competitive advantage Brett. What do you suppose the Siegel Suites competitve advantage is within the motel market? Saving on staffing by letting the police serve as security? Leveraging initial goodwill toward investors into municipal handouts?
Everyone up here in Reno has given Siegel LOTS of benefit of the doubt so far. A year ago we believed when your boss said he’d invest money to help clean up downtown and re-purpose buildings for better uses. In return we’ve got the continued decline of major downtown buildings, a couple paint jobs, a request for a gift of public land, and a return to weekly hobotel business-as-usual.
Instead of worrying about whether we in northern NEVADA are positive and uplifting enough to be on the same team as shady borderline-slumlords, why don’t you focus on trying to sell your pile of non-performing assets and editing your boss’s self-laudatory wikipedia pages.
As they say up here, don’t piss on my boots and tell me that it’s raining.
KBZNV said:
What Geopower said is the exact reason I read this blog. Well Said Sir
Sara Lee said:
Thank you, geopower.
geopower said:
By the way, Brett. Whatever “Siegel Commerical Advisors” is, it doesn’t appear to be licensed with the state as either a company or a real estate broker. So, you might want to look into that.
H.E. said:
Ahaha! “Don’t piss on my boots and tell me it’s raining”
I just got back from the land of “Siegel Suites” in Vegas, and on my way in, low and behold the Nugget Courtyard has been rebranded to “Siegel Suites Sparks”. I nearly died, what’s the Cortez going to be named? or the Nevadan? I almost hope he gets his hands on a Midtown hobohotel just so we can see “Siegel Suites Midtown”. All on a gaudy piss colored building.
Oooh, maybe he’ll paint the Cortez his signature color. I can see it now, 7 stories protruding into Reno’s skyline.
VVOF said:
Well just found out about The Navadan Hotel and it’s changing of Hands to the new owner “Siegel”…well if it’s anything Like the other Hotels I’ve heard about that he owns here In Reno… I can’t then see how economic Growth is possible for the Downtown area…meaning I’ve heard that the other Properties introduced More scumbags to the downtown area…with Tenants ranging from Drug dealers,Hookers,Gangbangers and Ex-cons…don’t see how any Tourist or potential Company would want to come here now..Downtown Reno is bad enough for Tourist and it’s Locals…I can’t walk through downtown without every 10-20 feet being asked if I have extra Change or a Cigarette by low class people..yeah makes sense to introduce more of that same crowed to downtown..wonderful.I honestly think Reno Nevada’s glory days are looking dimmer..shameful to imagine and even more shameful our future generations have this to look forward to.Between our Government and Big Business we’ve got the shaft.
BanteringBear said:
VVOF posted:
“…I can’t then see how economic Growth is possible for the Downtown area…meaning I’ve heard that the other Properties introduced More scumbags to the downtown area…with Tenants ranging from Drug dealers,Hookers,Gangbangers and Ex-cons…don’t see how any Tourist or potential Company would want to come here now..Downtown Reno is bad enough for Tourist and it’s Locals…I can’t walk through downtown without every 10-20 feet being asked if I have extra Change or a Cigarette by low class people..yeah makes sense to introduce more of that same crowed to downtown..wonderful.I honestly think Reno Nevada’s glory days are looking dimmer..shameful to imagine and even more shameful our future generations have this to look forward to….”
Aww, c’mon, this is completely opposite of what we’ve been told by all the Reno shills. Surely you’re just making this up, right? I mean, all of those vagrants and such have to be a figment of your imagination. We’ve been told for over 10 years now that Reno has changed. Uh-oh, something’s not adding up…
Brett S. Beck said:
One thing for sure…, I like how everyone really truly cares about the future downtown Reno. For that, I command everyone and am truly grateful for every valuable suggestions. Thank you
Brett S. Beck said:
I am sanguine about the future prospects of downtown RENO and northern Nevada…, It will get lot better and I love Northern Nevada. I am always happy when I am in Reno and always looking forward to going there and spend my money too.