Old Tropicana furniture, fixtures and equipment to be auctioned

In with the new, out with the old to an auction warehouse in San Diego.

The Tropicana Las Vegas has shipped six semitruck loads of old furniture, fixtures and equipment to a 22,000-square-foot warehouse in San Diego for a live auction scheduled for next month, two auction companies handling the event announced this morning.

La Jolla Liquidation & Auction Co. will oversee the auction by online company BizAuctions on May 21-22.

BizAuctions will also place items for sale through eBay and Amazon.

“This live auction should prove to be a good quality auction that will offer merchandise ranging from the historic Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel & Casino to general brand name electronics and general merchandise,” BizAuctions Chief Executive Officer Delmar Janovec said in a statement.

BizAuctions is in the inventory phase and did not release specifics on what would be available for auction.

It is not known how much money the auction and online sales are expected to raise or what Tropicana’s share of the sales will be.

The Tropicana is finishing the first phase of its $165 million renovation of the property, its first major redesign in 25 years, the property said this morning.

The property is being designed in a South Beach Miami theme.

“The objective is to create a place that has an ambiance and a glow that is irresistible to the majority of Las Vegas visitors,” Tropicana Las Vegas President Tom McCartney said in a statement. “In addition to changing and improving everything in our guests’ physical environment, we also plan to exceed our guests’ expectations in both service and amenities.”

Newly designed hotel rooms in the property’s 569-room Paradise Tower are ready, and the luxury suites in the tower will open May 17.

An electronic billboard with the new Tropicana Las Vegas logo was recently placed along Tropicana Avenue near the pedestrian bridge connecting to MGM Grand.

The renovation of the 34-acre property includes a redesign of all 1,658 hotel rooms and 140 luxury suites in the two hotel towers, the 50,000-square-foot casino and the 4-acre pool.

The casino renovation will include the removal of the stained-glass ceiling above the casino floor.

New restaurants, bars and lounges, a spa, retail shops, a new poker room, conference rooms and nightclub are also planned.

The 53-year-old property is privately owned with a partnership between MGM Grand executive Alex Yemenidjian and Toronto-based private equity firm Onex Corp. controlling 64.4 percent of the shares. Wells Fargo Foothill owns 11.1 percent.

The ownership group took over the property July 1, acquiring the property through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of its former owner, Tropicana Entertainment.

Tropicana Las Vegas generated $33.6 million in revenue for the first six months under the new ownership group, posting a net loss of $19 million between July 1 and December 31.

Contact reporter Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.