Nearly five years after a southern California tribe became the first to acquire a hotel-casino in the Las Vegas Strip corridor, the Palms Casino Resort has become more of a locals property than when it originally opened in November 2001. Value and hospitality are at the center of its success, the new general manager, Kevin Glass, told Nevada gaming regulators.
The casino-resort west of the Strip was built by the Maloof family and was known as a tourist destination and locals property when it opened. Its nightclub scene was one of the best in the city. But the Palms fell into financial difficulty during the Great Recession. It was acquired by Red Rock Resorts for $312.5 million in 2016 and underwent a $620 million renovation, but that failed to bring back its original prominence as a hangout.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians purchased the Palms and the adjacent Palms Place condo-hotel from Red Rock for $650 million in December 2021. They reopened the following April after being closed the previous two years because of the pandemic. While analysts said the property struggled when it first reopened, it continues to perform better.
Glass, whose history dates back to its opening in 2001, passed a regulatory hurdle Wednesday to seek his Nevada gaming license when he was recommended by the Gaming Control Board. He talked about the property’s transformation.
“We’ve made a lot of changes over the last 4½ years and the local business is our wheelhouse,” Glass said in response to a question about whether it’s a tourist or locals property. “We’re predominantly a locals casino.”
Glass, without giving away any trade secrets, told Board Chair Mike Dreitzer it’s all about “value, hospitality, and giving customers a safe space that’s clean and offers a good time. When they leave, They feel like they didn’t spend $10 on a bottle of water. That’s been our business model.”
Glass, the general manager at the Downtown Grand in downtown Las Vegas for six years, assumed the position in September after previously serving as assistant general manager. He replaced Stephen Thayer, who left after working at the casino for less than a year. He was recommended for approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission when they meet later this month.
Glass started in the industry in 1998 as a front desk agent at the Monte Carlo and worked at the Palms when it opened in 2001 as a reservations-revenue and leisure-sales manager. He worked for Station Casinos before going to the Downtown Grand. He came back to the Palms in 2021 as the vice president of hospitality overseeing non-gaming and was promoted to assistant general manager in March 2025, before becoming general manager six months later.
As general manager, he oversees all operations for the Palms and Palms Place. His role oversees finance, legal, compliance, gaming, security, marketing, human resources, and entertainment. “My role is to steer the ship, think strategically, and take a look at where the Palms will be in the next three to five years.”
Glass said he has always been a student of the gaming side of the business. He was originally hired to be the hotel general manager at the Downtown Grand after a couple of months into the job when he also assumed gaming responsibilities after the general manager left.
“I had to learn and I learned by asking questions, spending time on the floor, and talking to team members and customers,” Glass said. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do that at a smaller property that wasn’t overwhelming. Here at the Palms, it makes it that much easier for me.”
The Southern California-based San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority used the hearing before the Board to formally change its name in gaming-related documents from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel. The tribe is indigenous to the San Bernardino highlands, with a 1,100-acre reservation in San Bernardino County, where they operate the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel in Highland. It’s a tribal name it has been using publicly since 2021.
