SLS Las Vegas hires veteran gaming executives

(PRESS RELEASE) -- SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino announced today that it has hired two veteran gaming executives, Terry Downey and Robert Schaffhauser, to assume leadership of the fashionable resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Downey and Schaffhauser most recently led the revitalization of Aliante Casino Hotel and Spa, a North Las Vegas casino that was sold last year to Boyd Gaming.

"Terry and Bob bring a tremendous amount of experience and insight to SLS Las Vegas," said Terry Fancher, Executive Managing Director at Stockbridge Capital Partners, the San Francisco investment group that owns SLS Las Vegas. "They will apply their valuable expertise to maximizing the potential of this rejuvenated and historic property."

SLS Las Vegas opened in August 2014 after a total renovation of the former Sahara Hotel & Casino. In 2015, SLS announced an agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (now Marriott International) to affiliate the hotel with Starwood's Tribute Portfolio brand and to convert a portion of the hotel to the W Hotel brand. The 289-room W Las Vegas opened this past 1 December.

Downey will serve as President and Chief Operating Officer, taking over for Scott Kreeger, who announced last month that he is leaving SLS to join a gaming company located outside of Las Vegas. Downey is a 15-year veteran of Station Casinos, where he oversaw multiple properties. He most recently was President and General Manager of Aliante Gaming.

Schaffhauser will join SLS as Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as CFO at Aliante and worked in finance roles for Colony Resorts LVH Acquisitions (Las Vegas Hilton) and the Trump Hotels & Casinos organization.

"Bob and I are excited about the opportunities at SLS Las Vegas," Downey said. "It's an impressive resort with unrealized potential, and we're eager to work with Stockbridge to unlock that potential."