April 25, 2025 • 14 mins
In this bonus episode, excerpts from a previously unpublished interview with the legendary Las Vegas entrepreneur Elaine Wynn. Elaine helped shaped the creation of the modern Las Vegas, as it evolved from the Rat Pack to Adele, mega-resorts and celebrity chefs. Elaine will be missed.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
I was saddened to hear the news that Elaine Wynn
died in Los Angeles on April fourteenth. Elaine was someone
I had known and liked for many years. I asked
her to be a guest on my podcast a couple
of years ago. Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short and
we never got to finish the podcast. It was such
a shame because I loved talking to Elaine. She was
(00:25):
a dynamic woman, a beloved mother, and a visionary businesswoman.
I want to share some of that conversation here, as
I know you will enjoy learning more about this remarkable woman.
Elaine Wynn is among the most successful entrepreneurs in the
United States. She is a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a
(00:47):
passionate art collector. Known as the Queen of Las Vegas,
Missus Wynn co founded Mirage Resorts and Win Resorts with
her former husband, Steve. Wynne has played an instrumental role
in shaping what Las Vegas has become today, and our
philanthropic endeavors are endless. It is a pleasure to welcome
(01:09):
the woman who has been called the epitome of grace, warmth,
and class to my podcast. Welcome e Lane, and I'm
so pleased that you agreed to do this podcast with me.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, I am delighted to be reunited with you, Martha.
It's been way too long since we were able to connect.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Well, I wanted to know right off the bat, what
was your vision for Las Vegas and when did that
vision realize itself.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Well, it depends on how much time you have, because
I have lived all my adult life in Las Vegas.
Steve and I moved out there in the late sixties,
and it was in connection with at that time, the
Frontier Hotel, which was a brand new property, and of
course I was moving along to be the supporting, urturing wife.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We had a.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Ten month old daughter, and we were in our mid twenties,
quite young to be starting on a new path in
a new city. We had relocated from Washington, d C.
But as we continued to settle and see that Las
Vegas was going to be our destiny, I became increasingly
more involved in the company and the businesses that unfolded.
(02:26):
Because fortunately Steve and I were very close. We were
not only one another's best friends and of course married,
we had a lot of the same kind of passions
and kind of ideas, creative ideas. Of course, no one
can take anything away from Steve's vision and what ultimately
(02:46):
became what we call the modern Las Vegas. But I
understood that I was married to a workaholic, and if
I had any chance at all of remaining in a
meaningful marriage, that I would need to somehow work alongside
of him. And fortunately that turned out well. I was
invited to do so. And as the years evolved and
(03:09):
we became more smitten with the opportunity in Las Vegas,
which was evidenced by all of the people continually wanting
to come there, that we thought this was the opportunity
that could not be replaced for us in any other city.
We both had experienced life in Miami Beach in our
(03:30):
late teens.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
He was away at prep school, but I went to
school there. I just wanted to tell everybody that you
were also miss Miami. What year was that, oh, nineteen
oh nine.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It was in the sixties, and you had been at
school there together, so you were sort of like childhood
sweethearts forging ahead out into the West.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
In a sense. Steve was a way at prep school.
I was at school Miami. Our fathers fixed us up.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh they did they? Yeah, Well, having known you for
about I would say more than thirty years, it was
kind of interesting to see what's happened and to hear
this story is so exciting. So you go out to
the west, you go out to a town light like
Las Vegas, which was emerging as a city, of course,
(04:25):
but it was not what it is today. Do you
think your vision has been realized as you had hoped? Well?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I think that clearly the timing of the mega resort
is what evolved while we were creating our properties.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What was the first mega resort? I would say the Mirage.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, Caesar's had taken a stab at it, but then
the Mirage came on with multi thousands of rooms, and
that sort of gave all of our brethren permission to
building these much larger properties that had more than just
a few hundred rooms.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And those properties incorporated not just gambling, but showbiz. Fantastic
shows were brought to Las Vegas. Fantastic restaurants were brought
to Las Vegas. I think, as far as my research
shows that you and Steve were really instrumental in changing
the entire tone of this desert city into a mega
(05:30):
resort of its own.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well, thank you for that compliment, and I will there'll
be no false humility here. I would say that the
Mirage kind of was the ushering in of that new
way of thinking. Up until then, Las Vegas certainly was
known primarily as a gaming destination, but there were gourmet
rooms and as you recalled, the rat pack was there,
(05:54):
and we had extraordinary singular performers. But once we got
involved and branched out into the world of culinary arts,
especially getting to know our mutual dear friend Elizabeth Blow,
we were able to entice some of the finest chefs
in the world to come and partner with us in
(06:15):
restaurant concepts. And I would have to say that Bellagio
was sort of the beginning of that. Although Wolfgang had
been there, he was in a shopping mall and we
kept losing customers every.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Night to Wolfgang, and we said, what's this all about?
So you brought him to Bula, Yes, Michael Mina, George,
So you brought the top chefs in America as well
as in Europe, to the world of entertainment out in
Las Vegas. Can you tell us who your favorite restauranteurs
were and are, and also your favorite entertainers. I mean,
(06:52):
you've seen them all, Elaine, Yes, I have seen them all.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
In terms of restauranteurs, Martha, you know that that's a
very difficult thing to do because the different genres and
types of food that we're all exposed to now, you know,
are really extraordinary. But certainly I was enamored with Danielle Bullou,
Jean George Adoor, John George, Julian Serrano, Michael Mina, Todd English.
(07:21):
They were all beginning to ascend. They already had wonderful reputations,
but you know their expressions in Las Vegas, I think
they had more freedom because first of all, they had
more capacity, which was a challenge. You know, it's one
thing to run a restaurant that only has eighty or
ninety covers, and then all of a sudden you have
(07:43):
one hundred and twenty and they turn over twice a day.
So for them it was a creative challenge. But they delivered,
and as a result, you've seen the stampede of everyone
following them, and now a whole host of new chefs,
many of whom I don't even know I'm starting to
(08:03):
experiment with as well.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
And what about the show Viiz.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
What about the performers, Well, there was never a substitution
for Frank and Sammy and Dean. I mean that show
was the quintessential Las Vegas paradigm. But what followed, of course,
was Elvis, and if anyone has seen the latest Elvis movie,
(08:28):
it is such an accurate portrayal of his impact, especially
in Las Vegas. He was every bit as electric as
the movie portrays him to be Barber streisand was extraordinary.
Jennifer Lope has put on probably one of the best
shows of all time in the modern era.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Don't know how.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That woman lasts the hours that she performs, but it's
a treat.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And then of Lady Gaga Bruno Mars.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Right now we're all anticipate painting Adele, which will be
you know, the penultimate as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Kevin Sharky and I are coming out to see Adele
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You should should?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
We should hook up? You're going to go? Yes? Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
The funny thing is with me, I try not to
put pressure on my friends to go to the opening
show because I know how much and demand these tickets are,
but that one is what I might make an exception for.
But then we can't talk about this topic without mentioning
de Solet. And you know, the bringing of Cirq to
Solet was probably one of the greatest brainstorms we ever had.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And they opened first.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
At the Mirage and a tent literally, and then we
did them at Treasure Island, we did Misstare. And my
favorite show of all time to this day is Oh,
which is currently at Bellagio.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Mind you mine too. I love it so much. That
show is the epitome of Las Vegas for me in
terms of of extraordinary performance and ingenuity. Those creators of
Circus Sole are just amazing. Well they're brilliant, Yes they are. Yeah,
if our listeners have not seen any of the Circus
(10:13):
Sole shows, you're missing out on something extraordiny. What is
on in Las Vegas now from Circusol.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, they still have Oh, they have Love, which is
the show about the Beatles. I'm not sure if Ka
has restarted yet, but you know, when COVID yet, a
lot of things shut down, and then when we've re
emerged from it, it was an opportunity to do new shows.
So I'm not exactly current on what the other shows are,
(10:43):
but just seeing ohs enough.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Says you and Steve brought ceirc to Sol to Las Vegas. Yes, well,
what a feather in your cap. But I just want
everybody to understand that you were instrumental in shaping, really
shaping what Las Vegas has become. When I saw you
just a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, you said
you hadn't been there for a while. It's kept you away.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
The heat, you know, the summers can be a bit
challenging if you're a guest. They're not because everybody comes.
And of course we go from air conditioned cars into
the air conditioned hotels, and if you go outside to swim,
you're pretty much in the pool a good portion.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Of the time.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
But I would say that, you know, temperatures that are
one hundred and six to one hundred and ten don't
lend itself for walking around a lot throughout the years.
Because we had children as well, I would take the
kids and escape up to the mountains of Idaho for
those few months. And so I do commute to Las
Vegas all the time, though, and I was there frequently
(11:52):
this summer. We used to train the US Olympic team
at the wind so I would be there for sure
all the time. That the big boys were there and
that was great fun.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Is Las Vegas know what you really hoped it would
be and stay or has it changed even more?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think that it is evolved, and it's evolved in
a very good way. You used to think of Las
Vegas as a place primarily for so called high rollers
and the fast life, but Las Vegas has become a
midway and because of our capacity, our room capacity, we
(12:33):
can appeal to a far wider range of the market,
so that people from all over the country and the
world who have modest means and don't fancy themselves as
gamblers still come to Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
And get great value. They can get.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Hotel rooms cheaper than anywhere else that are larger than
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
They can get food at reasonable price.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
There is a variety of entertainment aside from the big shows.
There are lounges, there are small cafes, there are piano bars,
and so people can come and see the glitter and
glamour of Las Vegas and feel like they're a part
of it without feeling like there's no place for them.
(13:22):
I don't know that we ever envisioned Las Vegas that way,
but I see it as being quite democratic, meaning little
d that it's welcoming to all, not to mention the
marvelous conventions that we have midweek when most people are
not vacationing, that come in and hold extraordinary meetings and
(13:44):
convenience in luxurious properties with huge and enormous rooms as
well as breakout rooms that serve the convention needs very well.
So we've become kind of everything to everyone, including younger
clubgoers that are now going to all these crazy nightclubs
(14:04):
with all the crazy DJs. You know, we're bigger than
IBISA in that regard.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
That was a conversation cut far too short with Elaine Win,
a friend and a peer whom I respected. I want
to thank Elaine for the time she gave us that
day and for the time we spent together over the years,
along with her daughters Kevin and Jillian. I will remember
Elaine fondly.
I was saddened to hear the news that Elaine Wynn
died in Los Angeles on April fourteenth. Elaine was someone
I had known and liked for many years. I asked
her to be a guest on my podcast a couple
of years ago. Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short and
we never got to finish the podcast. It was such
a shame because I loved talking to Elaine. She was
(00:25):
a dynamic woman, a beloved mother, and a visionary businesswoman.
I want to share some of that conversation here, as
I know you will enjoy learning more about this remarkable woman.
Elaine Wynn is among the most successful entrepreneurs in the
United States. She is a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a
(00:47):
passionate art collector. Known as the Queen of Las Vegas,
Missus Wynn co founded Mirage Resorts and Win Resorts with
her former husband, Steve. Wynne has played an instrumental role
in shaping what Las Vegas has become today, and our
philanthropic endeavors are endless. It is a pleasure to welcome
(01:09):
the woman who has been called the epitome of grace, warmth,
and class to my podcast. Welcome e Lane, and I'm
so pleased that you agreed to do this podcast with me.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, I am delighted to be reunited with you, Martha.
It's been way too long since we were able to connect.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Well, I wanted to know right off the bat, what
was your vision for Las Vegas and when did that
vision realize itself.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Well, it depends on how much time you have, because
I have lived all my adult life in Las Vegas.
Steve and I moved out there in the late sixties,
and it was in connection with at that time, the
Frontier Hotel, which was a brand new property, and of
course I was moving along to be the supporting, urturing wife.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We had a.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Ten month old daughter, and we were in our mid twenties,
quite young to be starting on a new path in
a new city. We had relocated from Washington, d C.
But as we continued to settle and see that Las
Vegas was going to be our destiny, I became increasingly
more involved in the company and the businesses that unfolded.
(02:26):
Because fortunately Steve and I were very close. We were
not only one another's best friends and of course married,
we had a lot of the same kind of passions
and kind of ideas, creative ideas. Of course, no one
can take anything away from Steve's vision and what ultimately
(02:46):
became what we call the modern Las Vegas. But I
understood that I was married to a workaholic, and if
I had any chance at all of remaining in a
meaningful marriage, that I would need to somehow work alongside
of him. And fortunately that turned out well. I was
invited to do so. And as the years evolved and
(03:09):
we became more smitten with the opportunity in Las Vegas,
which was evidenced by all of the people continually wanting
to come there, that we thought this was the opportunity
that could not be replaced for us in any other city.
We both had experienced life in Miami Beach in our
(03:30):
late teens.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
He was away at prep school, but I went to
school there. I just wanted to tell everybody that you
were also miss Miami. What year was that, oh, nineteen
oh nine.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It was in the sixties, and you had been at
school there together, so you were sort of like childhood
sweethearts forging ahead out into the West.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
In a sense. Steve was a way at prep school.
I was at school Miami. Our fathers fixed us up.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh they did they? Yeah, Well, having known you for
about I would say more than thirty years, it was
kind of interesting to see what's happened and to hear
this story is so exciting. So you go out to
the west, you go out to a town light like
Las Vegas, which was emerging as a city, of course,
(04:25):
but it was not what it is today. Do you
think your vision has been realized as you had hoped? Well?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I think that clearly the timing of the mega resort
is what evolved while we were creating our properties.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What was the first mega resort? I would say the Mirage.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, Caesar's had taken a stab at it, but then
the Mirage came on with multi thousands of rooms, and
that sort of gave all of our brethren permission to
building these much larger properties that had more than just
a few hundred rooms.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And those properties incorporated not just gambling, but showbiz. Fantastic
shows were brought to Las Vegas. Fantastic restaurants were brought
to Las Vegas. I think, as far as my research
shows that you and Steve were really instrumental in changing
the entire tone of this desert city into a mega
(05:30):
resort of its own.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well, thank you for that compliment, and I will there'll
be no false humility here. I would say that the
Mirage kind of was the ushering in of that new
way of thinking. Up until then, Las Vegas certainly was
known primarily as a gaming destination, but there were gourmet
rooms and as you recalled, the rat pack was there,
(05:54):
and we had extraordinary singular performers. But once we got
involved and branched out into the world of culinary arts,
especially getting to know our mutual dear friend Elizabeth Blow,
we were able to entice some of the finest chefs
in the world to come and partner with us in
(06:15):
restaurant concepts. And I would have to say that Bellagio
was sort of the beginning of that. Although Wolfgang had
been there, he was in a shopping mall and we
kept losing customers every.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Night to Wolfgang, and we said, what's this all about?
So you brought him to Bula, Yes, Michael Mina, George,
So you brought the top chefs in America as well
as in Europe, to the world of entertainment out in
Las Vegas. Can you tell us who your favorite restauranteurs
were and are, and also your favorite entertainers. I mean,
(06:52):
you've seen them all, Elaine, Yes, I have seen them all.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
In terms of restauranteurs, Martha, you know that that's a
very difficult thing to do because the different genres and
types of food that we're all exposed to now, you know,
are really extraordinary. But certainly I was enamored with Danielle Bullou,
Jean George Adoor, John George, Julian Serrano, Michael Mina, Todd English.
(07:21):
They were all beginning to ascend. They already had wonderful reputations,
but you know their expressions in Las Vegas, I think
they had more freedom because first of all, they had
more capacity, which was a challenge. You know, it's one
thing to run a restaurant that only has eighty or
ninety covers, and then all of a sudden you have
(07:43):
one hundred and twenty and they turn over twice a day.
So for them it was a creative challenge. But they delivered,
and as a result, you've seen the stampede of everyone
following them, and now a whole host of new chefs,
many of whom I don't even know I'm starting to
(08:03):
experiment with as well.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
And what about the show Viiz.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
What about the performers, Well, there was never a substitution
for Frank and Sammy and Dean. I mean that show
was the quintessential Las Vegas paradigm. But what followed, of course,
was Elvis, and if anyone has seen the latest Elvis movie,
(08:28):
it is such an accurate portrayal of his impact, especially
in Las Vegas. He was every bit as electric as
the movie portrays him to be Barber streisand was extraordinary.
Jennifer Lope has put on probably one of the best
shows of all time in the modern era.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Don't know how.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That woman lasts the hours that she performs, but it's
a treat.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And then of Lady Gaga Bruno Mars.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Right now we're all anticipate painting Adele, which will be
you know, the penultimate as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Kevin Sharky and I are coming out to see Adele
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You should should?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
We should hook up? You're going to go? Yes? Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
The funny thing is with me, I try not to
put pressure on my friends to go to the opening
show because I know how much and demand these tickets are,
but that one is what I might make an exception for.
But then we can't talk about this topic without mentioning
de Solet. And you know, the bringing of Cirq to
Solet was probably one of the greatest brainstorms we ever had.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And they opened first.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
At the Mirage and a tent literally, and then we
did them at Treasure Island, we did Misstare. And my
favorite show of all time to this day is Oh,
which is currently at Bellagio.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Mind you mine too. I love it so much. That
show is the epitome of Las Vegas for me in
terms of of extraordinary performance and ingenuity. Those creators of
Circus Sole are just amazing. Well they're brilliant, Yes they are. Yeah,
if our listeners have not seen any of the Circus
(10:13):
Sole shows, you're missing out on something extraordiny. What is
on in Las Vegas now from Circusol.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, they still have Oh, they have Love, which is
the show about the Beatles. I'm not sure if Ka
has restarted yet, but you know, when COVID yet, a
lot of things shut down, and then when we've re
emerged from it, it was an opportunity to do new shows.
So I'm not exactly current on what the other shows are,
(10:43):
but just seeing ohs enough.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Says you and Steve brought ceirc to Sol to Las Vegas. Yes, well,
what a feather in your cap. But I just want
everybody to understand that you were instrumental in shaping, really
shaping what Las Vegas has become. When I saw you
just a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, you said
you hadn't been there for a while. It's kept you away.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
The heat, you know, the summers can be a bit
challenging if you're a guest. They're not because everybody comes.
And of course we go from air conditioned cars into
the air conditioned hotels, and if you go outside to swim,
you're pretty much in the pool a good portion.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Of the time.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
But I would say that, you know, temperatures that are
one hundred and six to one hundred and ten don't
lend itself for walking around a lot throughout the years.
Because we had children as well, I would take the
kids and escape up to the mountains of Idaho for
those few months. And so I do commute to Las
Vegas all the time, though, and I was there frequently
(11:52):
this summer. We used to train the US Olympic team
at the wind so I would be there for sure
all the time. That the big boys were there and
that was great fun.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Is Las Vegas know what you really hoped it would
be and stay or has it changed even more?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think that it is evolved, and it's evolved in
a very good way. You used to think of Las
Vegas as a place primarily for so called high rollers
and the fast life, but Las Vegas has become a
midway and because of our capacity, our room capacity, we
(12:33):
can appeal to a far wider range of the market,
so that people from all over the country and the
world who have modest means and don't fancy themselves as
gamblers still come to Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
And get great value. They can get.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Hotel rooms cheaper than anywhere else that are larger than
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
They can get food at reasonable price.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
There is a variety of entertainment aside from the big shows.
There are lounges, there are small cafes, there are piano bars,
and so people can come and see the glitter and
glamour of Las Vegas and feel like they're a part
of it without feeling like there's no place for them.
(13:22):
I don't know that we ever envisioned Las Vegas that way,
but I see it as being quite democratic, meaning little
d that it's welcoming to all, not to mention the
marvelous conventions that we have midweek when most people are
not vacationing, that come in and hold extraordinary meetings and
(13:44):
convenience in luxurious properties with huge and enormous rooms as
well as breakout rooms that serve the convention needs very well.
So we've become kind of everything to everyone, including younger
clubgoers that are now going to all these crazy nightclubs
(14:04):
with all the crazy DJs. You know, we're bigger than
IBISA in that regard.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
That was a conversation cut far too short with Elaine Win,
a friend and a peer whom I respected. I want
to thank Elaine for the time she gave us that
day and for the time we spent together over the years,
along with her daughters Kevin and Jillian. I will remember
Elaine fondly.
Host
Martha Stewart
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