Bellagio's Randy Morton Named Nevada Hotelier of the Year

Morton to be Honored at Hotel World

February 8, 2008 - Las Vegas -

LAS VEGAS - Randy Morton, President and COO of Bellagio, will be honored as the Nevada Hotelier of the Year at the Hotel World Expo & Conference, February 25-27, 2008, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The award will be presented at the Hotel World award dinner on Tuesday, February 26, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Caesars Palace.  Morton is being honored for outstanding contributions TO Nevada’s lodging industry for leadership, service and exemplary professionalism to Nevada's lodging industry. 

Mr. Morton has 28 years of hospitality industry experience but his interest began even earlier.  As a teenager growing up in Toronto, Canada, he worked for his uncle in the family business, 401 Inns, named after the highway the inns were located on.  During five years, he held positions from dishwasher and cook to bellman and front desk clerk.  After realizing his NHL Hockey career may not work out, Mr. Morton knew he wanted to be a part of the hotel industry.  He enrolled and later graduated from George Brown College in Toronto, Canada with a focus on Hospitality & Tourism Management.

A major turning point in Mr. Morton’s life was in 1980 when he was accepted as a management trainee for the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.  For the next 20 years, he enjoyed great success with the luxury hotel operator and served in several senior management positions including general manager for the Four Seasons Resort Maui and Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.

In 2000, Mr. Morton joined the Bellagio team as Vice President of Hotel Operations.  During his first year at the resort, he played an instrumental role in Bellagio achieving the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award.  The honor established Bellagio as the first Las Vegas hotel casino and the largest hotel ever to receive AAA’s top status.

Mr. Morton was promoted by MGM Mirage in 2005 as president and COO of Monte Carlo followed by his current role as president and COO of Bellagio, where he is responsible for all operations at the 3,933-room hotel.  He also leads the development and implementation of “Five Steps Beyond Excellence,” a guest recognition program further supporting Bellagio’s commitment to offering the ultimate in service.

As a  member of Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society, Mr. Morton’s professional affiliations also include service as Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer for the Nevada Hotel Lodging Association.

Morton joins a prestigious list of past award winners including William S. Boyd, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming Corporation,  MGM MIRAGE Chairman and CEO Terry Lanni, President and CEO of Wynn Resorts Steve Wynn and more.

Tickets to the Hotel World Awards Dinner are $225 and can be purchased by calling 1-216-706-3770 or by clicking here for a reservation form.  To contact the NHLA office directly call 702-878-9272 ext. 100.

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April 7, 2006 - Las Vegas -

William S. Boyd

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Bill Boyd was born in Los Angeles, California, on November 4, 1931.  He has lived in Las Vegas since 1941 when Las Vegas had a population of approximately 10,000 people.  After completing his grammar and high school education in Las Vegas, he enrolled at the University of Nevada in Reno, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.  He then entered law school at the University of Utah, and after one year was drafted in the United States Army where he served from 1953 to 1955, serving a tour of duty in Germany.  Upon completing his military service, he returned to the University of Utah School of Law where he received his law degree in 1957.

Bill’s father, Sam A. Boyd, came to Las Vegas in 1941 as a dealer.  He later was a stockholder in the Sahara, the Mint and the Union Plaza hotels in Las Vegas.  Bill Boyd practiced law in Las Vegas for more than 15 years and was a partner with his father, among others, in the Union Plaza Hotel & Casino and the Eldorado Casino.   In 1973, Bill Boyd and his father co-founded Boyd Gaming Corporation whose first property, the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, opened in January 1975.  At that time, Bill left the practice of law and began his full-time career in the gaming industry.  Today, Bill Boyd is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming.
 
Bill has been involved with many civic and charitable organizations.  He was on the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Downtown Progress Association and is a past president of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Nevada.  He was also President of the Nevada Resort Association, served on the Board of Directors of Nevada State Bank for 20 years and founded BankWest of Nevada.  Bill Boyd, Boyd Gaming and the Boyd Foundation have been major donors to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Boys and Girls Club, Boy’s Town of Nevada, National Judicial College, St. Rose de Lima Hospital, the United Way, D.A.R.E. and Nevada Blood Services, to mention a few.  In 1997, Bill Boyd provided the initial $5 million for the creation of the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.  In 2005, he contributed another $25 million to the Boyd School of Law to ensure its continued success in the future.

Bill is the father of three children, and all three children are involved in the family business.  Sam Boyd works as an Executive Casino Host at Sam’s Town Las Vegas; William R. Boyd was appointed Vice President in 1990 and serves on the Board of Directors; and Marianne Boyd Johnson is a Senior Vice President of the Company and also serves as the Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors.  Sam A. Boyd, Bill’s father, passed away in January 1993.

BOYD GAMING OVERVIEW:  Exhilarating casino action, chart-topping entertainment, award-winning restaurants, beautiful environments and plenty of shopping and recreational pursuits – a visit to any of Boyd Gaming’s properties offers a distinctive experience and unrivaled attention to customer care. From the legendary Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City to the burgeoning gaming markets in Louisiana and the Midwest, our Company continues to raise the bar in the entertainment, gaming, hospitality, dining and retail industries.

Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) is a multi-jurisdictional gaming company. Headquartered in Las Vegas, the Company is a leading owner and operator of 18 gaming, hospitality and entertainment operations and a number of promising development opportunities in Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey. The Company’s $1.3 billion merger with Coast Casinos, Inc. in 2004 created one of the most diversified gaming companies in the business. Coast Casinos operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boyd Gaming under its existing and proven management team.

Visitors to either Boyd Gaming’s Stardust Resort and Casino or Coast Casinos’ Barbary Coast can stroll the famous Las Vegas Boulevard, where a seemingly endless collection of neon lights illuminate their path. Those who wish to experience the more eclectic attractions of downtown Las Vegas will enjoy the spectacular light and sound shows occurring nightly in front of the Fremont Hotel and Casino, the turn-of-the-century antiques that grace Main Street Station Casino, Brewery and Hotel, and the charm of the Hawaiian Islands which emanates from the California Hotel and Casino.

Vacations-Hawaii, a full-service travel agency in Honolulu, offers direct charter flights to Las Vegas and brings more than 110,000 islanders to Boyd Gaming’s downtown properties city each year.

Coast’s other successful properties – Gold Coast, Suncoast and The Orleans – enhance Boyd Gaming’s presence in the dynamic and growing Las Vegas locals sector. They join the Company’s longtime Boulder Strip casinos – Sam’s Town Las Vegas, Jokers Wild and Eldorado – in welcoming local patrons to a friendly gaming atmosphere where customers are greeted by name.

Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall – the largest gaming entertainment destination in southeastern Las Vegas – offers an abundance of recreational activities within a contemporary southwestern setting. Its counterparts in Tunica, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana, also offer an array of casino and entertainment options. Widely known as some of the friendliest places around, the Sam’s Town properties offer guests a first-class experience in both value and atmosphere.

Louisiana also hosts two additional Boyd Gaming properties. Dynamite casino action and horse-racing thrills await visitors at Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino in southwestern Louisiana, while the beautiful Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner enchants guests with its vibrant mix of Las Vegas, Caribbean and Mardi Gras ambiance.

Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino offers Las Vegas-style excitement as the contemporary four-deck riverboat remains dockside in East Peoria, Illinois. Its Midwest neighbor, the Blue Chip Casino and Hotel, offers Hoosier hospitality and gaming fun in Michigan City, the heart of northwestern Indiana.

Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa – a $1.1 billion development at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City – was the first new hotel casino in the Atlantic City market in 13 years when it debuted in summer 2003. The Company and MGM MIRAGE each own 50 percent of a limited liability company that owns and operates Borgata. The opulent property opened to rave reviews and continues to impress with its results.

With experienced leaders at the helm and an unyielding focus on our core business philosophies and strategic plan, Boyd Gaming continues to maximize value for our shareholders, our employees and our communities.

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