Elvis has left the building: Presley attraction in Vegas casino closes amid dispute

An Elvis Presley exhibit that opened at a Las Vegas casino-hotel with great fanfare last year has abruptly closed amid a leasing dispute that involves hundreds of the King’s artifacts.

The Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino said it’s holding the valuables from the Elvis attraction after the operator, Exhibit A Circle LLC, defaulted on its 10-year lease with the off-Strip property.

Westgate said the casino shuttered the space on Friday after it was told the operators were leaving.

“They notified us they were shutting down. We closed the facility,” Westgate’s chief operating officer Mark Waltrip said. “We weren’t going to let them pack up in the middle of the night.”

Exhibit A Circle said in a statement that Westgate violated the contract to begin with, but a company representative declined to elaborate on what the “breaches of conduct” were, citing the ongoing legal dispute. The issue is expected to be arbitrated later this year. “Exhibit a Circle...will continue to avail itself of all available legal remedies to defend its rights and to fully enforce the terms of its agreement with the Westgate,” the statement said in part.

Waltrip said the attraction may no longer be financially viable because of poor marketing and promotional efforts. Westgate spent millions of dollars outfitting the space and wants to recoup money owed as part of the leasing agreement, he said.