Golden Entertainment appoints Cliff Atkinson to lead The STRAT

Cliff Atkinson will leave his role as president and chief executive of Fremont Street Experience to become president of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower, Golden Entertainment announced. Fremont Street Experience officials said Atkinson will step down on 6 November 2026, and he is scheduled to start at The STRAT on 9 November 2026.

The STRAT stands on the north side of the Strip. Its grounds take in a hotel with 2,427 rooms, a casino and an observation tower. Atkinson will be responsible for running that resort. Golden Entertainment, the company that owns and operates The STRAT, said it was glad to have him and noted the extensive history he brings from large Las Vegas properties.

Atkinson joined Fremont Street Experience on 17 February 2026. During his time there, the source says he was credited with expanding entertainment offerings, growing the “Downtown Rocks” concert series, introducing additional themed events and helping launch the “Always On” marketing campaign.

Atkinson's prior posts include leading Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as president from August 2023 through December 2025. He then served as president of Fontainebleau Las Vegas between January 2022 and January 2023. Earlier, he held the president and COO roles at the Luxor for a stretch of over a year, roughly 2019 to 2021, following a stint as senior vice president of hotel strategy for MGM Resorts International spanning 2016 to 2019. His career also took him to San Francisco in 2012 as GM of the Mandarin Oriental, after which he moved to the company's Las Vegas property, today the Waldorf Astoria, staying there through May 2016.

Atkinson said in a statement that Fremont Street Experience is a destination unlike any other and that he was proud of the work done to bring more energy to downtown Las Vegas. He thanked the team, the board of directors and partners for their collaboration and support.

Mark Brandenburg, who chairs Fremont Street Experience, gave Atkinson credit for making the guest experience stronger and for adding reasons visitors might linger downtown over his short time in the job. Atkinson described The STRAT as one of Las Vegas's most recognizable landmarks and said he was honored to join the team. He also praised Golden Entertainment's efforts to reinvent the property and said he looked forward to building on that momentum.

The search for Fremont Street Experience’s next president and chief executive is underway, according to the source.