Several weeks ago we reported on some interesting moves from Tilman Fertitta. Now, the Las Vegas Travelodge and an adjoining strip shopping mall have been closed in what looks like the next step toward a new Strip Casino.

Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget Casino on Fremont Street, as well as others around the country. Near the end of April, he purchased 6 acres on Las Vegas Boulevard across the street from City Center. Speculation was that the $270 million purchase could be developed into a new casino.

Now, the strip shopping center and Las Vegas Travelodge currently occupying the land have been closed. Fertitta has yet to make a public comment on what their plans are for the property, but the closures certainly say a lot.

If a new casino is eventually built on the site, it will follow Resorts World as only the second since 2010 when the Cosmopolitan opened. There are at this time at least six new Las Vegas casinos being planned and/or built. If Fertitta does build a new resort it would be the seventh.

As for the Las Vegas Travelodge, they put up a sign which reads: “We had a good run. 59+ years of service. This Travelodge is closed permanently”.