LAS VEGAS — When David Siegel bought the then-LVH hotel-casino in 2014, he was advised it would be wise to shut down the hotel for extensive upgrades.

Siegel authorized the work. But he wasn’t locking the doors as the hotel turned over to the Westgate.

“That would have put 2,000 people out of work, and we thought we’ll work around the operation,” Siegel said at the time. “It’ll cost more, but it will save a lot of jobs.”

The founder of Westgate Resorts and owner of one of Las Vegas’ most famous hotels, Westgate Las Vegas, has died. He was 89.

The company announced Siegel’s death in a memo to staff and on social media Saturday morning. No cause was reported, but he had been battling cancer.

A famous Vegas resort

Siegel was the company’s founder and executive chairman. Siegel purchased LVH, formerly known as the Las Vegas Hilton and the International Hotel, in July 2014.

The 3,261-room resort was built by gaming legend Kirk Kerkorian and opened in 1969. The resort was famous for its rotation of superstar headliners, notably led by Elvis Presley who performed there from 1969 to 1976.

Siegel’s parents, Sid and Sadelle, were frequent visitors to Las Vegas. David’s affection for the city, and his nostalgic feel, was evident as the hotel is named Sid’s Cafe. The couple’s story is featured on the menu.

When Siegel purchased LVH from investment bank Goldman Sachs in 2014, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he would hug his new employees, saying, “That’s just the way I do business, it’s like a big family.” He replaced the “L” on the hotel’s 279-foot marquee with a “W” as the sign was changed to “WESTGATE.” After that splashy photo op, Siegel joked, “I’m the next Vanna White."

A warrior against the opioid crisis

In his latter years, Siegel focused on the opioid crisis, after the death of his daughter Victoria, who died of what was ruled an accidental overdose in 2015 at age 18. He and his wife, Jackie, founded the Victoria’s Voice Foundation and held annual fundraising events in Las Vegas beginning in 2019.

Siegel was a fierce proponent of naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, the nasal spray that rapidly arrests the effects of an opioid overdose. Victoria’s Voice Foundation has raised funds to provide the medicine to first responders and families.

“When (Victoria) overdosed, she was still alive,” Siegel said in a 2019 interview. “By the time she got to the hospital, she had died. I am a big advocate that if a family has a child who might be using drugs, they should have Narcan in their homes.”

Siegel was with family members in his final days.

“David’s last months were spent surrounded by his loving wife Jacqueline, his children, and his extended family and closest friends,” the company said in a statement forwarded by Siegel’s son Richard. “Throughout his life, as well as in his last years, David’s passion for our company, our industry and the hospitality we create was always at the forefront of his mind.”

Siegel died in Orlando, Florida, and last visited the Westgate in December. Siegel founded a timeshare company in 1982 in Kissimmee, Florida.

‘Timeshare component’

Westgate Las Vegas is the company’s only hotel-casino. Because of his failing health, Siegel stepped down as CEO of Westgate Resorts last year. After leaving that post, he remained as the company’s executive chairman of the board and president. Jim Gissy was appointed CEO in March 2024.

Some 2,000 employees worked at the Las Vegas hotel, and more than 8,500 overall at 22 properties nationwide.

Westgate Las Vegas stood alone in that collection, the only Westgate property to offer a casino. As Siegel explained, “This is a hotel-casino with a timeshare component.”

His was the largest privately owned timeshare company in the U.S. He recently announced an expansion of more than 44 resort destinations, set to close this year, with the acquisition of Vacation Ownership Sales, the management and development company of VI Resorts.

Westgate Las Vegas President Cami Christensen was in daily contact with Siegel and said she feels “profound sadness” in Siegel’s passing.

“David was not only a visionary leader, but also a mentor and dear friend to many of us. Las Vegas always held a special place in his heart. When he acquired the Westgate Las Vegas resort, he immediately recognized the legendary status of the property and the outstanding potential of its people,” Christensen said in a statement. “His passion for hospitality transformed Westgate Las Vegas into the iconic resort it is today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Siegel family during this difficult time.”

Davis as a resident

Siegel became an important friend and ally to Raiders owner Mark Davis, who moved into the Westgate when the team was relocating from Oakland, California.

“David welcomed me to Las Vegas totally, and for five or six years I lived at the hotel. It’s a hell of a property with a great history,” Davis said in a phone chat Saturday morning. “He treated me like a king. He opened his house to me, basically. David was the owner of the entire company, and made all of the decisions, which is rare these days.

“I feel for his family, and of course Cami, who is such a special person in my life and in the Westgate family.”

‘Queen’ lives on

The Siegels were the center of the infamous 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles,” which chronicled the couple’s attempt to build the largest and most expensive house in the United States. The doc has been turned into a musical, with Kristen Chenoweth cast as Jackie and F. Murray Abraham as David.

“The Queen of Versailles” musical will make its Broadway premiere at St. James Theatre this fall.

David Siegel winced a decade ago, when talking of the documentary, saying, “It was 25 percent wrong and 75 percent right. After the documentary, I don’t want cameras near me.”

Siegel was a customer at Las Vegas Hilton for decades, including during Barron Hilton’s era of ownership. But he preferred to own the building rather than hit the tables.

“I don’t gamble in casinos,” he reminded. “The house always wins.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Victoria Siegel Foundation to further David’s battle against the drug pandemic that claimed the life of his daughter Victoria at victoriasiegelfoundation.org.

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