Cliff Atkinson is set to leave his role as president and CEO of Fremont Street Experience (FSE) and become president of The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower in Las Vegas.
Atkinson's last day at the downtown entertainment venue is scheduled for November 6. His appointment at The Strat, operated by Golden Entertainment, takes effect on November 9. FSE said its board of directors has begun searching for a successor.
The move comes roughly eight months after Atkinson took charge of FSE in February. His tenure included an expansion of free live music, themed nights and the Downtown Rocks concert series. FSE also introduced its Always On campaign, intended to draw attention to the venue's round-the-clock entertainment and downtown setting.
At The STRAT, Atkinson will oversee the full resort operation, according to a Golden Entertainment announcement cited by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The property includes a 2,427-room hotel, an 80,000-square-foot casino and the observation tower that defines its north Strip location.
Golden Entertainment Executive VP and COO Blake Sartini II said Atkinson brings experience leading prominent Las Vegas properties and developing service teams.
Atkinson said he looks forward to building on the operator's reinvention of The Strat and working with its employees.
Before joining FSE, Atkinson served as president of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas from August 2023 until December 2025. He was previously president of Fontainebleau Las Vegas and held senior posts at Luxor, MGM Resorts International and Mandarin Oriental.
His latest move puts him back in charge of a hotel and casino after his time running a downtown entertainment destination.
The FSE board has not named an interim leader. The venue's chairman, Mark Brandenburg, credited Atkinson with improving the visitor experience and attracting people downtown. The organization continues to stage nightly live entertainment and concerts beneath the Viva Vision canopy.
Earlier this month, Skylar Dice left his senior leadership role at The STRAT to join Boyd Gaming as VP and GM of Aliante Casino Hotel & Spa.
Golden Entertainment completed its transition to private, family ownership in April 2026 and continues to operate its Nevada casino portfolio
