The Wynn Boston Harbor tower hasn’t even reached the top floor, and already the name on the top is under serious reconsideration, following the exit of the company’s founder Steve Wynn regarding sexual misconduct allegations.
Responding to comments from Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey, Wynn Boston Harbor president Bob DeSalvio said they are seriously considering changing the name to not include ‘Wynn.’
“We are at this time considering a re-brand of the project and we’ll have an announcement on that at a later date,” said DeSalvio following the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) meeting on March 29.
He said he didn’t have a timeframe, though, and it isn’t expected to be announced this week.
“It’s something we are actively considering right now,” he said.
The name change has seemingly been coming for several weeks, but the local Wynn team and the Las Vegas team had all been silent on the issue.
In comments to the Boston Globe in February following his ascension to CEO of the company, Matt Maddox indicated that a sudden re-brand of the company worldwide would be very difficult. He said that while most American customers associate the company with Steve Wynn, many of the Asian customers associate the brand simply with five-star luxury. Changing a well-known name, he said, cannot happen overnight.
The local thinking amongst Everett public officials has been quite different, though, as the project has not been completed. Though the name has contained ‘Wynn’ for the last two years, nothing has yet been affixed to the building – making a change much easier here than elsewhere in the company’s existing portfolio of properties.
Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) Chair Steve Crosby said he didn’t have a strong opinion on the matter, but said Wynn would do what it best for its business.
“For the record, I’m agnostic on that,” he said. “It’s the first I’ve heard they’re doing that. At the moment, it’s a decision for them to make.”
Locally, Mayor Carlo DeMaria said two weeks ago that he believed there would be movement on a name change in the near future, signaling that he would support such a plan from Wynn Boston Harbor.
Meanwhile, Councilor Michael McLaughlin, who represents the area where the casino is sited, said he supports a re-branding.
“I fully support the name of ‘Wynn’ being removed,” he said. “I strongly believe the time has come for a re-brand. This being said, I fully support the Region A Gaming license staying in the hands of the corporation. We should not hold a publicly-traded company fully responsible for one individual’s actions.”