Green Valley Ranch official found dead
Michael Tata
1996 UNLV graduate was vice president of hotel operations
Michael Tata, a Station Casinos executive featured prominently in The Discovery Channel's new "American Casino" television series, was found dead early Tuesday inside his Henderson home. He was 33.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tata began working at Henderson's Green Valley Ranch in June 2001. After a 2 1/2-year tenure as director of hotel operations, Tata was promoted to Green Valley Ranch's vice president of hotel operations in January 2004.
A Henderson Police Department spokesman said officers responded to a call shortly after 9:30 Tuesday morning and found a dead adult male upon entering a Seven Hills area home. The address matched that of a residence county property records show is owned by Michael Tata.
The Clark County coroner's office later confirmed Tata's death was recorded late Tuesday morning. Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said the death is under investigation, but officers found no initial signs of foul play.
Tata's death shocked his friends and colleagues at Green Valley Ranch, where he had worked since June 2001.
"Michael was the heart and soul of Green Valley Ranch's hotel operations," Vice President and General Manager Joe Hasson said in a statement. "The hotel's outstanding performance over the last three years is a direct reflection of Michael's skills and commitment ... and today we all feel like we have lost a member of our family."
Station Casinos released a statement that called Tata "a valued team member" who will be missed by others at the Las Vegas-based gaming company.
Efforts to reach Tata's family were unsuccessful Tuesday.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Tata moved to Las Vegas in 1993. In addition to Station Casinos, he worked at Las Vegas' MGM Grand and Four Seasons hotels and spent three years in management roles at the Four Seasons resort in Maui, Hawaii.
In an online biography associated with "American Casino," Tata said he enjoyed the ambiance of working in a resort environment but did not enjoy "busting people's chops all day, especially people who cannot handle constructive criticism." If he could have held any other job at Green Valley Ranch, Tata joked, he would have become a doorman or pool attendant "to reap the obvious benefits of either position."
