Tom Breitling
From room reservations to resort ownership
Breitling joined Tim Poster’s reservations business, helping build Travelscape before the partners’ move into Golden Nugget ownership.
Joining the reservations business
Breitling joined Tim Poster’s Las Vegas Reservation Systems in 1993. Their company biography dates Travelscape.com to 1998: an existing travel business moving onto the web. Hotel relationships and distribution were central to the opportunity. [1]
What the booking business actually did
Expedia describes Travelscape as a wholesaler and packager with discounted supplier contracts. In the merchant model, a distributor negotiates rates, sets the customer’s price and processes the sale. The commercial asset included access to rooms and customers, alongside the website. [3]
The Expedia exit
Expedia announced the acquisition in January 2000 at about $95 million in securities, with debt also assumed. Its later filing dates closing to March 17 and values the exchanged securities at roughly $96 million. Those figures describe a corporate transaction, not Breitling’s personal cash proceeds. [2] [3]
Owning the destination
Poster Financial acquired the Las Vegas and Laughlin Golden Nuggets on January 23, 2004. A roughly $215 million acquisition was supported by financing; the partners’ travel-company sale was a step toward ownership, not the sole source of the casino purchase price. Landry’s took over in September 2005. [4] [5]
Key dates
People in the same story
Tim Poster
The partner who started the reservations business. [1]
Read the profileTilman Fertitta
The next Golden Nugget ownership chapter. [5]
Read the profileIn the archive
45 entries about associated places, not necessarily this person in the saved collection.
A poker champion faces licensing scrutiny
The Sun reports regulatory trouble for Bobby Baldwin during his casino career.
Golden Nugget chairman makes offer for Dunes
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Golden Nugget planning new Vegas casino
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Golden Nugget's Roll of the Dice
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L.V.'s Golden Nugget to be Mirage Resorts
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Glitter Gulch's Golden Nugget turns 50
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Go deeper into the record.
Sources for this profile and starting points for further research. Access notes mark links we could not open directly during the October 3–4, 2026 checks. Historical accounts describe their own period; they do not necessarily describe current operations.
- 1
The Partners
Use for their career sequence. Claims of inventing an entire business model and personal financial returns are not adopted as independent findings.
- 2
Expedia.com Acquisitions of Travelscape.com, Inc. and VacationSpot.com, Inc. Firmly Establish Expedia, Inc. as the Leader in Internet Lodging
Indexed announcement text gives approximately $95 million in securities plus assumed debt. This was the announced valuation, not cash paid personally to the founders.
- 3
2002 annual report: business model and acquisitions
Dates the completed Travelscape acquisition to March 17, 2000 and values the exchanged securities at approximately $96 million. Describes the merchant model and negotiated supplier rates.
- 4
Quarterly report: Golden Nugget acquisition and financing
Documents the January 23, 2004 closing and the financing structure. Acquisition price, equity contribution and debt are different measures.
Publisher-page access is unconfirmed. Access check: Oct 4, 2026. Search for this source (search results)
- 5
Completion of the Golden Nugget acquisitions
States $140 million cash plus assumed notes and other liabilities. The transaction total is not the sellers’ personal profit.