The Flamingo Las Vegas is owned and operated by Harrah’s Entertainment and is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The property offers a 77,000 ft² (7,200 m²) casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms. The hotel is sometimes referred to as the pink hotel from the pink neon on the building similar to the color of flamingos. The 15 ac (61,000 m²) site is landscaped in a Caribbean theme, with the central area housing an exhibit of flamingos and penguins as part of a wildlife habitat.
The Flamingo has a Las Vegas Monorail station at the rear of the property.
History
The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino (as it was originally named), had only 77 rooms when it was built and opened by Bugsy Siegel and his partner Meyer Lansky on December 26, 1946. “The Flamingo” was named after the pet name for Virginia Hill, that name given to her by casino dealers in Mexico because of her exibitionist style of dancing; Hill would raise her skirts to show off her long legs while swinging her flaming red hair. Funding for the casino came from mob money and it was conceptualized and its construction was supervised by Bugsy. When it had been discovered that Bugsy was skimming money from the building funds, his death was ordered and management for the casino changed hands. The Flamingo changed names to The Fabulous Flamingo on March 1, 1947.
The Flamingo hotel boasted lavish shows and glorious accommodations for its day. The casino became well known for its comfortable, air conditioned rooms, beautiful gardens and fabulous swimming pools. The Flamingo helped popularize the concept of offering a “complete experience” as opposed to simple gambling.
Kirk Kerkorian acquired the property in 1967.
The hotel was acquired by the Hilton Corporation in 1972 and became the Flamingo Hilton in 1974. The last of the original Flamingo Hotel structure was torn down on December 14, 1993 and the hotel’s garden was built on the site, complete with a plaque to Bugsy Siegel.
In the 1998 spin off of Hilton’s gaming operations ownership was changed to Park Place Entertainment which was renamed to Caesars Entertainment in 2004.
In September 1999 the Flamingo Hilton and its sister property in Laughlin, Nevada ended their long standing relationship with Hilton Hotels. The Hilton name was removed and the property was renamed to Flamingo Las Vegas.
To enhance the hotel’s Caribbean theme, a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant was opened in 2004.
In 2005 Harrah’s Entertainment purchased Caesars Entertainment and the property became part of Harrah’s Entertainment company.
Toni Braxton replaced Wayne Newton as the Flamingo’s new headlining act on August 3, 2006. The show, Toni Braxton: Revealed, ran through April 7, 2008. Although scheduled to run until August 2008, the show was canceled early due to Braxton’s health problems.
Film history
The 1960 version of Ocean’s Eleven was filmed here. Also a flashback sequence from the 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven was filmed at Flamingo.
Circus Circus Las Vegas is a circus-themed 3,774 room hotel and 101,000 square foot (9,392 m²) casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Las Vegas Strip that is owned and operated by MGM Mirage. Circus Circus features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day and the only RV park on the Strip.
History
Opened October 18, 1968 by Jay Sarno.
Became the flagship casino for Circus Circus Enterprises (later Mandalay Resort Group), now part of MGM Mirage.
Underwent major renovations in 1997 that changed the hotels theme from the standard American Circus to a French Cirque du Soleil style Circus. Circus Circus is slated to be renovated to its former self in 2006.
The hotel may be demolished and rebuilt. According an MGMMirage report, the Circus Circus site “does not make economic use of the 44 acres that it sits on, therefore, we feel that demolishing the current property and rebuilding it in a different fashion (while still keeping the Circus Circus name) will be in our best interest.”
Adventuredome Theme Park
Adventuredome seen from inside.
Formerly known as Grand Slam Canyon. Located under the pink top, this 5 acre (20,234 m²) indoor amusement park offers 16 rides and is connected to the hotel. The theme park includes a rock climbing wall, 18-hole miniature golf course, an arcade, and carnival type games. The dome of the park is made up of over 350,000 sq ft. of insulated glass.
Movie history
Performers in the Circus.
The hotel’s famous midway was featured in the 1971 James Bond film “Diamonds Are Forever”.
It is also known to movie goers as Bazooko Circus in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas where Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp) while in midst of an ether binge utters the line “Bazooka Circus is what the world would be doing every Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war. This was the Sixth Reich.”
Amenities and Entertainment
In addition to the casino and the Adventuredome Theme Park, Circus Circus also offers:
Convention rooms—space for up to 800 people
Race and Sports Book 80 seats, with 18 big screens
RV park operated by Kampgrounds of America (KOA) offers 399 spaces with full service utility hook-ups
Casino Royale is a small casino and motel located on the East side of the Las Vegas Strip, between Harrah’s Las Vegas and The Venetian. The casino caters to low rollers, and features low table minimums for roulette, craps, and blackjack. The casino often employs people handing out coupons inviting people inside and seems to rely heavily on street traffic for their business. The parking lot behind Casino Royale is a little known secret with some of the most convenient and closest parking to the Las Vegas Strip.
Casino Royale is known for its promotional slot play. Timeshare promotions in Las Vegas typically give out Casino Royale slot play, to be used at specific machines. This slot play can be a fun way to gamble for free, but may also become misleading if misrepresented by the person representing the timeshare resort.
History
The first building on this site was Frank Musso’s Restaurant, located at the time next door to the Sands. It was in business during the 1950′s and 60′s. It later became Joey’s New Yorker Night Club, then the Nob Hill Casino. Nob Hill closed in 1980, and on January 1, 1992 it reopened as Casino Royale. It purchased the adjacent Travelodge and used it as its hotel rooms.
Caesars Palace is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Harrah’s Entertainment. Caesars is located on the west side of the Strip, between the Bellagio and the Mirage.
Caesars has 3,348 rooms in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Forum, Palace, and Roman. The Forum tower features guest suites with 1,000 square feet of space.
History
In 1962, Jay Sarno, a cabana motel owner, used ten million dollars that had been lent to him by the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund to begin plans for a hotel on land owned by Kirk Kerkorian. Sarno would later act as designer of the hotel he planned to construct.
Building of the 14-story Caesars Palace hotel began in 1962. That first tower would have 680 rooms on the 34 acre (138,000 m²) site.
Sarno struggled to decide on a name for the hotel. But he made the decision of calling it Caesars Palace with his thinking that the name Caesar would evoke thoughts of royalty because of Roman general Julius Caesar. Sarno thought that people should feel they were at a king’s home while at his hotel. The name of the hotel is often spelled “Caesar’s Palace”, although the real name is “Caesars Palace”, making everyone that stays there a “Caesar”.
Sarno contracted many companies to build the hotel, from the Roman landscapes it presents, to the water fountains that have been stages of various events and the hotel’s swimming pools.
On August 5, 1966, the hotel was inaugurated, with Andy Williams and Phil Richards providing entertainment; they both played Julius Caesar at a play that night. Two days later, Latin musician Xavier Cugat and salsa dancer Charo became the first couple to marry in the new establishment.
Soon after the hotel’s opening, Sarno bought the land from Kerkorian for five million dollars.
On December 31, 1967, Evel Knievel unsuccessfully tried to jump the hotel’s water fountain with his motorcycle.
On July 15, 1969, executives lay ground on an expansion area of the hotel, and they buried a time capsule in the area, but the time capsule was stolen days later.
In 1973, Del Webb company was contracted to make a 16 story building to add to the Palace’s number of rooms. That project was finished in 1974.
In 1980, Gary Wells gained much media coverage, and much physical suffering, when he unsuccessfully tried to leap over a water fountain at the Caesars Palace. He sustained injuries in many different parts of his body.
By the 1980s, Caesars Palace had become a boxing and gambling Mecca. Joe Louis, the former world Heavyweight champion boxer, worked at Caesars Palace as a greeter until his death in 1981. A statue of him would be erected soon after inside the hotel. Another professional boxer, South Korean Duk Koo Kim, went 14 rounds with Ray Mancini at the Palace in 1982, then collapsed in a coma and died. As a result, the number of rounds in a boxing title match was reduced to 12. Fights were (and still are) particularly beneficial to the casino, with high-rolling boxing fans hitting the gaming tables and slot machines before and after bouts, as well as wagering large sums at Caesars’ large sports book. Among the Caesars Palace’s most famous fights were The Battle of the Little Giants, the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns fights, the Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney battle, Marvin Hagler versus Thomas Hearns, the fight in which Mike Tyson became world Heavyweight champion by knocking out Trevor Berbick and the fight between Leonard and Hagler. Most boxing fights were held at the hotel’s parking lot. Extra security measurements had to be taken for the fight between Holmes and Cooney, as both the KKK and black groups had threatened to shoot the boxers before the fight began; there were police snipers at the roof of Caesars Palace and adjacent hotels on the fight’s night.
Also during the 1980s, the hotel opened an Atari game room that had over 60 Atari video game arcade machines.
In 1989, Robbie Knievel successfully completed what his father could not do years before.
The hotel’s management wanted it to have a new, family-oriented atmosphere as the 1990s approached, a trend mirrored by many of the big Las Vegas resorts. This move was not strange to Las Vegas hotel owners, as most hotels there were planning to modernize anyway by adding more children features and making Las Vegas hotels seem more family friendly and less gambler oriented. As a consequence, big time boxing was one of the first things to leave Caesars Palace.
In 1992, The Forum Shops at Caesars opened; it was one of the very first venues in the city where shopping, particularly at high-end stores, was an attraction in itself. The fourth phase opened on October 22, 2004. It now has the 2nd built circular escalator in the USA. The other one is at the Westfield San Francisco Centre.
In 1994, the NBC game show Caesar’s Challenge was taped here.
Over the years, the hotel has been owned by various companies, including Sheraton and The Hilton International Corporation. Caesars Entertainment (originally known as Park Place Entertainment) bought the property in 1999, before the merger with Harrah’s.
Caesars has just opened the Roman Plaza, an open-air area with a cafe on the corner, and the Colosseum theater, where Céline Dion and Elton John are regular performers. The Colosseum was specifically built for Dion’s show, “A New Day,” a spectacular produced by former Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Dion’s show was also notable for having some of the highest ticket prices for any show in the city, with seats as high as $200 each; nonetheless, the show regularly sells out.
Many star performers, such as Liberace, Julio Iglesias, David Copperfield, and Gloria Estefan have performed at the hotel.
On October 2, 2004, big-time boxing returned to the Caesars Palace hotel, as Jeff Lacy, a former Olympic boxer, knocked out Syd Vanderpool in eight rounds in a fight between Super-middleweight world title challengers that was televised on Showtime.
WrestleMania IX, one of the periodic World Wrestling Federation spectacles promoted by Vince McMahon, was held here.
Currently, Caesars is in the process of another expansion, including a new hotel tower.
In 2005, Harrah’s Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment and became the owner of Caesars Palace.
On May 4, 2006, Mike Metzger became the first person to ever backflip on a motorcycle over the fountains.
In May of 2007, Bette Midler was announced as Dion’s formal replacement. Midler will reportedly only perform about 100 shows a year, with Elton John continuing to perform his popular Red Piano show 50 nights a year while Midler is on hiatus. After taking a three-year hiatus, Cher, following her Farewell Tour, is also returning to the stage with a three-year contract to perform 200 shows beginning May 6, 2008.
As of December 2007, Harrah’s Entertainment runs some of their corporate offices inside the Caesars Palace Resort.
Future
With the success of the Augustus Tower, Harrah’s Entertainment is planning a $1 billion expansion and upgrade to the famed resort. The expansion will include another hotel tower and a sports complex replacing the events center. The timeline for construction was undisclosed.
New features include:
A new 29-story, 1,017-room hotel tower adjacent to the Palace Tower, which will frame the pool area at the back of the property along with an extension of the existing Convention Center.
An additional 37,000 sq ft (3,400 m²) of casino space and about 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m²) of added retail and restaurants will cover the area closest to the Strip replacing the new outdoor Roman Plaza.
A “pedestrian promenade”, with several decorative fountains surrounded by landscaping which will guide strip-walkers into Caesar’s domain. Underneath the promenade, Caesars will excavate a parking garage, with 389 valet-parking spaces.
Film history
Hells Angels on Wheels 1967
Where It’s At 1969
The Electric Horseman 1979
Pleasure Palace
History of the World, Part I 1981
Oh God, You Devil 1984
You Ruined My Life 1987
Rain Man 1988
Hearts are Wild 1992
Caesars Challenge 1993, a game show
Fools Rush In 1997
Friends 1999
The Strip 1999
Ocean’s Eleven 2001
Rush Hour 2 2001
Dreamgirls 2006
Category 6: Day of Destruction
Iron Man 2008
In the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Caesars Palace appears in the fictional city of Las Venturas, but with the name Caligula’s Palace. The Casino is a major part of the game’s plot, in which the main character must pull off a robbery heist on the casino, which is run by the mafia.
A&E had a reality show called Caesars 24/7 showing behind the scenes at Caesars. The jobs highlighted by the show ranged from security and concierge to “The Grape Goddess” and “Shadow Dancers.” Many visitors were documented as well. The show ran for two seasons.
During The Simpsons episode Viva Ned Flanders, Homer Simpson stays at a place similar to Caesars, but was named Octavions Palace after his adopted son and great-grand nephew.
Amenities and entertainment
Caesars offers additional attractions including:
Exotic cars showroom
Fall of Atlantis — free show
Festival Fountain — free show
Pure Nightclub a 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m²) nightclub
Free shuttle to sister property Rio Hotel and Casino approximately every thirty minutes.
The Pussycat Dolls Lounge, an adjunct of Pure nightclub.
In February of 2006, a section of the casino was themed to match the Pussycat Dolls Nightclub and is called the Pussycat Dolls Casino.
The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection in Las Vegas, Nevada (Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard), the latter also known as the Las Vegas Strip is noteworthy for several reasons. It was the first intersection completely closed to street level pedestrian traffic in Las Vegas and its four corners are home to four of the largest hotels in the world, including the largest, as of 2004, the MGM Grand with 5,044 rooms. The four corners have a total of 12,890 hotel rooms as of 2004.
Tropicana Avenue is also the main local street into the airport and the first major exit from I-15 to the Strip for traffic heading north from the Los Angeles, California area. The heavy local traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard, which is listed as a National Scenic Byway All-American Road, further adds to the number of vehicles in this area.
After much study, Clark County, Nevada decided that the only solution to reducing accidents at this intersection that would improve pedestrian flow and vehicular traffic flow was to separate the vehicles and pedestrians.
Tunnels were considered, but being enclosed and underground posed extra security risks. So a solution of uncovered walkways over the streets using escalators and elevators for access was selected as the best solution.
An elevated pedestrian walkway was constructed across each of the streets where the crosswalks would normally have been located. Platforms at the ends of the walkways provide elevator and escalator access between the street and walkway level. The final step was to barricade the sidewalks from the roads in the vicinity of the intersection.
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Mirage.
Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8 ac (32,000 m²) artificial lake between the building and the Strip. The fountain shows on the lake are a major free attraction.
Inside Bellagio, Dale Chihuly’s Fiori di Como, composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, covers 2,000 ft² (610 m²) of the lobby ceiling. The hotel also contains the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.
Bellagio was conceived by Steve Wynn and built by his company, Mirage Resorts, Inc. following the purchase and demolition of the legendary Dunes hotel and casino in 1993. Bellagio was designed by Marnell Corrao Associates and Jon Jerde.
Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil’s production of “O”, the second permanent production show for the troupe.
History
When it opened on October 15, 1998, it was the most expensive hotel ever built, having cost over $1.5 billion.
In 2000 it became a MGM Mirage property when Mirage Resorts merged with MGM Grand Inc. to create MGM Mirage.
Actor Justin Pierce commited suicide in 2000, by hanging himself in one of the Bellagio’s rooms.
Film History
Bellagio was featured prominently in the film Ocean’s Eleven (2001). The safe for the three casinos that were robbed was located at the Bellagio.
The sex tape that propelled hotel heiress Paris Hilton to stardom was shot in one of the hotel rooms in Bellagio.
Fountain details
The Fountains of Bellagio
The Fountains at Night (oarsman/shooter nozzles visible)
Wet Design, a company specializing in creating intricate water shows, designed an array of underwater pipes with over 1,000 nozzles that makes it possible to stage fountain displays coordinated with over 4,000 lights and music. The Fountains of Bellagio, as the attraction is called, was made using three types of nozzles: “oarsman”, which can swing back and forth to create dancing water; “shooters”, which can shoot water upwards; and “super shooters”, which can send a water blast as high as 250 ft (76 m) in the air. After the success that Wet Design had with the Fountains, Steve Wynn asked them to improve and modify the volcano attraction at sister casino The Mirage.
Bally’s
3645 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Number of rooms
,814
Theme
Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Gaming space
7,000 ft² (6,224.5 m²)
Permanent show(s)
Jubilee!
Signature attraction(s)
Garden Walkway
Notable restaurant(s)
Al Dente Bally’s Steakhouse Chang’s
Owner
Harrah’s Entertainment
Date opened
973
Casino type
Land-based
Major renovation(s)
981, 1994
Previous name(s)
Bonanza New Bonanza MGM Grand Bally’s Grand
Casino website
Bally’s Website
Bally’s Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel has 2,814 rooms that are 450 ft² (42 m²) or larger. The hotel has over 175,000 ft² (7,000 m²) of banquet and meeting space. It also has a 67,000 ft² (6,000 m²) casino.
Bally’s is home for the long-running production show Jubilee!.
One of the signature features of this hotel is the neon lighting wrapped around the covered moving sidewalk that brings guests from Las Vegas Boulevard to the entrance of the casino.
The hotel has a Las Vegas Monorail station at the rear of the property.
History
The site was first occupied by the Bonanza Hotel and Casino which opened in July 1963. It was later renamed to the New Bonanza Hotel and Casino shortly before construction on the MGM Grand began.
The 43 ac (174 km²) site opened in 1973 as the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino with 2,084 rooms, the largest hotel in the world at that time. Kirk Kerkorian was the owner. The hotel had a movie theme when it opened.
The MGM Grand Hotel fire on November 21, 1980 killed 87 people.
It suffered a fire in the casino that traveled up into the hotel, killing 87 guests and employees on November 21, 1980. The facility was rebuilt in only eight months. The fire was, and still remains, the largest disaster in Nevada history in terms of loss of life. The fire resulted in a major reform in fire safety codes for the city’s casino resorts, which are now among the strictest in the United States.
The hotel was later sold in 1985 to Bally Entertainment Corporation, and the property’s name was changed to Bally’s. The MGM Grand name was transferred to the former Marina Hotel, now known as the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Bally’s was later taken over by Hilton Corporation. In 1998, Hilton spun off its casino holdings into a new company, Park Place Entertainment, later known as Caesars Entertainment. That company merged with Harrah’s Entertainment in 2003.
At the end of June 2005, Harrah’s Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman announced that the company would consolidate all its properties under a few brand names: Harrah’s, Rio, Caesars, and Horseshoe. This implies that Bally’s will be re-branded in the future.
Film history
In 1993, the hotel was featured in the film Honeymoon in Vegas, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.
It was also featured prominently in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas, also starring Cage and Elizabeth Shue.
The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is 4 mi (6.7 km) of Las Vegas Boulevard South partly in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, that has been designated an All-American Road. Many of the largest hotel, casino and resort properties in the world are located on The Strip. Over the years, Las Vegas Boulevard South has been called Arrowhead Highway, Salt Lake Highway, U.S. Highway 91, and Los Angeles Highway. The Strip was reportedly named by police officer Guy McAfee, after his hometown’s Sunset Strip, in Los Angeles.
The Strip runs from the Stratosphere at the northern end, to the Mandalay Bay on the southern end. Of the 4 miles, nearly 3.5 miles of it is located in the township of Paradise, Clark County, only a small portion is within the city limits of Las Vegas. McCarran Airport is located at the southern end of The Strip, along with the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.
In addition to the large hotels, casinos and resorts, The Strip is home to a few smaller casinos, motels, and other attractions, such as M&M World, Adventure Dome and the Fashion Show Mall. Starting in the mid 1990s, The Strip became a popular New Year’s Eve celebration destination.
History
The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931.
The first hotel to be built on what is today’s Strip was the El Rancho Vegas, opening on April 3, 1941 with 63 rooms and standing for almost 20 years before being destroyed by fire in 1960. Its success spawned a second hotel on what will become The Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier, in 1942. The Flamingo opened a few years later, on December 26, 1946.
In 1968, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo and hired Sahara Hotels Vice President Alex Shoofey as President. Alex Shoofey brought along 33 of Sahara’s top executives. The Flamingo was used to train future employees of the International Hotel, which was under construction. Opening in 1969, the International Hotel with 1,512 rooms, would become the largest hotel in the world, and begin the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as the Las Vegas Hilton today.
1973 added a new resort to The Strip. The (original) MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, also a Kerkorian property, opened with 2,084 rooms, ranking as the number one hotel in the world by number of rooms at that time. On November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand suffered the worst resort fire in the history of Las Vegas, killing 87 people (84 in the fire and three more due to injuries) as a result of electrical problems. It reopened eight months later.
In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing and it was renamed Bally’s.
The opening of The Mirage in 1989 set a new level to the Las Vegas experience, as smaller hotels and casinos made way for the larger mega-resorts. These huge facilities offer entertainment and dining options, as well as gambling and lodging. This change impacted the smaller, well-known and now historic hotels and casinos, like The Dunes and The Sands.
In an effort to attract families, resorts offered more attractions geared toward youth, but had limited success. The (current) MGM Grand opened in 1993 with Grand Adventures amusement park, but it closed in 2000 due to lack of interest. Similarly, in 2003 Treasure Island closed its own video arcade and abandoned the previous pirate theme, adopting the new ti name.
Downtown Las Vegas hotels and casinos suffered heavily from the Strip’s boom. They have funneled money into remodeling the facades of casinos, adding additional security and new attractions, like the Fremont Street Experience and Neonopolis (complete with movie theaters).
Wet and Wild water park, located next to the Sahara hotel, closed permanently at the end of the 2004 season.
Announced in 2004 was Project City Center on the Las Vegas Strip. This 66 acre (600,000 m²), $6 billion, project on the site of the Boardwalk hotel and adjoining land is planned as a multi use project. It is the largest such project announced in the United States. It will consist of hotel, casino, condo, retail and other uses on the site. The first elements of this project are expected to be available in 2009.
On July 8, 2005, news reports (, 2) said that film actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt will be working with actress/model Cindy Crawford’s husband Rande Gerber to design and build a new casino hotel in Las Vegas just off the Strip. Gerber is the man behind Green Valley Ranch resort and spa’s Whiskey Sky, so he is already involved in the Las Vegas entertainment market. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in January 2006. Clooney filmed Ocean’s Eleven at the Bellagio, and spends vacation time at the Green Valley Ranch resort and spa. The official announcement came on August 29, 2005. The hotel, condo, and casino property will be called Las Ramblas, and will be built on Harmon Avenue next to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Getting around
Las Vegas Strip at night with the Aladdin and Paris hotels
While not on The Strip itself, the Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side of The Strip from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Road.
Cat Bus provides both a standard route (stops at each resort, 24 hours a day) and an express route (only stops 8-9 times total in 7 miles, 12 hours a day, 5 days a week) bus service on the Strip.
A tourist trolley service travels up and down The Strip and stops at various, but not all, Strip hotels, along with a stop at the Fashion Show Mall. The fare is $1.75 per ride, exact change required. Trolleys are scheduled to arrive every 15 minutes.
Two small light-rail services, referred to as trams, operate on the Strip. One runs between Treasure Island and The Mirage. The other provides service to Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur.
Compared to major roadways in other cities, the Las Vegas Strip is becoming pedestrian-friendly. New casinos design their facades to attract walk-up customers and many of these entrances have become attractions themselves – the Fountains at Bellagio, the volcano at The Mirage, and the Treasure Island (TI) Pirate Show are the most well-known. People gather on the sidewalks in front of the casinos to watch these shows.
To alleviate traffic issues at popular intersections, footbridges have been installed to help pedestrians more safely cross the roads. The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard footbridges were the first to be installed, and based on the success of this project additional footbridges have been built on Las Vegas Boulevard at the Flamingo Road intersection; between The Mirage/Treasure Island and The Venetian; and the latest ones at the Las Vegas Boulevard-Spring Mountain and Sands Avenue intersection connecting the Wynn with the Fashion Show Mall.
Free Shuttles
Between Harrah’s Las Vegas and the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. Approximately every 30 minutes.
Between Caesars Palace and the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. Approximately every 30 minutes.
Between Paris/Bally’s and the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. Approximately every 30 minutes.
Between Barbary Coast and The Orleans. Approximately every 15 minutes.
Between Barbary Coast and Gold Coast. Approximately every 15 minutes.
Between Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and the MGM Grand and the Harley-Davidson Cafe (next to the Aladdin). Leaves the Hard Rock on the hour.
Between Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Fashion Show Mall and the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Leaves the Hard Rock on the hour.
Major hotels, casinos and resorts on The Strip
Listed from north to south:
Name
Rooms
Opened / Notes
Stratosphere
2000 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,444
April 30, 1996
Sahara
2535 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,720
1952
Circus Circus
2880 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,770
October 18, 1968
Westward Ho
2900 Las Vegas Blvd. South
744
1963 Closed on November 17, 2005
Riviera
2901 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,100
April 20, 1955
Stardust
3000 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,500
July 1958
New Frontier
3120 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,000
October 30, 1942
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,716
April 28, 2005
Treasure Island (TI)
3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,900
October 27, 1993
The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South
4,049
May 3, 1999
The Mirage
3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,049
November 22, 1989
Casino Royale
3411 Las Vegas Blvd. South
152
Nob Hill 1979
Casino Royale 1992
Harrah’s Las Vegas
3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,616
1992 Previously known as the Holiday Casino
Imperial Palace
3535 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,700
1980 Previously known as the Flamingo Capri
Flamingo
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,642
1946 – known as the Flamingo Hilton from 1974-99.
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,348
August 5, 1966
Barbary Coast
3595 Las Vegas Blvd. South
200
1979
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,000
October 15, 1998
Bally’s
3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,814
Bonanza Hotel The factual accuracy of the following date is unclear. Please view Bally’s talk page.
July 5, 1973 as the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, largest in the world with 2,084 rooms.
Sold in 1986 and renamed.
Paris
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,900
September 1, 1999
Aladdin
3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South
2,567
1963 as the Tally-Ho.
Rebuilt and reopened on August 18, 2000.
Boardwalk
3750 Las Vegas Blvd. South
654
1968.
Rebuilt and enlarged in the 1990s.
Plans being developed to remove this hotel as part of a larger project. Closed on January 9, 2006.
Monte Carlo
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,002
June 21, 1996
New York-New York
3790 Las Vegas Blvd South
2,024
January 3, 1997
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South
5,044
December 18, 1993
Tropicana
3801 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,800
1957
Excalibur
3850 Las Vegas Blvd. South
4,032
June 19, 1990
Luxor
3900 Las Vegas Blvd. South
4,407
October 15, 1993
THEhotel at Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
1,117
2004
On November 17, 2005 the hotel started to change the signage to set this hotel apart from the Mandalay Bay.
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
3,700
March 2, 1999
Four Seasons
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
424
1999
Top four floors of Mandalay Bay’s main building.
Major shopping attractions on The Strip
Name
Description
Bonanza Gift Store
2440 Las Vegas Boulevard South
World’s largest gift store, Purveyors of Las Vegas Pop culture
Fashion Show Mall
3200 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Grand Canal Shoppes
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South
A canal, with gondolas and singing gondoliers, winds along in front of many of the shops.
Desert Passage
3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South
1.2 miles of shopping with 140 stores, located at the Aladdin. Features an hourly indoor thunderstorm.
Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
Las Vegas Boulevard South
Golf courses
In recent years, all the on-Strip golf courses, except the Desert Inn Golf Course, fell prey to the mega-resorts need for land and were closed. Developer Steve Wynn, founder of previously owned Mirage Resorts, purchased the Desert Inn and golf course for his new company Wynn Resorts. In 2005, he opened Wynn Las Vegas, complete with remodeled golf course providing tee times to hotel guests only.
In 2000, a new public golf course opened just south of Mandalay Bay on the Strip. Catering to a high-end golf enthusiast, the Bali Hai Golf Club is easly seen by drivers on I-15.
Demolished Strip hotels
Desert Inn (and golf course): Demolished, now the Wynn Las Vegas.
The Dunes (and golf course): Demolished, rebuilt as Bellagio
El Rancho Vegas: Burned down in 1960. The Hilton Grand Vacation Club timeshare now exists on the south edge of the site where the resort once stood.
El Rancho (formerly Thunderbird/Silverbird): Demolished, now Turnberry Place condominium complex.
Glass Pool Inn was called Mirage Motel until 1988 when forced to change name due to The Mirage opening down The Strip in 1989.
Hacienda: Demolished, now Mandalay Bay
Marina (hotel and casino): Westward pointing tower (known as the West Wing) of the MGM Grand
The Sands: Demolished, now The Venetian
Vegas World: demolished and rebuilt as the Stratosphere; parts of the old Vegas World still remains.
The Aladdin is an Arabian Nights theme hotel and casino located at 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel has 2,600 rooms, a performing arts theatre, and a 475,000 ft² (44,000 m²) shopping arcade called the Desert Passage.
History
The Aladdin was originally opened in 1963 as the Tally-Ho. It was later called King’s Crown in 1964. In 1966, the King’s Crown was purchased, and after major renovations was reopened and renamed the Aladdin. A little after a year it was opened, the Aladdin was host to Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s wedding.
Wayne Newton was a part owner from 1980 to 1982.
On April 27, 1998, the Aladdin was imploded [1], and a newer version was built that opened on August 18, 2000. The Aladdin was operated in conjunction with the London Club which ran a high roller casino on the property. It also included a major shopping center known as the Desert Passage. The performing arts theatre was not imploded but was refurbished.
The casino was in financial trouble from the start and was sold on June 20, 2003, to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
The Aladdin was scheduled to reopen on August 17, 2000, at 6:00pm, with fireworks at 10:00pm. The opening was delayed while the Clark County building inspector completed its fire safety testing. Another delay was caused by last-minute repairs to the casino surveillance system. This left thousands of Aladdin visitors leaving in disappointment, as well as opening night hotel guests wondering where they’d spend the night. Many high-rollers waited out on the sidewalks in front of the Aladdin for hours. Most were unable to even get to their luggage, since the hotel had been locked down for testing. Aladdin employees tried to arrange alternate accommodations for the guests with Paris and Bellagio.
The Aladdin finally opened the next day at 7:45 A.M. 100 members of Culinary Local 226, as well as an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 other workers were marching on Las Vegas Boulevard to protest the Aladdin opening without a union contract. Barbara Eden’s speech as well as the other festivities were drowned out by the bullhorns and the rest of the protest.
Fremont Street is probably the most famous street in Las Vegas, Nevada besides the Las Vegas Strip. Fremont was the major street in the downtown casino corridor. It is, or was the address for many of the famous casinos such as Binion’s Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club.
Prior to the construction of the Fremont Street Experience, Fremont Street was the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and movie that wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of neon earned the steet the nickname of Glitter Gulch.
Fremont Street by night.
History
Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded.
Fremont Street’s illuminated “Space Frame”.
While gambling was well established prior to being legalized, the Northern Club in 1931 received one of the first 6 gambling licenses issued in Nevada and the first one for Fremont Street.
Glitter Gulch was closed to vehicle traffic in September, 1994 to begin construction on the Fremont Street Experience. (Wikipedia)
Fremont Street was the major street in the downtown Las Vegas casino corridor. It is, or was the address for many of the famous casinos such as Binion’s Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club. Prior to the construction of the Fremont Street Experience, Fremont Street was the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and movie that wanted to display the lights of Las Vegas. The abundance of neon earned the street the nickname of Glitter Gulch. Fremont Street dates back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded. While gambling was well established prior to being legalized, the Northern Club in 1931 received one of the first 6 gambling licenses issued in Nevada and the first one for Fremont Street. Glitter Gulch was closed to vehicle traffic in September, 1994 to begin construction on the Fremont Street Experience.
The Frement Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction that occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street. The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 feet high at the peak, that covers four blocks or approximately 1,500 feet. It was the first Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, who went on to design the facade of Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and other projects on the Las Vegas Strip. The underside of the canopy is covered with an LED display, referred to as “Viva Vision” and built by the LG Corporation, programmed to show periodic sound-and-light presentations after dark. While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy.
The Frement Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction that occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street. The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 90 feet high at the peak, that covers four blocks or approximately 1,500 feet. It was the first Las Vegas project of architect Jon Jerde, who went on to design the facade of Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and other projects on the Las Vegas Strip. The underside of the canopy is covered with an LED display, referred to as “Viva Vision” and built by the LG Corporation, programmed to show periodic sound-and-light presentations after dark. While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy.
The initial display contained about 2.1 million lightbulbs controlled by 32 computers located in kiosks on the mall. The sound system, using speakers suspended over the mall, was rated at 350,000 watts. Strobe lights were added at some point to provide additional entertainment options on Disco Nights. Displaying images that looked “real” took some innovation. New techniques were developed to make these curved, low-resolution images viewable from the ground. One adjustment was to move images slowly across the display to prevent blurring. The 2001 upgrade to the sound system raised the power to 550,000 watts. The 2004 upgrade features a 12.5-million LED display and more color combinations than the original display. The old control system was replaced by a central control room using 10 computers. (Flickr)
Fashion Show Mall is located at 3200 Las Vegas Boulevard South on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fashion Show Mall is owned by the General Growth Properties Inc.. With almost 2 million square feet (200,000 m²) of space, this is one of the largest enclosed malls in the world. The mall has over 200 stores, including 7 anchors, an elevated stage, a fashion runway, and the Cloud.
Fashion shows occur in the Fashion Show Mall every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
The Cloud, at The Strip, entrance is about 128 feet (39 m) above the sidewalk and is 480 feet (150 m) long. During the day, the structure provides shade for the entrance and at night it serves as a movie screen.
The mall features several high end restaurants, some accessible from private entrances and elevators so they may operate when the mall is closed.
For the winter holidays, the mall has scheduled snow storms inside.
Rouse, the previous owner was purchased by General Growth Properties in 2004.
Restaurants
Auntie Anne’s
Bloomingdale’s B-Cafe
Cafe Ba Ba Reeba
California Pizza Kitchen
Capital Grille, The
Cento & Fanti Gourmet Market & Cafe
Cinnabon
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Mariposa at Neiman Marcus
NM Cafe
Nordstrom E-Bar
Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe
RA Sushi
Starbucks
Tropicana Smoothies / Swenson’s Ice Cream
A tour of Las Vegas casinos and hotels THE adult gambling, adult fun, and entertainment playground of the world
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, United States. The city is the largest to be founded in the 20th century, and is a major vacation, shopping, and gambling destination. Las Vegas was established in 1905, and officially became a city in 1911. Las Vegas has been the county seat of Clark County since the formation of the county in 1909. The 2000 census reported that the city had a population of 478,434 [1]. The Census Bureau’s official population estimate as of 2004 was 534,847. The city’s Planning and Development Department reported an increase of 41,126 in 2005, for a total population of 575,973. [2]. Recent figures place the population for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which includes all of Clark County, at over 1.6 Million people (2004 [3]), and the region is the fastest growing in the United States.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This 4½ mi (7¼ km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits, in the unincorporated town of Paradise.
The center of gambling in the US, Las Vegas is sometimes called Sin City due to the popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages any time (like all of Nevada), various forms and degrees of adult entertainment, and legalized prostitution in nearby counties (it is illegal, though, in Las Vegas and Clark County; Nevada law prohibits prostitution in counties which have populations greater than 400,000). The nickname favored by local government and promoters of tourism is The Entertainment Capital of the World. The city’s glamorous image has made it a popular setting for films and television programs.
Interesting change, isn’t it? It seems that starting with this year, Las Vegas will be no more the capital of the gambling world. The Sin City is growing old.
In accordance with Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, casinos in Macau took in gross gambling revenue of $10.4 billion in 2007, up 47 percent from about $7.05 billion the year before. Four new casinos opened on Macau last year. At the end of December, Macau had 4,375 gaming tables and 13,267 slot machines in 28 casinos, up from 2,762 tables and 6,546 slots in 24 casinos a year before.
Minimum bets in the Chinese territory usually set at US$12.85, compared with a less than US$1 in some Vegas locations, allow Macau to take in far more per customer and per table than Las Vegas, says Asian Times.
“Macau has built properties based on Las Vegas’s 30 years of experience, but the Chinese market doesn’t have any experience with the Vegas product,” Andy Nazarechuk, dean of the University of Nevada Las Vegas-Singapore’s William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, said. “Once they learn, there will be money to be made.”
Las Vegas is growing much more slowly, and it is not entirely its fault. It is the US general policy about gambling that makes the US gambling to slow down every year. Including the policy for online gambling. At a first glance, UIGEA helped Las Vegas and the other US land casinos.
The true is, the US gambling industry lost its way during the last years, and now it tries to find it again. I am not talking about the companies, that expanded their activity in all the world, but about the US internal gambling market. The development of the Indian casinos is part of this process.
Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for massive and lavish casino resorts, the unrestricted availability of alcoholic beverages (as is true throughout Nevada), and adult entertainment. Once officially referred to as Sin City, this image made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. The major attractions in Las Vegas are the hotels. The most famous hotels line Las Vegas Boulevard South, also known as the Las Vegas Strip. Many of these hotels carry thousands of rooms and are featured on various themes. There are, of course, large casino areas in these hotels as well. There are many hotel casinos in the city’s downtown area as well, which was the original focal point of the city’s gaming industry in its early days. Several large hotels and casinos are also located somewhat off the Strip but adjacent to it, as well as in the county around the city. (Wikipedia)
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The Fountains of Bellagio
The Fountains at Night (oarsman/shooter nozzles visible)
The MGM Grand Hotel fire on November 21, 1980 killed 87 people.
Las Vegas Strip at night with the Aladdin and Paris hotels
Fremont Street by night.
Fremont Street’s illuminated “Space Frame”.
