admin 2 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on 8 famous Las Vegas hotels that no longer exist9 Views
Whether you want to try your luck at the gambling tables, catch a show or just explore the surrounding desert region, there’s no shortage of things to do in Las Vegas. And when it comes to places to stay, you’re surrounded by some of the biggest, most opulent hotels you’ll have ever seen – offering everything from enormous casinos and restaurants through to shopping malls and even boat tours through the premises. However, Sin City has recently faced a tourism backlash over the often sky-high prices, with a reported slump in visitor numbers. (Picture: Getty Images/RooM RF)
It remains to be seen how things will shape up for the destination in the future – but then again it hasn’t always been plain sailing for Vegas hotels. While the likes of Bellagio, Wynn, Caesar’s Palace, Aria and Venetian continue to bring in visitors, other hotels have vanished from the Strip altogether, either remaining abandoned or being demolished. Read on for some of those once popular Vegas hotels that simply don’t exist anymore… (Picture: Getty Images)
1. Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino
First up, we have this resort in Paradise, Nevada – a stone’s throw from the Las Vegas strip – which opened its doors in 1980. Originally known as the Shenandoah, the hotel, which had 166 rooms, including 16 suites, was plagued with financial and gaming licence issues from the start meaning it filed for bankruptcy just four years later without ever actually opening its casino. It was bought out and renamed Bourbon Street the following year, changing owners again several times before Harrah’s entertainment finally acquired it in 2005, and knocked it down. These days, it’s a parking lot for employees of a nearby hotel. (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
2. Aladdin Hotel
On to the Strip now, and we have this Arabian-themed resort which opened in 1966, having started life four years earlier as the Tallyho – the only major hotel in Nevada which did not have a casino. Like others in the city, it struggled with financial problems and went through several different owners. It’s even reported that Donald Trump considered purchasing it in 1994 for around $51m, but it ultimately shuttered in 1997. A new version opened in 2000 but had similar problems before being bought up by Caesars Entertainment and rebranded as the Planet Hollywood Resort. (Picture: Jason Kirk/Getty Images)
3. Riviera Hotel
There was a time when the ‘Riv’, as it was known, was an integral part of the Las Vegas strip.Originally opened in 1956, the nine-storey, 291 room hotel was the first skyscraper in Vegas – and its tallest building until 1966. Over the decades it gradually expanded to the point where it featured a 103,800 square foot casino and 2,075 rooms, and even played host to many big name stars, with the likes of Barbra Streisand and Engelburt Humperdinck making their Vegas debuts there. Ultimately, though, the property was bought by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in 2015, with the aim of expanding the city’s convention centre. It was imploded in 2016. (Picture: Getty Images)
4. Sands Hotel and Casino
Want to know where the legendary Rat Pack hung out when they came to Vegas? Well it was here. Sands Hotel, which opened its doors in 1952, was hugely popular with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Jerry Lewis among those who performed in its famous Copa Room. The hotel even served as the backdrop for the 1960 movie Ocean’s 11 (the one later remade with George Clooney). However, the hotel grew less popular, and went through several owners – including Howard Hughes – before it was imploded in 1996. These days the site plays host to the Venetian hotel. (Picture: Santi Visalli/Getty Images)
5. Stardust
Once the largest hotel in the world, the Stardust boasted 1,056 rooms across six motel structures when it opened its doors in 1958. The hotel was something of a legend on the Strip, with its history and ties to the Mafia even serving as the inspiration for the Martin Scorsese movie Casino. However, it was closed by owners Boyd Gaming in November 2006, with the land intended for use in a new multi-use complex called the Echelon Project – which in itself never became a reality following the economic collapse of 2008. The site is now home to a new hotel, Resorts World, which opened in 2021. (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
6. El Rancho
El Rancho’s found fame as the first resort on the Las Vegas Strip (known at the time as Highway 91), originally opening in 1941. The resort was the brainchild of one Thomas Hull, who was aiming to expand his operations to Vegas after owning several hotels in California. The hotel is also credited with introducing the infamous all-you-can-eat buffet to the city. Sadly, although the resort was a success, a fire destroyed its casino, restaurants and showroom in 1960, leaving its 222 rooms intact. The cause of the blaze was never determined and although it did re-open it struggled as a non-gaming hotel and was eventually sold to Howard Hughes and closed in 1970. It subsequently sat vacant for several decades until a Hilton timeshare resort opened on the site in 2004. These days it’s also home to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds which opened in 2015. (Picture: Jon Brenneis/Getty Images)
7. Tropicana
Another resort which dated back decades, the Tropicana hotel opened in 1957, with an opening attended by more than 12,500 guests. The hotel became so famous that it even attracted the attention of James Bond in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, while the casino was a frequent haunt of Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and Groucho Marx. However the property closed in April 2024 and was demolished in spectacular fashion last October, with the site set to make way for the Oakland Athletics Baseball team’s new stadium. Soo Kim, chair of Bally’s Corporation, who owned the property, said at the time: ‘This moment in Las Vegas history represents more than just the next chapter.’ (Picture: Getty Images)
8. The Mirage
Finally, here’s a super-huge hotel which came to the Strip relatively recently – and has already bid farewell. The 65-acre Mirage opened in 1989, ushering in the age of the mega-resort – and certainly dominated its part of the Strip with its shiny gold windows and its palm trees. The hotel boasted an impressive 3,044 rooms as well as five restaurants – and let’s not forget the model volcano which would erupt at night, delivering a spectacular show of light and music. However, it all came to an end in July 2024 when the hotel closed, with new owners Hard Rock set to replace it with a guitar-shaped resort due to open in 2027.(Picture: Getty Images)
