Sahara Las Vegas

For other uses of the term "Sahara", see Sahara (disambiguation)

Sahara Hotel and Casino
Address	2535 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109
Opening date	October 7, 1952
Theme	Moroccan
No. of rooms	1,720
Total gaming space	85,000ft² (7,896 m²)
Permanent shows	The Platters, The Coasters & The Drifters The Amazing Johnathan Buck Wild
Signature attractions	SPEED
Casino type	Land-Resort
Owner	Gordon Gaming Corporation
Previous names	Club Bingo
Renovated in	1960 1963 1996 2003
Website	Sahara Website

The Sahara Hotel and Casino is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Moroccan-themed hotel has 1,720 rooms and a casino covering more than 85,000 square feet (7,896 m²), and sits on 55 acres (174,000 m²) including the empty adjoining land. The hotel is the northernmost stop for the Las Vegas Monorail. The Sahara is the last remaining "Rat Pack" hotel, and is the northernmost resort on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip. The porte cochere entrance is designed to set the Moroccan theme for arriving guests.

History

The hotel was opened in 1952 by Milton Prell just outside of the City of Las Vegas, and was the sixth resort to open on the Strip.

In late 1954, the hotel hired jazz musician Louis Prima to be their late night lounge act, one of the earliest ones on the Las Vegas Strip. Along with his then wife Keely Smith and sax player Sam Butera, they created one of the hottest latenight attractions on the Strip.

In 1961, the hotel was purchased by Del Webb.

A 24-story tower was added in 1963.

The resort was the site of the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for many years, mostly in the 1970s, and for a brief time in the 1990s.

Ownership changed in 1995. Bill Bennett owned the hotel until his death on December 22, 2002. The property has since been owned by the Bill Bennett Family Trust.

The 27-story tower addition was added in 1987 and a new porte cochere was added by the relocated pool in 1997.

In 1999 further renovations added a roller coaster and the NASCAR restaurant. The roller coaster, called "Speed," shoots riders from the hotel outside along the Las Vegas Strip, where it loops through the grandiose Sahara sign in front of the hotel, goes straight up, stops and then takes a return trip backwards. Pedestrians along the Strip can walk right next to the roller coaster as it goes along the track.

Rumours of the Sahara's closure surfaced in the media in February 2006[1]. In a news article of 30th June 2006, it was reported that the Sahara site, as well as a defunct adjacent property, were for sale.[2]

Film history

The 1960 version of Ocean's Eleven was filmed here.

External links

• Sahara hotel and casino web site