Four Queens
The Four Queens Hotel and Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas on the Fremont Street Experience. The 690-room hotel and 40,000 sq ft casino is owned and operated by TLC Enterprises, which acquired the property from the Elsinore Corporation in 2003. Construction began on November 16, 1964; the $5.5 million project was planned to include an 18-story hotel. Four Queens opened on June 2, 1966; the casino is named after the builder Ben Goffstein's four daughters, Hope and Michele. It contained only 120 rooms and a 20,000 sq ft casino; the 18-story hotel building was added. From 1972 to 2003 the hotel/casino was owned by Elsinore Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hyatt Corporation until 1979, when it became an independent company. In 1995, Elsinore filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the investment firm Morgens, Vintiadis & Company obtained 99 percent ownership of the company. In 1976 the casino changed decor to be warmer. A second 18-story hotel building was completed in 1981. Today the casino occupies the entire block bordered by Fremont Street, Casino Center, Third Street and Carson Avenue.
The Four Queens was a partner in renovating the downtown area and creating the Fremont Street Experience. In December 2003 the Four Queens casino was the first Las Vegas casino to offer Geoff Hall's Blackjack variant Blackjack Switch, now available throughout Las Vegas. In April 2007 the Canyon Club opened at the Four Queens; the hotel contains 690 rooms as of 2017. Official website
Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a luxury resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The resort opened on December 15, 2010, is located just south of the Bellagio on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, it consists of two highrise towers, the Boulevard Tower and the Chelsea Tower, both of which are 184 meters tall. The $3.9 billion project features 3,027 rooms, a 110,000 sq ft casino, 300,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space, a 40,000 sq ft spa and fitness facility, a 3,200-seat theater, 150,000 sq ft of meeting and convention space. In 2013, the hotel was rated "The Best Hotel in the World" by Gogobot. In 2015, the resort was named to the Condé Nast Traveller Gold List as one of the "Top Hotels in the World". Cosmopolitan features 3,027 hotel rooms; the Cosmopolitan's 100,000 sq ft casino features views of the Las Vegas Strip. The Pools at the Cosmopolitan features three different types: a relaxing pool, day club pool and nightclub pool; the Cosmopolitan is home to the Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, the top grossing nightclub in the United States in 2012.
In January 2014, the Cosmopolitan added Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Plans for the property were first announced in April 2004; the developer, 3700 Associates, was a joint venture formed by David Friedman, Ian Bruce Eichner, Soros Fund Management. The developers purchased the site, an 8.5-acre U-shaped parcel surrounding the Jockey Club timeshare building, for $90 million from a company controlled by New Frontier owner Margaret Elardi. Further details about the project, including the Cosmopolitan name, were released in November 2004; the Cosmopolitan's design team was led by Friedmutter Group as executive architect, with Arquitectonica as the design architect for the building's themed exterior. The building was engineered by DeSimone Consulting Engineers; the interior design team included Digital Kitchen, the Friedmutter Group, The Rockwell Group, Jeffrey Beers, Adam Tihany, Bentel & Bentel. The resort was built on; because the Cosmopolitan occupies much of the parking lot, it was agreed that the Club residents could use part of the Cosmopolitan's parking garage.
The Cosmopolitan was the second Las Vegas hotel, after The Palazzo, to feature an underground parking garage underneath the hotel. As a result, the parking garage was built first. In December 2007, work finished on the 70-foot hole for the parking structure, while other foundation work remained in progress; the hotel was planned to open and be operated by Hyatt as the Grand Hyatt Las Vegas. Original plans called for the casino to be on the second floor, but this was changed and the casino was built on ground level, like most other Las Vegas hotel-casinos. Planned condo units were replaced with studios and other hotel rooms. In January 2008, it was reported that the $3.9 billion project faced financial complications, as Eichner's company defaulted on a $760 million construction loan from Deutsche Bank when the developer missed a payment after failing to secure refinancing for the project. Construction moved forward. In late February 2008, Global Hyatt Corporation and New York-based Marathon Asset Management agreed to recapitalize the condominium-hotel project.
However, one month the developer said Deutsche Bank AG would begin foreclosure proceedings. They bought the hotel for $1 billion during the summer and hired The Related Cos. developers of Time Warner Center in New York, to re-position the asset, manage the development process and assist in leasing the retail and restaurant collection. Related recommended many revisions, including bringing the casino entrance onto the strip. In June 2008, Hearst Corp filed a trademark suit against the owners of the casino. Hearst owns the trademark to Cosmopolitan magazine. In March 2010, the suit was settled, the resort was renamed Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. In August 2008, it was announced that MGM Mirage, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Hilton were in talks to acquire the property, it was speculated that MGM Mirage would integrate the project into CityCenter. In April 2009, the Sun reported that the hotel would be managed by Hilton and would become the Hilton's first in their new Denizen hotel line; that month, those plans changed.
In June 2009, 400 homeowners filed a lawsuit against the developers, claiming breach of contract and seeking refunds for their deposits. They believed that the projected finish date of June 2010 was unrealistic and expressed fear that the developers might turn the condo rooms into hotel rooms only or "finish the building as a shell and not do any interior work."In April 2010, it was announced that the Cosmopolitan would open in stages, beginning in December and ending in July 2011. It was the only hotel-casino to open on the Strip in 2010; the project opened on December 15, 2010, became part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection, a collection of independent hotels with access to Marriott's reservation and rewards system. In January 2014, the
Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation; the theme is the city of France. The front of the hotel suggests the Louvre; the Paris is linked via a promenade to its sister property, Bally's Las Vegas, through which it is linked to the Las Vegas Monorail at the Bally's & Paris station. In May 1995, Bally Entertainment, owner of the adjacent Bally's Las Vegas, announced the projects at a shareholders meeting. Paris was designed by architectural companies Leidenfrost/Horowitz & Assoc. Bergman, Walls & Assoc. and MBH Architects. The design architect of the project was Bergman Walls Associates. Herbert Horowitz, Partner of Leidenfrost/Horowitz & Assoc. was executive architect and signed all plans. Bally broke ground for the Paris Las Vegas on April 18, 1997, construction began in May on the 24 acres parcel, it was built at an estimated cost of $760 million. Original plans for the Eiffel Tower called for a full-scale replica, however that would have interfered with the nearby McCarran Airport and designers therefore reduced it to 1:2 scale.
The hotel is 33 stories tall. A unique architectural aspect of the Paris is that the back legs of its Eiffel Tower come down through the ceiling into the casino floor. Paris Las Vegas opened with fireworks being shot from the Eiffel Tower. French actress Catherine Deneuve flipped a switch, turning on all of Paris' lights, including the various crystal chandeliers in the main lobby. On January 31, 2007, Paris Las Vegas premiered its new show The Producers, headlined by David Hasselhoff. There were reports of friction between the show's producers and Hasselhoff and he announced he would leave May 6 due to other commitments; the Producers refocused on Max, played by Tony Danza. Danza came on as the celebrity actor for the show until The Producers closed on February 9, 2008. Barry Manilow has headlined at the Paris since March 6, 2010. To counter the 2008–2009 economic downturn, Harrah's focused on marketing its properties to specific segments of the population. Beginning in 2010, Caesars Entertainment Corporation has begun a series of improvement projects that will see some removal of the Parisian theme.
Caesars is beginning to phase out the French greeters around the property, in early 2010 begun a major remodel project at the front entrance. The project debuted in Spring 2011 and includes a new nightclub dubbed'Chateau' and the largest Sugar Factory store on the Strip, it was announced in early December 2010 that the hotel's famous steakhouse Les Artisies would close at the end of January 2011 to make way for Gordon Ramsay Steak, which opened in June 2011. The Chateau nightclub opened in early March, 2011; the nightclub overlooks the Strip and spans more than 45,000 square feet in a two-story, outdoor setting. Outside, guests will find a 10,000-square-foot terrace overlooking the Strip with VIP cabanas and three additional bars. During the day, the terrace will serve as a beer garden and restaurant, opening at 10 a.m. In 2015, Hexx Kitchen & Bar and Hexx Chocolate & Confexxions was opened in the space occupied by the Sugar Factory. Hexx is the first "bean-to-bar" chocolate maker in Nevada. In 2016, Beer Park by Budweiser opened on a 10,000-square-foot deck overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.
It is Las Vegas' first rooftop bar and grill. In the 2006 miniseries 10.5: Apocalypse, Paris is seen sinking in a massive sinkhole caused by acidic water undermining the underground limestone along with the rest of the city. In the 2007 film Resident Evil: Extinction, Paris is seen buried in sand, along with the rest of Las Vegas, several years after a zombie apocalypse. One of the characters climbs the Eiffel Tower replica to escape a horde of zombies. Lester Nygaard got Insurance Salesman of the Year 2007 Prix there. In the 2009 film 2012, along with the rest of The Strip, is destroyed. In the 2010 animated film Despicable Me, Gru is shown to have stolen the Eiffel Tower replica along with the Statue of Liberty replica from the New York-New York Hotel and Casino; the Eiffel Tower replica is destroyed by the female MUTO in the 2014 film Godzilla. Pteranodons land on the Eiffel Tower in the post-credits scene of 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom List of Caesars Entertainment properties List of casinos in Nevada The Parisian Macao - themed hotel in Macau, China.
Official website Media related to Paris Las Vegas at Wikimedia Commons
Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is located at One Fremont Street in Las Vegas, United States. A part of the Fremont Street Experience, it is the oldest and smallest hotel on the Fremont Street Experience. John F. Miller opened a temporary tent hotel – the Miller Hotel – on the property in 1905, while he planned to construct a permanent hotel structure, which opened as the Hotel Nevada on January 13, 1906. A casino operated within the hotel until a statewide gambling ban took effect in 1909. In 1931, the property was renamed as Sal Sagev; the casino reopened that year. In 1955, the casino was renamed as the Golden Gate; the entire property was renamed as the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino in 1974. The Golden Gate was known for its cheap shrimp cocktails, served from 1959 to 2017. John F. Miller was among the first to come to Las Vegas in 1905. An auction for property in the city's future downtown area was held in May 1905. Miller purchased a $1,750 parcel at the southeast corner of Fremont Street. On the property shortly thereafter, he established the Miller Hotel, a temporary tent hotel, known as the Hotel Nevada.
In August 1905, Miller had plans to construct a permanent two-story hotel structure on the property. Construction on the new hotel was to begin as soon as the Kuhn Mercantile Company could vacate the property. In September 1905, the Miller Hotel became the first lodging establishment in Las Vegas to receive plumbing. In December 1905, plans were underway for a two-story retail and apartment building, to be constructed adjacent to the Hotel Nevada; the front of the new building was to be cemented to blend in with the hotel. Miller planned for the hotel to be modern, with amenities that included heating, a telephone system; the two-story Hotel Nevada, located at 1 Fremont Street, opened on January 13, 1906, becoming the first hotel structure in Las Vegas, the only concrete hotel in southern Nevada. The hotel rooms measured 10 feet square, cost $1 per day, were referred to by a local newspaper as "first class". Due to the hotel's popularity, Miller announced in June 1906 that he would soon have a third story added to the property, expected to be finished by September 1, 1906.
In October 1906, construction was underway on the addition, which consisted of brick and measured 20 feet by 30 feet. The addition added four bedrooms. In 1907, Las Vegas' first telephone was installed at the Hotel Nevada, with the number 1; the hotel's casino operated until 1909. The casino's blackjack and poker tables were subsequently put into storage. By March 1918, Miller was considering a large addition to the hotel that would consist of reinforced concrete and would include 40 feet of frontage along Fremont Street; the hotel gained additional popularity beginning in 1925, when city officials had Fremont Street paved. The Hotel Nevada reopened its casino in 1931; that year, the property was renamed as the Sal Sagev. In July 1955, Abe Miller – the property's longtime operator and the son of John F. Miller – was approved for plans to lease the Sal Sagev's ground floor to a 23-man group, which would sublease the floor for $25,000 per month to eight Italian-American men, nearly all of them from Oakland, California.
The eight men planned to open the Golden Gate casino on the ground floor of the Sal Sagev. Renovations on the new casino were underway that month and were being financed by the 23-man group, with an estimated cost of $330,000. Abe Miller was to receive $2,300 per month, as well as five percent of the gambling profits; the Golden Gate casino, named after the Golden Gate Bridge, opened on the ground floor in 1955, while the hotel retained the Sal Sagev name. Italo Ghelfi, one of the eight partners, operated the casino for nearly 40 years. In February 1957, John F. Miller died during a nap at his apartment, located within the Sal Sagev hotel, he was 92 years old, had experienced a substantial period of declining health. Abe Miller continued to operate the Sal Sagev into the 1960s. In 1964, the hotel was expanded to include a total of 106 rooms. In 1965, the hotel's exterior was covered in aluminum siding, which remained until its removal in 1990; as of 1969, Abe Miller operated the property with Helen Nugent.
In 1974, the entire property was renamed as Casino. Abe Miller and his sister had died by 1985, his sister willed her small ownership of the property to nuns at The Convent of the Good Shepherd of Las Vegas. Ghelfi's family purchased the property from the partnership in 1990, removed the metal-screen façade that had earlier been applied to the structure; the Golden Gate's 90th anniversary was marked by numerous celebrations in late May 1996, including Las Vegas mayor Jan Laverty Jones proclaiming it to be "Las Vegas' Most Historic Hotel."The 106-room, four-story hotel was renovated in 2005. By that time, the property was managed by Ghelfi's son. Brandenburg became the owner. In March 2008, Brandenberg sold a 50% interest in the property to Desert Rock Enterprises, the investment company of Derek and Greg Stevens, who owned the Las Vegas 51s baseball team and a 19% stake in the Riviera casino. With new money infused by the Stevens, the Golden Gate undertook casino upgrades and hotel room renovations.
The following year, the Stevens raised their stake to 60%, Derek took over as CEO, with Brandenburg as president. In 2010, a Du-par's restaurant opened inside the Golden Gate. Du-par's operated as a leased tenant of the Golden Gate. In 2012, the Golden Gate began its firs
The Linq
The Linq is a 2,640-room hotel and shopping promenade on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation; as of 2012, the casino is 32,890 sq ft with 830 slot machines, 55 table games, a race and sports book. It opened in 1959 as the 180-room Flamingo Capri motel, located adjacent to the Flamingo hotel and casino. Ralph Engelstad purchased the property in 1971, added a casino the following year. In 1977, the hotel had 650 rooms, after the completion of its Imperial Palace Tower; the resort was reopened as the Asian-themed Imperial Palace in 1979. Several additional hotel towers were added during the 1980s, bringing the resort's room count to an ultimate total of 2,637, after the completion of a fifth and final hotel tower in 1987. At the time of Engelstad's death in 2002, the resort had 2,600 employees and was the second-largest owned hotel in the world. In 2012, the resort was renamed as The Quad; the resort was renamed again after a $223 million renovation.
The property began as the $2 million, 180-room Flamingo Capri motel, owned by George E. Goldberg and Bill Capri; the motel was built directly north of Casino, where Capri was an employee. The motel began construction in May 1959, with a planned completion date of August 15, 1959. Douglas Honnold and John Rex, both of Beverly Hills, were the architects. Maurice N. Aroff of Beverly Hills was the general contractor; the Flamingo Capri opened in 1959. The original Flamingo agreed to provide hotel services to guests at the Capri. Ralph Engelstad purchased the motel in 1971, added a casino in 1972. Prior to the addition of a casino, the motel had 250 employees. In 1973, four motel buildings from the Flamingo Capri were relocated and converted to become part of Engelstad's other property, the Kona Kai motel. Engelstad's construction company added a three-story wing at the east end of the motel, as well as a northern addition, both of which opened in 1974 along with the Shangri-la pool. By 1976, the motel was being operated as part of the Best Western hotel chain, while retaining the Flamingo Capri name.
The new Imperial Palace Tower, which raised the number of rooms from 300 to 650, was completed in July 1977. The property re-opened as the Asian-themed Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino on November 1, 1979, with the number of employees increasing to 1,000. Merlin J. Barth was the architect of the resort, themed after an Asian palace. Engelstad chose the Oriental theme, Barth chose blue tile imported from Japan for the roof of the resort, having been influenced by Japanese temples; the interior featured the Oriental theme as well, included carved dragons and giant wind chime chandeliers. At the time of opening, the resort included Court of a Thousand Treasures, a four-story shopping arcade with 60 stores, overlooking the east end of the 30,000 sq ft casino; the Imperial Theatre showroom with 850 seats was opened in June 1980. In addition to live shows, the showroom was expanded to be used for filming of sports and entertainment television specials. A second hotel tower with 850 rooms was added in early 1981.
The Auto Collections opened on December 1, 1981, on the fifth floor of a new parking garage, added that year. A 650-room hotel tower opened in August 1982, bringing the total room count to more than 1,500. By 1982, the shopping arcade included the free Imperial Palace School of Gaming, for gamblers who did not know how to play; the school operated as a mini casino overlooking the main 40,000 sq ft casino. During the 1980s, the resort served as the starting and finishing location of the annual Imperial Palace Antique Auto Run. In 1984, a couple from Missouri were assaulted in their guest room by a man dressed as a hotel employee, they were beaten and gagged, the wife was raped. The assailant was never caught; the couple sued the Imperial Palace. The lawsuit lasted until at least 1989, with allegations that hotel employees destroyed evidence relating to their security practices; the case was settled on undisclosed terms. The lawsuit would lead indirectly to more trouble for the casino. In 1988, several employees, angry about being placed on leave as punishment for talking to the plaintiff attorney, began speaking to the Gaming Control Board and local media about two Nazi-themed parties Engelstad had held at the Imperial Palace.
The parties were held in Engelstad's so-called "war room", which featured a large collection of World War II Nazi memorabilia, including a portrait of Engelstad in the likeness of Hitler. A national controversy ensued. Engelstad claimed the collection was purely of historical interest, not meant to glorify the Nazis; the Gaming Control Board recommended that Engelstad lose his gaming license and be fined $200,000 for reflecting poorly on the reputation of the Nevada gaming industry. An agreement was reached whereby Engelstad kept his license, but paid $1.5 million in penalties. In 1985, the parking garage was expanded to include more than 1,000 additional parking spaces, becoming one of the largest parking facilities in Las Vegas. In December 1985, the foundation was laid for a 560-room hotel addition, completed in 1986 as the resort's fourth tower, bringing the room count total to 2,100; the Imperial Palace became the seventh largest hotel in the world, had more than 2,200 employees. In 1986, the casino was expanded by 15,000 square feet, convention facilities were increased from 25,000 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft.
A fifth and final hotel tower, standing 19 stories with 547 rooms, was completed in
Bellagio (resort)
Bellagio is a resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino. Inspired by the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8-acre lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music. Inside Bellagio, Dale Chihuly's Fiori di Como, composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, covers 2,000 sq ft of the lobby ceiling. Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil's aquatic production "O"; the main tower of Bellagio, with 3,015 rooms, has 36 floors and a height of 508 ft. The Spa Tower, which opened on December 23, 2004, stands to the south of the main tower, has 33 floors, a height of 392 ft and contains 935 rooms. Bellagio was conceived by Steve Wynn, Atlandia Design managed the design and furnishing of the facility, following the purchase and demolition of the legendary Dunes hotel and casino in October 27, 1993 after the grand opening of Luxor Las Vegas.
Bellagio's design architect was DeRuyter Butler, Peter Smith was the project executive. Construction on the Bellagio began in May 1996. Bellagio had an original design and construction cost of US$1.6 billion. The interior design on the Bellagio was designed by Architectural Digest 100 four-time winner Roger Thomas. Roger Thomas is the executive vice president of design for Wynn Design & Development, principal of the Roger Thomas Collection. Bellagio opened on October 15, 1998, just before 11 pm, in a ceremony, reported to cost US$88 million; the VIPs invited to the grand opening were expected to donate to The Foundation Fighting Blindness US$1,000 a person or US$3,500 a couple, which entitled them to an overnight stay at Bellagio's suite rooms. Opening night's entertainment began with Steve Wynn giving a 40-minute welcome speech followed by the opening of the Cirque du Soleil production O. Performing in Bellagio lounges that night were New York cabaret and recording artist Michael Feinstein, George Bugatti, John Pizarrelli.
When it opened, it was the most expensive hotel built. In 2000 it became an MGM Mirage property when Mirage Resorts merged with MGM Grand Inc. to create MGM Mirage. In 2010, the company was renamed MGM Resorts International in a move to go worldwide with its brands. Bellagio employs 8,000 people. In the Autumn of 2006, the casino floor was remodeled and new uniforms were issued, changing the original color scheme to a more subdued beige theme. On December 15, 2010, a helmet-wearing gunman robbed the casino of $1.5 million in chips. In August 2011, he was sentenced to a prison term of 9–27 years. In the early morning hours of March 25, 2017, the Rolex jewelry store was robbed by men in pig masks. On April 13, 2017, part of the roof caught fire. Many professional poker players prefer to play at the Bellagio poker room, calling it their home base due to the high table limits, including the high-stakes Big Game located in "Bobby's Room", named after Bobby Baldwin; the stakes at the Big Game can range up to $4,000/$8,000, are frequented by such poker pros as Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman.
It is reported. Bellagio has partnered with the World Poker Tour to host several of their tournaments. There are 14 restaurants inside Bellagio as well as private dining, in-room dining, poolside dining options: Lago by Julian Serrano Harvest by Roy Ellamar Spago Fix Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant Prime Steakhouse Le Cirque Picasso Michael Mina The Buffet Jasmine Cafe Bellagio Noodles Bellagio Patisserie - home of the world's tallest chocolate fountain Sadelle's The Fountains of Bellagio is a vast, choreographed water feature with performances set to light and music; the performances take place in front of the Bellagio hotel and are visible from numerous vantage points on the Strip, both from the street and neighboring structures. The show takes place every 30 minutes in the afternoons and early evenings, every 15 minutes from 8 pm to midnight. Two minutes before a water show starts, the nozzles begin to break the water surface and the lights illuminating the hotel tower turn to a purple hue, or red-white-and-blue for certain music.
Shows may be cancelled without warning because of high wind, although shows run with less power in face of wind. A single show may be skipped to avoid interference with a planned event. Additional shows can occur for special occasions including weddings; the fountain display is choreographed to various pieces of music, including “The Star Spangled Banner” by Witney Houston as the first show of the day, "Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli, "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood, "Your Song" by Elton John, "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis Presley, "Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra, "My Heart Will Go On" by Céline Dion, A 3 song medley by Tiesto and "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed. The fountains are set in a 8-acre manmade lake. Contrary to urban myth, the lake is not filled with treated greywater from the hotel; the lake is serviced by a freshwater well, drilled decades prior to irrigate a golf course that existed on the site. The fountains use less water than irrigating the golf course did, they incorporate a network of pipes with more than 1,200 nozzles that make it possible to stage fountain displays coordinated with more than 4,500 lights.
It is estimated. The fountains were created by WET, a design firm specializing
Flamingo Las Vegas
Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation; the property includes a 72,300 square-foot casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms. The architectural theme is reminiscent of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style of Miami and South Beach. Staying true to its theme, the hotel includes a garden courtyard which serves as a wildlife habitat for flamingos; the hotel was the third resort to open on the Strip and remains the oldest resort on the Strip in operation today. The Flamingo has a Las Vegas Monorail station called the Flamingo & Caesars Palace station at the rear of the property. After opening in 1946, it has undergone a number of ownership changes; the Flamingo site occupies 40 acres owned by one of Las Vegas' first settlers, Charles "Pops" Squires. Squires paid $8.75 an acre for the land. In 1944, Margaret Folsom bought the tract for $7,500 from Squires, she later sold it to Billy Wilkerson. Wilkerson was the owner of The Hollywood Reporter as well as some popular nightclubs in the Sunset Strip: Cafe Trocadero, Ciro's and La Rue's.
In 1945, Wilkerson purchased 33 acres on the east side of U. S. Route 91, or about a mile south of the Hotel Last Frontier, in preparation for his vision. Wilkerson hired George Vernon Russell to design a hotel influenced by European style. Wilkerson requested that the hotel be different than the "sawdust joints" on Fremont Street, he planned a hotel with luxurious rooms, a spa, a health club, a showroom, a golf course, a nightclub, an upscale restaurant and a French style casino. Because of high wartime material costs, Wilkerson ran into financial problems at once, finding himself $400,000 short and hunting for new financing. In late 1945, mobster Bugsy Siegel and his partners came to Las Vegas. Vegas piqued Siegel and his mob's interest because of its legalized gambling and off-track betting. At the time, Siegel held a large interest in a racing publication. Siegel began by purchasing El Cortez on Fremont Street for $600,000, his expansion plans were hampered by unfriendly city officials aware of his criminal background, so Siegel began looking for a site outside the city limits.
Hearing that Wilkerson was seeking extra funding and his partners posed as businessmen and directly bought a two-thirds stake in the project. Siegel took over the final phases of construction and convinced more of his underworld associates, such as Meyer Lansky to invest in the project. Siegel lost patience with the project's rising costs, he once mentioned to his builder, Del Webb, that he had killed 16 men; when Webb appeared scared upon hearing that, Siegel reassured him, "Don't worry – we only kill each other."Siegel had built a secret ladder in the "Presidential Suite" to escape if necessary. The ladder led down to an underground garage where a chauffeured limo was waiting. Siegel opened The Flamingo Hotel & Casino on December 26, 1946, at a total cost of $6 million. Billed as "The West's Greatest Resort Hotel", the 105-room property – and first luxury hotel on the Strip – was built 4 miles from Downtown Las Vegas. During construction, a large sign announced the hotel as a William R. Wilkerson project.
The sign read Del Webb Construction as the hotel's primary contractor and Richard R. Stadelman as the building architect. Siegel named the resort after his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, who loved to gamble and was nicknamed "Flamingo", it is reported that Siegel called her this because of her skinny legs. Organized crime king, Lucky Luciano, wrote in his memoir that Siegel once owned an interest in the Hialeah Park Race Track and viewed the flamingos who populated nearby as a good omen; the "Flamingo" name is reported to have been given to the project at its inception by Wilkerson. Siegel's trouble with the Flamingo began when, a year after its official groundbreaking, the resort had produced no revenue and drained the resources of its mob investors. Meyer Lansky charged – at a major mob conference in Cuba – that either Siegel or Hill was skimming from the resort's building budget; this charge was amplified at a time when Hill was revealed to have taken $2.5 million and had gone to Switzerland, where the skimmed money was believed to be going.
"There was no doubt in Meyer's mind," Luciano recalled in his memoir, "that Bugsy had skimmed this dough from his building budget, he was sure that Siegel was preparing to skip as well as skim, in case the roof was gonna fall in on him." Luciano and the other mob leaders in Cuba asked Lansky. Torn because of long ties to Siegel, whom he considered like a brother, Lansky agreed that someone stealing from his friends had to die. At first, Lansky persuaded the others to wait for the Flamingo's casino opening: if it was a success, Siegel could be persuaded in other ways to repay. Luciano persuaded the others to agree; the splashy opening – stars present included Spanish band leader Xavier Cugat, George Jessel, George Raft, Rose Marie, Jimmy Durante as entertainment, with guests including Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Cesar Romero, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, others – was a flop. Lansky managed to persuade the mob chiefs to reprieve Siegel once more and allow the Flamingo more time, but by January 1947 Siegel had to order.
The Flamingo re-opened in March despite the hotel not being complete, this time, the results proved different. By May, the resort reported a $250,000 profit, allowing Lansky to point out that Siege
