In 1971, Ralph Engelstad purchased the Flamingo Capri and expanded the motel by adding additional buildings as well as a casino in 1972.Įngelstad kept making the motel larger until it was officially large enough to qualify as a hotel and he changed its name and theme to the Imperial Palace in 1979. The Flamingo Capri was a luxury motel built near the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, hence its name - the Flamingo Hotel also agreed to provide hotel services to the motel’s guests. Of all the hotels on this list, the LINQ Hotel & Casino, has had the most identity changes since it was originally opened as the Flamingo Capri motel in 1959. Over the years, Caesars Palace expanded and in 1992 a large luxury mall called the Forum Shops was added to the hotel.Ĭaesars Palace has also hosted several famous musicians like Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, and Elton John. The grand opening party cost $1 million and had famous guests such as Johnny Carson, Jimmy Hoffa, and a young Steve Wynn. Caesars Palace was opened by hotelier Jay Sarno, who wanted the hotel to be opulent and over the top.įrom the start, Caesars Palace was a place of excess. Lthough there were a few other hotels with distinct themes opened earlier, Caesars Palace is considered the first true themed resort in Las Vegas. Photo source: Flickr via Bernard Spragg.NZĬaesars Palace is one of the only hotels on this list that has kept it original name and theme since it was first opened. Harrah’s Las Vegas recently had a $140 million renovation just in time for the 80 th anniversary of the Harrah’s Hotel Casino Company in early 2018. In 1992, the hotel’s name was changed to Harrah’s Las Vegas and a couple of years later, the riverboat theme was dropped in favor of a carnival/Mardi Gras theme, which the hotel still maintains today. acquired Holiday Casino as well as Harrah’s Hotel Casino Company.

A few years after Shelby Williams died, Holiday Inns, Inc. The Holiday Casino had a riverboat theme. The hotel was originally opened in 1973 as the Holiday Casino by former Silver Slipper casino owners, Shelby and Claudine Williams. Harrah’s Las Vegas was not the first Harrah’s hotel and casino in Nevada - founder Bill Harrah started his empire in nearby Reno in 1937/38.

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