Westgate Las Vegas
| Las Vegas Hilton | |
|---|---|
| File:Hilton Signaturelogo.GIF | |
 | |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Address | 3000 Paradise Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 |
| Opening date | 1969 |
| Theme | Contemporary |
| No. of rooms | 2,956 rooms and 305 suites |
| Total gaming space | 74,000 square feet (6,900 m2) |
| Permanent shows | Sin City Bad Girls, Voices, Andrew Dice Clay |
| Signature attractions | Adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Colony Capital (60%), Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds (40%) |
| Previous names | International(1969) |
| Renovated in | 1975 1978 1998 2006 2008 |
| Coordinates | 36°8′8″N 115°9′9″W / 36.13556°N 115.15250°W |
| Website | Las Vegas Hilton LV Hilton on Hilton.com |
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent.[1] With 2,956 hotel rooms and 305 suites, this off-Strip hotel is the largest Hilton Hotel in the world. Located on 64 acres (26 ha), it has a 74,000 square feet (6,900 m2) casino and is also home to the largest sports book in Las Vegas. The hotel was also the host of the Star Trek Experience until its closure in 2008.
The hotel is located next to the Las Vegas Convention Center and has its own 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) convention center.
The hotel is a stop on the Las Vegas Monorail.
History
The land that the hotel sits upon had been occupied in the 1950s by the Las Vegas Park Speedway, a failed horse and automobile racing facility.[2]
The hotel, designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr.,[3] was built in 1969 by Kirk Kerkorian and opened as the International Hotel. When it opened, the International was the largest hotel in the world. Barbra Streisand was the opening-night performer, along with Peggy Lee performing afterwards in the hotel's lounge.
In 1969, right after Streisand's engagement, Elvis Presley performed for 58 consecutive sold out shows, breaking all Vegas attendance records, (130,157 paying, and ostensibly gambling customers in the period of one month), with stellar reviews coming from both critics and the public. He broke his own attendance record in February 1970, and again in August 1970, and August 1972. When playing Las Vegas, he lived in the penthouse suite (room 3000), located on the 30th floor, until his last performance there in December 1976. Elvis was due to perform there again in 1978, to celebrate the opening of the North tower, but the singer died in August 1977. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, lived in the hotel on the 4th floor from the 1970s to mid-1980s.
Liberace headlined in the showroom during the 1970s drawing sold-out crowds twice per night. When he signed his contract at the Hilton in 1972 he earned $300,000 per week, a record amount for individual entertainers in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Hilton was the site in 1978 where Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was also the site in which Mike Tyson defeated Tony Tucker to unify and become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1986. Also, Donald Curry defeated Milton McCrory at the Las Vegas Hilton to unify and become the Undisputed Welterweight Champion in December of 1985.
The International Hotel was sold to Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1970 and renamed the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971. In 1998, Hilton Hotels Corporation split their properties and stock into two different companies (Hilton gaming, and Hilton Hotels). Shortly after the split, Hilton Gaming Company merged with Bally Entertainment Corporation (owners of Bally's Hotel). The company was re-named Park Place Entertainment. In 2000, Park Place Entertainment purchased Caesars World (All Caesars Casinos). In 2003 Park Place Entertainment changed their name to Caesars Entertainment. In 2004, Caesars Entertainment sold the Las Vegas Hilton to Colony Capital LLC for $280 million. Colony Capital transferred the property to Resorts International Holdings, a Colony Capital company also known as Resorts International. The Las Vegas Hilton is now Resorts International anchor property, with their corporate office located on the second floor of the east tower.
The east tower was added in 1975 and the north tower was added in 1978.
Fire
On the night of February 10, 1981, just 90 days after the devastating MGM Grand fire, an arson fire started at the Las Vegas Hilton while it was ironically being retrofitted with modern fire safety equipment. Firefighters, using the knowledge they had learned from the MGM fire, used local television networks to notify people to stay in their rooms and not go out to the halls and stairwells. Because of the lessons learned, only eight people died in this fire compared with the 85 people who died in the MGM Grand fire. In 1982, Philip Cline was sentenced to eight life sentences for his role in starting the fire.[4]
The 1990s and beyond
The race and sports book was added in 1986 and is the largest in Las Vegas.
In September 1991, the casino hosted the U.S. Navy's Tailhook Association annual meeting. During this gathering, widespread acts of sexual assault by Naval officers took place in the hotel. The Navy attempted a cover-up of the event; however, the initial accusations stood up and fueled a large scandal receiving wide media attention. Responsibility included the entire chain of command, ultimately affecting the careers of over 300 pilots and 14 admirals, including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Frank Kelso.
The hotel had what was the largest freestanding sign made mostly of steel in front of the hotel on Paradise Road. The old sign was semicircular in shape, and had three large steel posts close to each other forming a small circle, while three more posts on each side of the three main ones, this time more spaced out, formed the semicircle, also holding up a concrete sign. The old sign, which had been built at a cost of $5 million, was blown down during a brief gust of wind on an otherwise windless day of July 18, 1994. A new, $9 million, freestanding concrete Hilton sign was built in 1997 at the same location and is the largest freestanding sign in the world.[5] The sign is narrow, and gets wider as it gets higher, forming a fan-type design at the top.
On September 18, 1995, the Vegas version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express show opened. This involved a massive conversion of the theater, including pouring concrete ramps into the seating area. When the show closed, the theater was used to film The Oak Ridge Boys Live series for TNN before it was gutted and renovated.
In January 1998, Star Trek: The Experience opened. The casino added a space-themed casino, Space Quest, complete with high-tech table games. It served as the gateway to The Experience. Sometime prior to the summer of 2007 the casino was redone to largely remove the space theme.[citation needed]
In 1998, 2002 and 2005 Wheel of Fortune was taped on location at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.
A Hilton Grand Vacations Company timeshare opened on the 59 acres (24 ha) site in 1999.
On March 18, 2004 a new "Borg Invasion 4-D" ride was added.
On June 18, 2004 the property was sold by Caesars Entertainment to Colony Capital for $280 million.
On June 30, 2008 it was announced that "Star Trek: The Experience" would close on September 1, 2008, after more than 10 years.
On September 1, 2008 the Star Trek: The Experience closed and it was completely dismantled on January 26, 2009. It will be moved to the Neonopolis Mall and is expected to reopen at its new location in 2010.
Shows
During the summer of 2006, Reba McEntire signed an exclusive engagement performing at the Las Vegas Hilton titled REBA: Key to the Heart. Over five non-consecutive weeks, she performed for the fans traveling to see her for the first time in her career. Talk is now going on that Reba is now in talks with the Hilton for a new two-year exclusive contract to perform again at the Hilton.[6]
Barry Manilow performs his “Ultimate Manilow: the Hits" show at the Las Vegas Hilton. As part of the contract, Manilow lives in one of the "sky villas". The sky villas are three very large penthouse suites that were built in 1994 replacing the original penthouse (room 3000), Elvis's home for 8 years.. In February 2007, the Hilton painted Las Vegas' largest mural on the side of the hotel of Barry Manilow.[7]
In October 2006, it was reported that the Las Vegas Hilton might be demolished in the subsequent 12–18 months. The claim was immediately refuted by president and CEO, Rudy Prieto.[8]
The Las Vegas Hilton is one of few western hotels to not suffer from Triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) by having a 13th Floor.
Popular culture
Television
Let's Make a Deal produced its final syndicated season here in 1976–77.
The television series The Oak Ridge Boys: Live from Las Vegas was taped in the Starlight Theater.
Two episodes of "Roseanne" were taped here in 1991.
Film
In August 1970 it was the setting for the stage segment of Elvis Presley's concert documentary Elvis - That's The Way It Is.
The hotel was used as the infamous "Whyte House" casino in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.
The hotel was also featured extensively toward the end of the movie Over the Top.
Other notable appearances include the movie Indecent Proposal.
Video games
The Hilton becomes the target of a terrorist bombing in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.[citation needed]
Gallery
-
-
Another angle of the Las Vegas Hilton in Winchester, Nevada taken in October 2006
References
- ^ Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Private-equity investors may map future of Strip growth," May 27, 2007
- ^ Aumann, Mark (February 26, 2009). "From horses to motors, first Vegas track a disaster". NASCAR. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
- ^ UNLV
- ^ "Ex-Busboy Gets 8 Life Terms In Las Vegas Hilton Hotel Fire". The New York Times. March 26, 1982. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Vegas Today and Tomorrow
- ^ http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/arts_life/story.html?id=062d95b3-b558-4378-8a21-36a8b3349ee7 canada'com
- ^ Manilow Mural
- ^ article Las Vegas Review-Journal October 29, 2006
External links
- Las Vegas Hilton official website
- Las Vegas Hilton page at Hilton website
- Elvis Presley performing 'I Just Can't Help Believin' ' at The International Showroom on 11 August 1970 [1]
- Elvis Presley performing 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at The International Showroom on 11 August 1970 [2]