by Troy Tarro

Created on: January 28, 2009   Last Updated: February 09, 2009

LAS VEGAS MEGARESORTS

To examine the history of megaresorts in Las Vegas, one must venture all the way back to the 1940's. Back then, what is today called The Strip was just the road in from Los Angeles and was known as Highway 91. In making this venture back in time, an examination can also be made as to what constitutes a megaresort for a particular period.

In 1946, construction on the Flamingo Club has stalled and the project truly was exciting no one. Owner W.R. Wilkinson had run short of funding and was approached by an investment broker named G. Harry Rothberg. Backing Rothberg was legendary Mafioso Meyer Lansky. After culminating a financing arrangement, the name of the project became the Flamingo Hotel and charismatic Lansky associate Benjamin Siegel was brought onto the scene. Siegel had a far-seeing vision for Las Vegas and the beginning was to be the Flamingo Hotel. In the end, the Flamingo did end up becoming Las Vegas' first luxury hotel, but due to major budgetary overruns and a massive ego, Siegel ended up losing his life for it.

Though the Flamingo Hotel would pale in comparison to the enormous resorts built fifty years later, it was indeed the megaresort of its time. It was the first hotel on Highway 91 to be much more than a motel. It was the first to top 100 rooms and the first with a restaurant that was more than a coffee shop. Most of all, it gave future to the city and something for future builders to try to top.

While others, such as the Desert Inn (1950), the Sahara (1952) and the Sands (1952) opened with formats similar to the Flamingo, the next level of megaresort would come in 1955, when the 9-story Riviera Hotel opened. This was the first "high-rise" hotel on the highway. Previous to this, the highest unobstructed view on Highway 91 was from the third floor of the Desert Inn. The Riviera was establishing precedence for building upward.

The 1950's saw building along Highway 91 boom. Also opening in this decade were the Tropicana, the Dunes, the Royal Nevada, the Hacienda, and the Stardust. However, the next true megaresort did not appear until 1966 with California "motelier" Jay Sarno opened Caesar's Palace.

Caesar's Palace opened in August of 1966 with 700 guest rooms and was the first truly themed hotel in Las Vegas. (A case could be made for the western theme of earlier hotels, but such themes were too common place to be unique). Caesar's Palace was the first Las Vegas hotel to feature an opulent entry way as Sarno had the hotel set

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