| LVH - Las Vegas Hotel & Casino | |
|---|---|
| Shown wearing the Hilton Logo | |
| 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 | Icons of Comedy, Greg London, Nunsense, Mark Curry |
| 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) Las Vegas Hilton (2012) |
| Years renovated | 1975 1978 1998 2006 2008 |
| Website | www.thelvh.com |
The LVH - Las Vegas Hotel & Casino (formerly 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] It has 2,956 hotel rooms and 305 suites. 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 left Hilton at the end of 2011 and was renamed LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on January 3, 2012.[2]. Like its sister (ACH Casino Resort) it took on the initials for what it was when it was a Hilton Property as its new name.
The hotel is located next to the Las Vegas Convention Center and has its own 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) convention center, and a Las Vegas Monorail station.
On January 3rd, 2012 the Las Vegas Hilton officially changed its name to the LVH - Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
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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.[3]
The hotel, designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr.,[4] 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 Hotel & Casino 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 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. It Changed its name to The Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from The Las Vegas Hiton in 2012.
The east tower was added in 1975 and the north tower was added in 1978.
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, which at the time was 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.[5]
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 major thunderstorm on 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.[6] The sign is narrow, and gets wider as it gets higher, forming a fan-type design at the top.
A Hilton Grand Vacations Company timeshare opened on the 59 acres (24 ha) site in 1999.
On June 18, 2004 the property was sold by Caesars Entertainment to Colony Capital for $280 million.
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.[7]
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Hilton Worldwide confirmed on June 29, 2011 that it has terminated its franchise license agreement with the Las Vegas Hilton, effective January 1, 2012. Its sister property, the Atlantic City Hilton, already has lost its agreement with Hilton and become ACH Casino Resort.
After suffering from the recession, the Hilton began defaulting on payments to Goldman Sachs on a $252 million loan.[8] Goldman filed for foreclosure in September 2011. Colony responded in October, claiming that Goldman, which owns 40% of the Hilton through its subsidiary, Whitehall, and owns competing resorts including the Stratosphere, is acting in conflict of interest.[8]
In November 2011 it was reported the Las Vegas Hilton will be renamed the LVH-Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on January 3, 2012 as the contract to use the Hilton brand ended.[9]
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.
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.[10]
Barry Manilow performed his “Ultimate Manilow: the Hits" show at the Las Vegas Hilton. As part of the contract, Manilow occupied one of the three "sky villas" which 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.[11]
Greg London Impressions That Rock, playing indefinitely, opened in March 2010. [12]
On July 22, 2011 and July 23,2011, Ethan Bortnick became the youngest Headline performer in Las Vegas. At 10 years old, Ethan made history at the Las Vegas Hilton as the youngest headliner in Las Vegas.[13][14]
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.
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.
On March 18, 2004 a new Borg Invasion 4-D ride was added.
In September 2008 Star Trek: The Experience closed, and it was completely dismantled the following January. It was planned to be moved to the Neonopolis mall, but as of 2011 it has not opened, and most props and costumes that were displayed have since been sold. Despite the closure, several of the "spaceship-style" wall panels in the Hilton installed for the experience are still there.
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.
In 1998, 2002 and 2005 Wheel of Fortune was taped on location at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.
Louis Theroux's BBC documentary 'weird weekends' was filmed here, discussing the lifestyle and merits of gambling and following several gamblers around the casino.
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.
The Hilton is the setting of the song "Home on Monday" by the Little River Band on their album Diamantina Cocktail, starting with the lyrics, "Can you guess where I'm calling from? The Las Vegas Hilton."
The Hilton becomes the target of a terrorist bombing in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.
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