Las Vegas Sahara Casino Changes Owners

05.03.2007, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Las Vegas Sahara Casino Changes Owners»

One of the Oldest Casinos on the Strip Changes Hands For more than half a century, the Moroccan-themed Sahara Hotel Casino has marked the Northern Border of the Las Vegas strip. The Sahara is one of the oldest hotels in Las Vegas, and one of the few original strip resorts to still exist. In a city that is constantly changing and reinventing itself, one has to wonder what is in store for this jewel of the desert.

The Sahara Hotel Casino opened it's doors to the public in 1952. At that time, the Sahara was situated just outside the city of Las Vegas, and was the sixth casino to open on a stretch of land that was quickly being dubbed "The Vegas Strip".

The Sahara is often credited with bringing entertainment to the city. Just two years after it's grand opening, the hotel hired jazz musician Louis Prima to perform for the casino's high-end clientele. Prima, together with his wife and sax player Sam Butera, sold out shows in the hotel and created one of the hottest attractions for the desert's nightlife.

The Louis Prima trio was just the start of things to come. Over the years, the Sahara has played host to some of the most famous entertainers of their day. Stars such as the Beatles, Johnny Carson and Tina Turner called the Sahara home when visiting Las Vegas. The casino even played host to Elvis Presley before his famed "Vegas days", and was not just a regular hang out for the "Rat Pack", but was actually the setting for the original version of the movie "Ocean's Eleven".

The original owner of the Sahara Hotel Casino, Milton Prell, sold the property in 1961. Two years later, the new owner, Del Webb, expanded the hotel by adding a new 24-story tower to the building. The casino changed hands again in 1995 when it was purchased by William Bennett. Bennett, who purchased the hotel for $193 Million, spent an additional $100 Million on renovations and ran the casino until his death in 2002. The Sahara remained under the control of the Bennett Family Trust until now, which managed the property as Golden Gaming Corp.

On Friday it was announced that the Golden Gaming Corp had sold the Sahara Hotel Casino. The new owners are SBE Entertainment Group in Los Angeles, who purchased the property as a partnership with Stockbridge Real Estate Funds, based in San Mateo, California.

The sale of the property includes a 17-acre parcel of land at the Northern edge of the Las Vegas strip, and a hotel casino with over 1,700 rooms. As one of the oldest casinos on the strip, it is uncertain as to whether the new owners will embrace the Sahara's historical value, or if it will be the latest in a long line of casinos to be replaced.

"The Sahara is one of the last remaining original properties on the Las Vegas Strip, and we are thrilled with the possibilities that it presents," SBE Entertainment CEO Sam Nazarian said in a statement late Friday.

While Nazarian acknowledges that the purchase presents several possibilities, he failed to disclose which possibilities the new ownership plans to take advantage of. Nazarian also owns a restaurant group, nightclubs, a real estate division and a Hollywood production company.

While the exact future of the Sahara is anyone's guess at this point, Nazarian did mention the SBE would assume management of the hotel and it's food & beverage departments, while the casino operations would be handled by The Navegante Group, which is owned by the famous gaming executive Larry Woolf.

Sahara erbaut im Jahre 1952. Die Schliessung war im Jahre 2011.

Das Gebäude wurde renoviert und im August 2014 als SLS Las Vegas wieder eröffnet.

		
 
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