Las Vegas
Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
Paradise Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Number of rooms |
3,174 |
| Theme |
|
| Gaming space |
100,000 square foot (9,000 m²) |
| Permanent show(s) |
Barry Manilow |
| Signature attraction(s) |
Star Trek: The Experience |
| Notable restaurant(s) |
|
| Owner |
Colony Capital |
| Date opened |
1969 |
| Casino type |
Land |
| Major renovation(s) |
1975
1978
1998
2006 |
| Previous name(s) |
International Hotel |
| Casino website |
Las Vegas Hilton |
The Las Vegas Hilton is a
hotel,
casino, and
convention center in
Las Vegas, Nevada owned by
Colony Capital. With 3,174 hotel rooms, this off-strip hotel is the largest
Hilton Hotel in the world and one of the largest hotel-casinos in Las Vegas.
Located on 80 acres (324,000 m²), it has a 100,000 square foot (9,000 m²) casino
and is also home to the largest sports book
in Las Vegas.
The free standing Hilton sign in front of the hotel on
Paradise Avenue is the largest free standing sign in the world. A larger
sign that stood at the same location was blown down during a severe wind storm.
While smaller than the original, the new sign is still the largest free standing
sign.
Sitting next to the
Las Vegas Convention Center and having its own 150,000 square foot
convention center, the hotel is a popular place for convention attendees.
The hotel also houses
Star Trek: The Experience and is a stop on the
Las Vegas Monorail.
History
The hotel 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.
In 1969, right after Barbra 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 of 1970, and again in August of 1970, and August
of 1972. When playing Las Vegas, he lived in the penthouse suite, until his last performance there, in December of 1976.
The hotel was sold to
Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1970 and renamed the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971. This
hotel was sold by Hilton with the other Hilton casinos to form Park Place
Entertainment.
The towers were added in
1975 (east) and 1978 (north).
Let's Make a Deal produced its final syndicated season here in 1977.
On the night of
February 11, 1981, just
90 days after the devastating
MGM Grand fire, a blaze started at the Las Vegas Hilton while it was being
retrofitted with more 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.
The race and sports book was added in 1986 and at the
time was 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.
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 one of the County cable Networks before
it was gutted and renovated.
In January 1998, Star Trek: The Experience opened. The casino added a space-themed casino,
"Space Quest", that serves as the gateway to the attraction.
A
Hilton Grand Vacations Company timeshare opens on the 59 acre site in 1999.
Colony Capital acquires the hotel in
2003.
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 December 14, 2004 Barry Manilow announced that he will be doing the
“Manilow: Music and Passion" show at the Las Vegas Hilton opening on February
23, 2005. As part of the contract, Manilow lives in the penthouse suite that was Elvis's home
for 8 years.
Movie History
The hotel is forever remembered in film as the infamous "Whyte House" casino
in the 1971 James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever".
External links
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