Desert Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Desert Inn Hotel and Casino |
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The Desert Inn in 1968
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| Location | Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 3145 South Las Vegas Blvd |
| Opening date | April 24, 1950 |
| Closing date | August 28, 2000 |
| Theme | Desert |
| No. of rooms | 715 |
| Total gaming space | 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Desert Inn Golf Course |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | 1964–1967 Moe Dalitz 1967–1988 Howard Hughes 1988–1993 Kirk Kerkorian 1993–1998 ITT / Sheraton Hotels and Resorts 1998–2000 Starwood 2000 Steve Wynn |
| Previous names | Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, Sheraton Desert Inn |
| Coordinates | 36°07′43″N 115°9′59″W / 36.12861°N 115.16639°W |
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a famous hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada. It was located on the well-known Las Vegas Strip. The Desert Inn welcomed guests from April 24, 1950, until it closed on August 28, 2000.
It was the fifth big resort to open on the Strip. Other early resorts included El Rancho Vegas and the Flamingo. The Desert Inn was known for its fancy style and great service. It had 300 rooms when it first opened.
One special feature was the Sky Room restaurant. It offered amazing views of the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel also had a large casino and an 18-hole golf course. This golf course even hosted big golf tournaments.
Over the years, the Desert Inn grew bigger. New towers were added, like the St. Andrews Tower and the Augusta Tower. In 1997, the hotel had a huge renovation. But in 2000, Steve Wynn bought it. He decided to tear it down to build the Wynn Las Vegas resort.
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History of the Desert Inn
The Desert Inn was located at 3145 Las Vegas Boulevard South. It was first called Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn. Wilbur Clark started building the hotel in 1947. He ran out of money before it was finished.
In 1949, Clark got help from Moe Dalitz. Dalitz agreed to provide most of the money needed. This allowed construction to continue. Clark was the public face of the resort. Dalitz remained a quiet owner behind the scenes.
The Desert Inn officially opened on April 24, 1950. It was a huge two-day party. Many journalists and important guests were invited. Famous performers like Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy entertained the crowd.
The hotel quickly became known for being very fancy. It offered excellent service to its guests. During the 1950s, many important people stayed there. These included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, and future President John F. Kennedy.
Howard Hughes Buys the Hotel
One of the most famous guests was the businessman Howard Hughes. He arrived at the Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day in 1966. He rented the hotel's top two floors. He stayed much longer than planned.
The hotel asked him to leave so they could prepare for New Year's Eve. Instead, Hughes decided to buy the Desert Inn. On March 27, 1967, he bought the resort from Dalitz. This was the first of many hotels Hughes bought in Las Vegas.
Hughes lived in his penthouse suite at the Desert Inn for four years. He was very private and rarely left his room. He conducted business deals from there. In 1970, he left the hotel.
After Hughes passed away in 1976, his company continued to own the hotel. They finished a big renovation that he had planned. In 1986, the hotel was sold to Kirk Kerkorian. It was then called the MGM Desert Inn.
In 1992, Frank Sinatra celebrated his 77th birthday at the hotel. It was a very big event. Many stars came, and the media paid a lot of attention.
Later Years and Closure
In 1993, ITT Sheraton bought the resort. They spent $160 million on it. The hotel was renamed the Sheraton Desert Inn. In 1997, ITT Sheraton spent another $200 million on renovations. They added the Palms Tower.
The hotel went back to its original name, The Desert Inn. It was part of ITT Sheraton's luxury collection. The next year, Starwood bought ITT Sheraton.
Starwood decided to sell The Desert Inn. They tried to sell it in 1999, but the deal didn't go through. Also in 1999, Frank Sinatra's family had a disagreement with the hotel. They felt the hotel was using Sinatra's name and image too much in its ads.
The Desert Inn celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 24, 2000. There were week-long parties and a celebrity golf tournament. A time capsule was buried to be opened in 2050.
Just three days later, Steve Wynn bought the resort for $270 million. Wynn closed the Desert Inn on August 28, 2000. Many people in Las Vegas were sad to see it go. They felt it was the end of an era.
On October 23, 2001, the Augusta Tower was taken down. This made space for Wynn's new resort. The new project opened as Wynn Las Vegas. The other two towers were used to display art for a while. They were taken down on November 16, 2004.
Hotel Design and Features
The Desert Inn was a $6.5 million property. It was designed by Hugh Taylor. The inside was designed by Jac Lessman. The hotel looked like a "southwestern spa." It was a mix of a ranch house and a nightclub.
The hotel's entrance had a special feature. It was the first hotel in Las Vegas to have a fountain at the entrance. This fountain had a "Dancing Waters" show. The water jets moved to music.
The inside of the hotel used redwood and flagstone floors. It had a front desk area, a casino, and two bars. There was also a coffee shop and a restaurant. Guest rooms were in buildings behind the main hotel. They surrounded a figure-eight swimming pool.
The Sky Room was a three-story glass tower. It was the tallest building on the Strip at the time. It offered amazing views of the mountains and desert. The restaurant in the Sky Room had a chef from the famous Ritz Paris.
The main performance area was the Painted Desert Room. It later became the Crystal Room. It opened in 1950 and had 450 seats. The hotel also had a play area for children called the Kachina Doll Ranch. There was also a salon and health club for guests.
The hotel had its first renovation in the early 1960s. The St. Andrews Tower was built then. In the 1970s, it had a $54-million renovation. The 14-story Augusta Tower became the main tower in 1978. The Wimbledon Tower was also built. It had special suites and overlooked the golf course.
By 1978, most of the original buildings were replaced. The hotel was renamed the Desert Inn and Country Club. It had a golf club, tennis courts, and a large spa. Three new restaurants were added. When it was sold in 1993, the Desert Inn had the largest front area on the Las Vegas Strip.
In 1997, the hotel had a $200 million renovation. It got a new look with white stucco and red tile roofs. The number of rooms was made smaller to make them more luxurious. A new pool and a large marble lobby were also added.
Famous Performances
Many famous stars performed at the Desert Inn. Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there on September 13, 1951. He once joked that for six dollars, you could get a steak dinner and see him perform.
Noël Coward performed at the Inn for a whole month. In 1958, Tony Martin signed a five-year deal. He earned $25,000 a week, making him the highest-paid performer in Las Vegas.
In 1961, Eddie Fisher performed. That year, Dinah Shore performed for the fourth time. Benny Goodman and Rosemary Clooney also made their Vegas debuts there. In 1979, Wayne Newton was earning $10 million a year. This made him the highest-paid nightclub performer ever.
Other stars who performed in the "crystal showroom" included Patti Page, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Durante, Tony Bennett, and Dionne Warwick.
Louis Prima and Keely Smith recorded their 1960 album On Stage live at the Desert Inn. Bobby Darin's album Live! At the Desert Inn was recorded there in 1971. In 1992, a week-long party celebrated Frank Sinatra's 77th birthday. Many stars, including Liza Minnelli and Dean Martin, signed on to perform there regularly.
Desert Inn in Movies and TV
Parts of the 1960 movie Ocean's 11 were filmed at the Desert Inn. It was one of the five Las Vegas hotels robbed in the movie. The film F for Fake by Orson Welles also showed the Desert Inn. It talked about Howard Hughes living there.
In the 1985 movie Lost in America, a character loses money at the Desert Inn. This leads to a funny scene where he tries to get it back. The opening scene of the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit was in the hotel's Grand Ballroom.
The Desert Inn was last seen in a movie in 2001. It was in Rush Hour 2, just before it was taken down. It was changed to look like an Asian-themed casino called the "Red Dragon."
The hotel was also the main setting for the TV show Vega$. This show aired from 1978 to 1981. The 1980s TV show Dynasty also showed footage of the hotel. The TV series Remington Steele filmed an episode there. Both the outside and inside of the hotel were shown often.
Legacy of the Desert Inn
Many people were sad when the Desert Inn closed in 2000. Its demolition felt like the end of "old Las Vegas." Historian Michael Green said that the Desert Inn really meant Las Vegas to many people. It represented the classic image of the city.
Robert Maheu, who worked for Howard Hughes, called the Desert Inn "the gem of Las Vegas." The hotel was popular with local people until the very end. Its closure showed how much Las Vegas was changing.
Desert Inn Road
Desert Inn Road is a major road in the Las Vegas Valley. It runs from west to east for about 17 miles. It goes through homes, businesses, and industrial areas.
A special part of the road is near the Las Vegas Strip. This 2.5-mile section is an expressway. It is called the Desert Inn Road Super Arterial. It helps traffic flow between Winchester and Paradise. This expressway opened in 1996 and cost $84 million to build.
Images for kids
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Desert Inn logo
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The Desert Inn in 1968
