Hilton Grand Vacations Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hilton Grand Vacations Club |
|
|---|---|
Hilton's 38-story tower (right) and 28-story tower, with Sky Las Vegas in the background.
|
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Timeshares |
| Address | 2650 South Las Vegas Boulevard |
| Town or city | Winchester, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 36°08′25″N 115°09′41″W / 36.140165°N 115.161261°W |
| Groundbreaking | June 14, 2001 |
| Opened | February 4, 2004 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 28 (first tower) 38 (second tower) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | MBH Architects |
| Developer | Hilton Grand Vacations Company |
| Main contractor | Penta Building Group |
| Other information | |
| Number of units | 714 |
The Hilton Grand Vacations Club is a special kind of hotel where people can own a part of a vacation home. This is called a timeshare. It's located in Winchester, Nevada, right on the famous Las Vegas Strip.
This property used to be home to an old hotel and casino called El Rancho Vegas. That building was open from 1941 until it burned down in 1960. The land stayed empty for many years. Then, in 2001, Hilton Grand Vacations bought some of the land. They started building a 28-story timeshare tower.
Building was paused for a while after the events of September 11 attacks in 2001. This was because fewer people were traveling, and hotels were losing money. Construction started again in 2002. The first tower opened in February 2004. A second, taller tower, with 38 stories, began being built later that year and was finished in 2006.
Contents
History of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club
The land where the Hilton Grand Vacations Club now stands has a long history. It started in 1941 as the El Rancho Vegas hotel and casino. This was at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The El Rancho Vegas burned down in 1960.
A company called Howard Hughes Corporation owned the land for many years, from 1966 to 1995. Then, William Bennett bought it. He also owned the Sahara Las Vegas hotel across the street. Bennett tried to sell the land in 1999 and 2000.
Starting the Project
In January 2001, Hilton Grand Vacations Company bought about 10 acres of the land. This company is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation and focuses on timeshares. Hilton announced plans to build a very tall timeshare complex. It would have 33 stories and 1,500 units.
Antoine Dagot, who was in charge of Hilton Grand Vacations, said this new property would be "one of the largest vacation projects in the world." This would be Hilton's third timeshare property in Las Vegas. The other two were smaller.
The northern part of the Las Vegas Strip hadn't seen much new building lately. Stephen Bollenbach, the head of Hilton Hotels, believed this project could help bring new life to that area. He thought their customers would like being on the Strip.
Building the First Tower
Construction for the new project began on June 14, 2001. Penta Building Group was the main builder. The first part of the project was planned to have about 350 units. It was expected to open about 18 months later. This first phase was going to cost $111 million. More buildings were planned over the next ten years to reach 1,500 units.
On September 24, 2001, Hilton announced that construction had to stop for a while. This was because fewer people were traveling to the United States after the events of September 11 attacks. This caused hotels to make less money. At the time, the building had reached the fourth floor. Hilton planned to check the project again after six months.
In April 2002, Hilton announced that building had started again. They expected the first tower to be finished by January 2004. This first part was now planned to have 295 units. The whole property was eventually expected to have up to 1,523 units.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Club officially opened on February 4, 2004. The new building had a special "desert deco" design. It was a 28-story tower with 283 units. It cost $128 million to build. When it opened, Hilton planned to build three more towers on the 10-acre property.
Adding the Second Tower
In May 2004, Hilton shared plans for its second phase. This part would cost $126 million. It would be a 38-story tower with 431 timeshare units. Construction was set to begin in July 2004 and finish by summer 2006. At this time, the total number of units planned for the property was 1,577.
The second phase of construction began in September 2004. Penta Building Group was again the main builder. The second tower was completed in 2006. Both towers were designed by MBH Architects. Together, they have a total of 714 units.
Pictures of the Club
-
Entrance
-
View from South Bridge Lane
-
View from West Sahara Avenue; Fontainebleau is seen on the left.
