Westgate Las Vegas
[2] The top floor consists of three "Sky Villas" geared towards "high roller" customers, each with a private swimming pool and at least 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of space.[11] Recreation amenities at the Westgate include a 5-acre (2.0 ha) pool deck,[4] a fitness center,[12] a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) spa,[13] and six tennis courts.[19] In 1965, the 400-acre (160 ha) track site was purchased by National Equities, a real estate development firm chaired by Marvin Kratter.[20][21] Meanwhile, Kirk Kerkorian, the chairman of Trans International Airlines and landlord of Caesars Palace, began formulating plans to build a 1,000-room casino hotel in Las Vegas.[23] Kratter had decided not to build a hotel himself, and in 1967, National Equities sold a 65.5-acre (26.5 ha) portion of the site to Kerkorian for $5 million.[24][30] He hired airline executive Fred Benninger to oversee the development, and Martin Stern Jr., who had designed several noted Las Vegas high-rises, as the hotel's architect.[34] With planning for the hotel underway, Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo casino, to serve as a training ground for the International's staff.[37] Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire who had purchased several Las Vegas casinos, saw Kerkorian as a rival and the International as unwelcome competition.[38] Ultimately, Hughes decided to compete head-on with the International by purchasing the unfinished Landmark Hotel and Casino, located across the street.[45][46] Entertainment director Bill Miller signed Barbra Streisand to open in the showroom, along with Peggy Lee performing in the hotel's lounge.[47][48] In keeping with the hotel's name, rooms were furnished with different international decors, with each floor featuring either a Spanish, Italian, or French theme.Philip Bruce Cline, a hotel busboy who was under the influence of drugs, set fire to a curtain in an elevator lobby on the eighth floor of the east tower.[91][92][93] In 1991, the Hilton was at the center of the Tailhook scandal, in which numerous United States Navy officers were accused of acts of sexual assault during a convention at the hotel.[94] One of the victims, Paula Coughlin, sued the Hilton for providing inadequate security for the convention, and eventually was paid a $5.2 million judgment.[95][96] The lawsuit led Hilton to successfully lobby for the so-called "Tailhook bill", a state law shielding hotels from liability for injuries to patrons caused by third parties.[119][120] In 2005, the Hilton was placed under the banner of Colony's newly formed casino affiliate, Resorts International Holdings, which was headquartered at the property.[121][122] The Hilton prospered in its first few years under Colony's management, but began losing money in the face of the Great Recession and an oversupply of hotel rooms in Las Vegas.[141][142] In 2023,[143] a tunnel was drilled to the resort for a future Las Vegas Convention Center Loop underground Tesla shuttle service station."[145] Architecture critic Alan Hess also noted the simplicity of the International (and the nearby Landmark Hotel) in comparison to older casinos: "As singular, self-contained forms, they showed none of the complexity of the different pieces and sequential additions that made the original Strip visually and urbanistically richer.When you enter a casino with a sweeping porte cochere, attached parking garage, barn-like casino/entertainment/retail complex, and high-rise hotel towers, you are in a design first realized by Stern and Kerkorian.[154] From the opening of the hotel in 1969, the main showroom was a "star policy" venue,[155] meaning that popular musical artists and comedians were booked to perform for two to four weeks at a time."[167] In 1982, the production show Bal du Moulin Rouge opened in the theater, featuring a cast of acrobats, dancers, and variety acts.[170][171] Shifting to a production show was intended to reduce the Hilton's entertainment costs by avoiding the need to book bigger stars, whose salaries had been spiraling ever higher.[193] His engagement was an early example of the trend of major recording artists establishing residency shows in Las Vegas, which was begun by Celine Dion at Caesars Palace in 2003.[211][212] Long-running acts at the Shimmer Cabaret included comedian David Brenner (2004–05),[213] musical comedies Menopause the Musical (2006–09)[214] and Nunsense (2010–13),[215] show band The Scintas (2007–09),[216] singer Lani Misalucha (2009–10),[217] topless revue Sin City Bad Girls (2009–10),[218] impressionists Greg London (2011–12)[219] and Rich Little (2012–13),[220] a Rat Pack tribute show led by Sandy Hackett (2011–13),[221] Purple Reign (2014–16),[204] and the "Icons of Comedy" series (2011–12), featuring comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried and Hal Sparks.[223][224] Previous productions and headliners at the Westgate Cabaret include the adult revue Sexxy (2015–21),[225] funk band Cameo[226] and comedian Vinnie Favorito,[227] (both 2016–17), comedian George Wallace (2018–21),[205] and rock band The Bronx Wanderers (2021–22)[228] In January 1998, Star Trek: The Experience opened, featuring a motion simulator ride, a museum, and Quark's Bar.[253][254][255][256][excessive citations] Elvis: An American Musical, a multimedia production incorporating archival footage with live songs and re-enactments, premiered at the Hilton showroom in 1988, where it ran for two months before going on a national tour.[264] The exhibit, developed in association with Elvis Presley Enterprises, featured 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) of artifacts and memorabilia from the singer's life.[312][313] The Hilton Pavilion was the site in 1978 of Leon Spinks's victory over Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight championship, which is remembered as one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history.[316] The success of the Curry–McCrory fight led the Hilton to begin pursuing more major matches, to challenge Caesars Palace as the premier boxing venue in Las Vegas.
WinchesterNevadaParadise RoadManilowBenihanaWestgate ResortsGVII LLCMartin Stern Jr.casinotimeshareWinchester, NevadaLas Vegas StripLas Vegas BoulevardLas Vegas Convention CenterLas Vegas Country Clubhigh rollerslot machinesrace and sports bookteppanyakiWestgate stationLas Vegas MonorailHilton Grand VacationsLas Vegas ParkMarvin KratterKirk KerkorianTrans International AirlinesCaesars PalaceFred Benningergroundbreaking ceremonyFlamingoHoward HughesSands Hotelnearby nuclear testsLandmark Hotel and CasinoNevada's tallest buildingBill MillerBarbra StreisandPeggy LeeBavarianItalianJapaneseMexicanScottish kiltsSlavic shirtsFrench gendarmeElvis Presleysecondary offeringMetro-Goldwyn-MayerWestern AirlinesSecurities and Exchange CommissionHilton HotelsDel E. Webb Corporationsmoke inhalationNatalie ColeMGM Grand firelargest hotel in the worldRossiya HotelGuinness Book of World RecordsTailhook scandalUnited States NavyPaula CoughlinSahara Country ClubbaccaratPark Place EntertainmentEdward Roski Jr.Colony CapitalGoldman SachsResorts International HoldingsGreat RecessionforeclosurereceiverequityNavegante GroupRed Lion HotelsDavid SiegelMark LipparelliLas Vegas Convention Center LoopInternational StyleAlan HessUNESCO HeadquartersMirageMandalay BayVenetianMGM Grand Hotel and Casinoporte cochereLandmark HotelBarry Manilowresidency showLiberaceRolls-RoyceBarron HiltonSuzanne SomersWayne NewtonAndrew Lloyd WebberStarlight Expressroller skatesThe CommodoresThe Righteous BrothersSheena EastonThe Fab FourEngelbert HumperdinckThe Smothers BrothersCeline DionPaula AbdulReba McEntireBob EubanksChuck WooleryJamie FarrPeter MarshallHugh DownsWink MartindaleMonty HallRaiding the Rock VaultPrincePurple ReignMotownDavid BrennerMenopause the MusicalNunsenseThe ScintasLani MisaluchaGreg LondonRich LittleRat PackSandy HackettGilbert Gottfried