Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon, 3595 Las Vegas Blvd South (SW corner of Flamingo and the Strip) Closed this month (Feb 2013) the owners (Caesars Entertainment Corporation) has announced renovation to a boutique hotel. The renovated hotel and casino is expected to open in early 2014, under a new name.
A short history
The first place built there on what was an unpaved State Route 592 (now known as Flamingo Rd. and Hwy 91 now known as 'the Strip') was the Desert Villa Motel, right next to the New Flamingo Hotel. The Owners wanted to pick up on the tourists who were visiting the new hotel. The Motel stayed in business for many years finally succumbing to an ownership change in the 70's then calling themselves Times Square Motel. Eventually in 1979, after demolishing the Motel, It opened as the Barbary Coast Hotel & Casino. In July 2005, Coast Casinos, including the Barbary Coast, was bought by Boyd Gaming. In 2007, Boyd (gave) the Barbary Coast to Harrah's Entertainment in an exchange agreement. After a fresh coat of paint, (a different shade of brown) the Hotel Became Bill's Gamblin' Hall. (Named after Bill Harrah, I'm told) The Hotel wasn't anything fancy in terms of today's Mega- resorts. Just a box in the Desert architecturally speaking, Only interested in the tables and the profits gleaned therefrom. It never quite competed with the Strip resorts with it's Downtown 'style' and like the Motel before it, just being next to a Famous bigger place, doesn't yield enough bread crumbs to make a viable business in today's strip Gaming/Tourist Market, Then in November of 2012, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, the current owner [2013] revealed that Bill's Gamblin' Hall will close on February 4, 2013 for renovation to a boutique hotel. A click on their web-page and you’ll get the notice popup before entering the home page.
New Name, New Look - to the tune of 185 million USD
So now that Caesars' has the ball, they want to make it a "Boutique Hotel" Which by it's very definition is confusing. That could mean anything from a resort style Bed & Breakfast to a miniature resort hotel, I suspect the latter is the idea. So what will the new name be? That's an interesting question. In today's texting world of abbreviations, we have already seen the Fitzgerald become "D" Imperial Palace become Quad, the new Sahara redo will be SLS. So I suspect similar here. Long names on corporate papers may sound impressive but to the guy on the street they aren't. Heck even before mobile phones and texting, locals always nicknamed/shortened the names of their favorite haunts. Trop, Riv, etc... I mean did you ever really call the Plaza, “Jackie Gaughn’s Plaza Hotel and Casino”? People couldn't wait to take the ‘Union’ off after the Railroad left. A one name, one syllable moniker would be most sufficient. If you stop and think about it, the ‘one names’ have always stuck around and didn't changed any names. I'd love to hear some thoughts as to a good name. One final thought; don’t name it for something that's already been and gone. Let those names stand on their own vintage and historical legacy. Castaways tried that when it renamed San Souci, and again when Showboat renamed to Castaways, not only confusing, but very disrespectful of Vegas legacy. Whatever Caesar's Ent. decides, I hope they think it through in this era of "Branding" that seems to be so important.
External Links
- Bill's Gamblin' Hall to close Feb. 4 for renovations - Las Vegas Review Journal by Howard Stutz
- Vegas Casino Ownership Flips To Harrah's Ownership handover and last name change
- Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon Facts & Figures at Wikipedia
- STRIP LAND DEAL: Harrah's, Boyd swap plots 2006 story of land swap deal
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