The 50-year-old Desert Inn is a historic Las Vegas resort once owned by billionaire hermit Howard Hughes, which closed permanently on Aug. 28, 2000, with the new owners planning to demolish the floor to create a large-scale complex.
Casino mogul Steve Wynn bought Desert Inn for $270 million in June, shortly after MGM Grand stepped down as CEO of Mirage Resorts Inc., which it acquired in May to set up MGM Mirage.
Desert Inn is one of the oldest accommodations on Las Vegas Street. It was one of the fifth and largest properties on Las Vegas Street when Wilbur Clark completed it in 1950 for $3.5 million. The legendary resort had 300 hotel rooms, a casino, a spa, and two restaurants.
"The resort casino closed at 2 a.m. on Aug. 25, and 12 hours later, the doors closed to the public for good," spokeswoman Caroline Coyne said. "It's a time of nostalgia and gloom because it's hard to say goodbye under any circumstances," she said on behalf of staff and some of the guests who came to pay their final respects.
Wynn plans to demolish the current complex in seven months and build a new 59-story resort on the site. He said the new complex will not be called the Desert Inn, but he did not announce a new name. 슬롯머신사이트
