Sahara Hotel & Casino Opened on October 7, 1952
On October 7, 1952 The Sahara Hotel & Casino opened and was anchored on the north end of the Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara Ave. It was the sixth resort to open on the “Strip”. The Sahara remained in operation until May 16, 2011. On May 16, 2011 the Sahara Hotel and Casino closed and reopened on August 23, 2014 as SLS Hotel
In late 1954, the hotel hired jazz musician Louis Prima to be their late night lounge act, one of the earliest ones on the Las Vegas Strip. A long list of headliners followed: included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Jack Benny, Paul Anka, and George Carlin to mention a few. The resort was the site of the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for many years, mostly in the 1970s, and for a brief time in the 1990s.
The hotel had 1,720 guestrooms and suites with a casino covering more than 85,000 sq. ft. after the SLS renovation there are now 1,600 rooms.
Photo By: Wikimedia Commons
