'It is always easier to be nostalgic about something you don't remember. 'It's been interesting to see how many more hotels try to make some reference to the Las Vegas past,' University of Nevada, Las Vegas historian Michael Green told USA TODAY, adding that most visitors are too young to remember the rat pack days. (Las Vegas News Bureau Collection, LVCVA. Meruelo has invested about $150 million in renovations, ushering in new designs that nod to the old-school Las Vegas that so many visitors and locals have grown to love. This is an exterior view of the Sahara and its porte cochere, showing models entering the hotel and exiting a car, in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 18, 1954. Producers say that’s why it's a must-see. The property celebrates its 70th anniversary this Friday, a rare feat for a hotel in a city known for imploding its attractions.Īwakening: Wynn Las Vegas’ new show is a bit hard to describe. The property reopened in 2014 and operated briefly under the name SLS Las Vegas before it was sold to billionaire Alex Meruelo, who brought back its original name. 'There's not much here anymore that looks like it did back in the day.'ĭespite its 2011 closure, the Sahara lives on. 'It was a cool experience to see the old turn into the new,' Raymer said. Amy Raymer spent $75 for a camel lamp from the original Sahara Las Vegas.
