Sahara Hotel & Casino[]
The Sahara Hotel & Casino was a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip which opened on October 7, 1952 and closed on May 16, 2011.
It boasted signature attractions such as the NASCAR Speed Zone Cafe and Speed: The Ride. Sahara was home to many classic performers in the past such as the Rat Pack, Jack Benny, and Abbott & Costello. The 1960 version of Ocean's Eleven was filmed at Sahara, as well.
It's statistics included having 1,720 rooms, and having a total gaming space of 85,000 square feet. It possesed a Morrocan theme, and was previously called Club Bingo. It also used 55 acres of space. The Sahara also had a stop on the Las Vegas Monorail.
The empty building sits at 2535 S. Las Vegas Boulevard, near the Las Vegas Hilton
With the closing of the Sahara, there are 3 post-World War II era hotels left open (Flamingo, Tropicana, and Riviera).
On May 16, 2011, 12:00 PM PST, the last guest checked out, and at 2:00 PM PST the doors were closed. On June 16, 2011, a liquidation (more like an open house with things for sale) was held in the building, and everything from $2.00 plates to camel sculptures were sold.