14 Comments
Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Leila Navidi
The pool is shown at the Sahara hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Friday, May 13, 2011.
Sunday, May 15, 2011 | 10:15 p.m.
Expanded coverage
Reader poll
Sun Topics
Sun Archives
It was a collision of sensibilities, and on Sunday afternoon, it could only happen at the Sahara. At 3 Lions Tattoo, specifically, the hotel’s body-ink emporium.
Tattoo artist Chris Sands was bent closely over the left leg of Holly Thomas, who also is a tattoo artist. Except for this moment, when she is a tattoo subject. Sands was putting the final ink spots on a Sahara hotel-casino logo, which Thomas wanted applied to commemorate the closing of the hotel Monday afternoon.
As Sands worked gingerly across Thomas’ limb, a man in a navy blue suit and white dress shirt appeared through the entrance. He leaned over the high partition and asked, “Is that a nice tattoo?”
Yep, pretty cool, he was told. It’s the Sahara logo.
At that, Sam Nazarian grinned. He knows that ode-to-Morocco logo well. Nazarian is chief executive officer of SBE Entertainment Group, which owns the Sahara.
Nazarian doesn’t seem the type to frequent tattoo parlors, and his stop at 3 Lions — which has recently been turning quite a tidy profit, says owner Nick Elliott — was brief.
Moments later, Nazarian spoke of the closing of the hotel and what might be next. At his side was hotel President Arash Azarbarzin, and the dual show of administrative force caused a late-in-the-game stir near the registration desk of the old hotel.
“Obviously, this is a sad day,” said Nazarian, who in March announced the closing of the 59-year-old resort. “But this is the day that will mark the ultimate rebirth of the north end of the Strip.”
Nazarian said the final day of operation should be spent celebrating the hotel’s history, and employees have been instructed not to talk to the media who have arrived onsite to record the hotel’s closing. There have been murmurs about the timing and reasons given for the closing, and what might come of the structure itself.
One rumor circulating around the hotel is that SBE is closing the doors and releasing the employees in an attempt to turn the hotel into a non-union property.
“Absolutely not,” Nazarian said. “We will always be a union house.”
Some guests and employees have wondered if the hotel might be the next to be imploded, to make room for an entirely new resort or event to make space for some sort of arena project. But the hotel structure itself will remain, Nazarian says.
“The bones and history of the Sahara are worth preserving,” he said. “What we want to create is a resort that is as charming as it is elegant, that reflects the new era of Las Vegas while honoring its history.”
There is a plan for the furniture and design elements left behind after the Sahara closes. As Azarbarzin said, within two weeks, there will be an announcement issued by SBE specifying how the items will be auctioned. The big sale will be held at the property within the month.
That should be the final opportunity to see the interior of the hotel that, in its final days, is commonly referred to with such descriptions as “once-regal” and “once-proud.” But waning in relevance and about to close, the Sahara’s final moments are being marked almost casually, even emptily. A total of 1,200 rooms were made available for booking in the final weekend, but guests were required to purchase a four-night minimum. No reservations were accepted after Thursday, and the number of rooms booked was fewer than 200.
House of Lords, running out of food, closed after serving its final dinner Saturday night. Casbar Lounge, the iconic venue where Louis Prima and Keely Smith made lounge performances a Las Vegas hallmark, closed three weeks ago. Speed, the short and swirling roller coaster, closed this month, as did the sports book. Sahara Theater was locked after magician Rick Thomas sold out Friday’s show before an audience of 572. The casino floor halts action Monday morning at 10. Marshall-Rousso was to close tonight at 8, and the Oasis bar outside House of Lords, too, is no longer serving guests.
That’s where Nazarian and Azarbarzin chose to sit and confer after making a quick jaunt through the casino. As the men made their way around the hotel, an employee at the front desk called out to the two execs. They stopped, and the staffer hustled over for a quick photo.
For that moment, it was all smiles at the Sahara, a hotel that is going away quietly. No fireworks, little fanfare, just memories.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow "Kats With the Dish" at twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.
In the day, it was right there as a luxury hot spot along with the best of it's time, the Desert Inn, the Flamingo and the Sands.
Jewels of The Strip.
Sahara R.I.P.
A four night minimum required for a room for the closing?! Stupid and greedy management to the end.
I will truly miss this place....
Although the past decade showed its decline compared to what it used to offer, the staff was still friendly and always made me feel welcomed.
The place always thrived in the past when I first experienced it as a kid back in the 1970s.
To think The Riviera outlived The Sahara in these turmoil of times surprises me, as now there is really no more north sector of the strip anymore.
I guess its down to The Tropicana and The Riviera in the final head to head of historic 1950's mainstay resorts upon which one will be left standing to stay open for business.
Really sad to see The Sahara go, despite being a 'hanger-on' property.
Sammy Davis Jr. died on May 16, and now The Sahara.
The building of casinos should be restricted so as the market does not become over saturated.. There should be a finite number of gaming licenses. The Echelon and Fontainebleau should be finished or torn down. A building permit was issued for a finished building, not empty hulks.
BTW Del Webb made some of his money building internment camps.
Ought to be interesting what happens ..... I'm betting that they will wait and see what happens if and when Fountainblue or whatever they end up naming it plans to open. It wouldn't make much sense to me to build anything down there until then . Maybe they're waiting for the Riv to close,too?
RIP Sahara. We will miss you. Another example of the poor economy and poor management.
"What's the glory of living? Don't people care anymore? ....what's forever for?" are borrowed words from a song that strikes me as the destiny for ALL the glamour and glitz and dreams this final vestage jewel of the desert represents. It is about US, as human beings as well. Our character, our lives, our dramas.
Had the Sahara been located closer to the Downtown Las Vegas area, she might have been spared through the rehabilitation and massive community events that keep it actively used. Hopefully, the Sahara will be preserved as the last real foundation casino/resort, and be a cultural center. Please.
Thanks for the memories, Sahara.
We have stayed at the Sahara most of the times we have been to Vegas, we planned on coming up for the last weekend - but since the greediness the prices went up to $185 a night - for the Sahara??! And they wonder why less than 200 rooms booked. What a sad sad day this is.
The Sahara should be beome a cultural center, maybe a real museaum
For years I was saddened when I'd read about the older properties closing their doors. I still am.
However, the Sahara and the Riviera have become complete dumps as of late. As a local, and before that, a visiting tourist, I gave them both a try several times. The staff, the rooms, the dealers...all extremely depressing and run down.
My question is, how did these properties get like this?
One would think that simple renovations every few years, over the years would have been a cost effective way to keep these places nice.
However, the staff, I'm no human resources specialist, so I don't have an answer there. All I know, is that it's bad, and has been for quite some time.
I wonder if the Fountainbleu and Echelon Place were finished on time if this would have saved the Sahara?
Weird, Sammy Davis and the Sahara dieing / closing at the same date
Is there ANY good news about Vegas...todays headlines...After 59 years Sahara Hotel closing, toddler pulled from North Las Vegas swimming pool dies, coroner IDs girl, 16, fatally shot at bus stop, and 18-year-old man shot and killed dropped off near UMC.
sahara should become a big awesome place.