Second Stratosphere tower topped off; to open next year

Monday, Nov. 6, 2000 | 10:10 a.m.

The second tower of the Stratosphere hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip was topped off last week. The 24-story project is scheduled to open in summer 2001 and is aimed at improving business for the tower's casino and retail mall.

"We're very proud of this milestone for our new tower," said Richard P. Brown, executive vice president of marketing for the Stratosphere. "The next step is to add the details that make the Stratosphere unique."

The $65 million project includes 1,002 guest rooms, a 67,000-square-foot swimming pool and recreation area and a coffee shop. The 1,002 rooms include 100 suites with spa tubs dispersed throughout the floors.

The hotel now has 1,444 rooms.

Besides financing the completion of the tower, owner Carl Icahn is buying the resort's struggling retail mall the Tower Shops.

The mall, developed by Simon DeBartolo Group and Gordon Group Holdings, has suffered from mediocre foot traffic.

Business has been slow at the mall in part because of the original Stratosphere owner's failure to complete the second hotel tower and because of the resort's relatively remote location on the north end of the Strip.