Las Vegas Showboat taking ‘Castaways’ name

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

VSS Enterprises said it's renaming the Showboat hotel-casino in Las Vegas the "Castaways Hotel & Casino."

VSS, which bought the Boulder Highway/Fremont Street property from Harrah's Entertainment Inc., said the Castaways name establishes ties with the casino property to "traditional Las Vegas" and it better reflects the new, seaside Spanish resort theme of the property.

The Castaways was a well-known casino on the Strip and was once owned by Howard Hughes. He sold it to Steve Wynn, whose Mirage Resorts Inc. replaced it with the Mirage in 1989 and the Treasure Island in 1993.

"We are aware that the Showboat name has a place in the hearts of Las Vegans, and we regret that it has to be changed," said VSS Enterprises Chief Executive Mike Villamor. "To make the transition as smooth as possible we wanted to select a name that retains the tradition of Las Vegas, and compliments the property's theme as well. Castaways does just that."

"We have the option of using the Showboat name until the end of March 2001," Villamor said. "We will continue to reference the Showboat until that time in order to familiarize Southern Nevadans with the location and history of the new Castaways Hotel & Casino."

VSS said the Castaways' transformation from a Mardi Gras theme to the new Spanish ocean atmosphere began several months ago with the renovation of existing restaurants and the addition of Blue Marlin, a Spanish and Mexican seafood restaurant.

The gaming and front desk areas will be renovated soon and the property will remain open during that process, VSS said.