The Palms, popular among playboys and performers, celebrates 10 years

2001

Over 7,000 people, including locals, celebrities and VIPs attended the grand opening of the Palms Casino Resort — the Maloof family’s latest business venture — on Nov. 15, 2001.

Socialite Paris Hilton arrived wearing a Cornell Collins corset gown, designed with $1 million dollars worth of gaming chips. Other celebrities in attendance included David Schwimmer, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tyra Banks, Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Rodman and many more.

The Palms features 455 rooms; a 95,000 square foot casino; Brenden Theatres equipped with 14-screens; restaurants Little Buddha Cafe from Paris, Nine from Chicago, the Blue Agave Oyster and Chile Bar; Ghostbar, an indoor-outdoor lounge on the 55th floor with a 275-degree view of the skyline; Rain Nightclub/concert venue and a three-story spa.

2002

The Palms receives national attention and becomes a hip destination when MTV’s “Real World Las Vegas” airs. The show follows seven cast members living large at the property.

The Real World Suite that housed the cast and crew is 3,000 square feet, with a pool table, full kitchen, hot tub and 350-gallon fish tank. The suite continues to be in high demand — it goes for $5,000 a night during the week and $10,000 nightly on the weekend.

2003

Bachelor and Bachelorette Party Suites are introduced. The two rooms — complete with dancer poles — are located, on the 28th floor, across the hall from the “Real World Suite.”

Hotel owner George Maloof said, “These are the ultimate playrooms. People were always abusing the regular suites with their bachelor parties, so we decided to create something special for them, in a relatively safe and controlled environment.” Each room features flat-screen TVs, a high-end sound system, Murphy beds, a wooden dance floor, a disco mirror ball and LED mood lighting that changes colors.

2004

On Jan. 3, 2004, Britney Spears and childhood friend Jason Alexander decide to tie the knot while sipping Champagne at Ghostbar. Their Palms limo driver walked Spears down the aisle at the Little White Wedding Chapel, on North Las Vegas Boulevard.

Fourteen hours later the married couple were sitting with George Maloof at the restaurant N9NE while Maloof arranged with a lawyer friend for the marriage to be annulled. The Spears-Alexander union lasted 55 hours.

2005

Parts of the new Fantasy Tower begin to be revealed with the two-story, 10,000-square-foot Hardwood Suite. The only hotel suite in the world with an indoor basketball half-court, features a locker room, scoreboard, pool table, three NBA-sized Murphy Beds as well as two master bedrooms, a dining area, living/media room and Jacuzzi tub.

The Studio at the Palms makes it’s debut. The studio is equipped with two recording facilities: Studio X, the tracking studio designed for band ensemble recording and mixing and Studio Y, which is primarily a mixing facility. The Killers, Elton John, Celine Dion and Usher are a few of the artists who have used the facilities.

2006

Playboy kingpin Hugh Hefner along with George Maloof and 4,000 guests celebrate the opening of the first Playboy Club in two decades. Lounge seating is back as well as the Bunny outfits.

Also unveiled at the festivities is Moon nightclub atop the 400-foot Fantasy Tower featuring a 40-by-60-foot retractable roof.

2007

An $80 million dollar, state-of-the-art concert venue opens with a performance by Gwen Stefani. The Pearl is an intimate venue with a maximum capacity of 2,400, three levels of seating, including 18 private and semiprivate skyboxes.

2008

Palms Place, a residential high-rise on the west end of the property is completed with residents moving in at the end of February. Designed by Jerde Partnership Construction the 520-foot tower features 442 studio units, 136 one-bedroom suites and 21 penthouse units that range from 2,000 to 7,000 square feet. The tower also is home to a pool and spa complex, a Sunset Tan studio and a restaurant by celebrity chef Kerry Simon.

2009

Las Vegas headliners pay tribute to Michael Jackson at the Pearl on Aug. 29, which would have been Jackson’s 51st birthday. Cast members of “Jersey Boys,” “Lion King,” “Peepshow,” “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular,” “Zumanity” and dozens of other headliners perform.

2010

George Maloof and nightclub operator Michael Morton part ways after settling a legal dispute claiming Morton mismanaged and diverted some of their joint-venture assets to himself and his wine bar restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas. Under the settlement, Maloof took over the management of N-M Ventures, the entity that owns and operates N9NE Steakhouse, Ghostbar, Rain Nightclub, Nove Italiano, the Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub and the Stuff store, all at the Palms.

2011

The Maloof family sells a majority of the Palms to TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP to relieve company debt. George Maloof remains an integral part of the hotel’s operations and the face of the property. The family maintains a 2 percent stake with an opportunity to grow that to 20 percent.