Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) – A legendary Las Vegas hotel and casino will close its doors on May 16. Friday, more than 1,000 workers at the Sahara Hotel were told to look for new jobs.
The people who bought the Sahara in 2007 at the height of the gaming boom before the recession now say keeping it open is no longer "economically viable." Those who worked at the nearly 60-year-old
The marquee says a dollar goes further at the Sahara. But the owners are cashing in their chips on May 16.
This was sad news at the Bootlegger Restaurant, a Las Vegas eatery filled with photos from the Sahara's "good old days" and the locals who lived them.
"In the early days you went to Las Vegas. Sahara was Las Vegas."
Mel Larson, former Sahara president and general manager, worked for gaming icon Bill Bennett when he owned the property.
"I truly hate to see it go."
Former Nevada Lt. Governor Lorraine sang there as a headline performer.
"It's the golden era of Las Vegas. I was really devastated. I think we blow up too much of our past, and it's certainly part of my past and many other people."
But the property that once hosted Elvis and Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack now sits next to the shuttered Fontainebleau and across from stalled Echelon.
The Sahara's owners have been shutting down some of the more than 1,700 hotel rooms over the past few months.
Alan Feldman of MGM Resorts International - no stranger to re-inventing properties - says long-term, the end of the Sahara, while sad, could be the beginning of a good thing.
"We have Wynn where the Desert Inn once was. We have the Mirage where the Castaways once was. We have Bellagio where the Dunes used to be and we have the MGM Grand where the Marina was. And we can go on and on."
The owners, SBE Entertainment, say they are working on several options, including redeveloping the property.
In the meantime, they'll work with MGM Resorts International to find new jobs for the more than 1,000 Sahara employees and accommodations for guests who booked past May 16.
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