Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
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| Planet Hollywood Casino | |
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| Facts and statistics | |
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| Address | 3667 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 |
| Opening date | 1998 (The Aladdin) / April 17, 2007 (Planet Hollywood) |
| Theme | Celebrities |
| No. of rooms | 2,600 |
| Total gaming space | 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) |
| Permanent shows | Peepshow Tony and Tina's Wedding |
| Signature attractions | Miracle Mile Shops |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | ObBiz |
| Previous names | The Aladdin (1998) King's Crown Hotel (1964) Tally Ho Hotel (1963) |
| Years renovated | 1998 2007 |
| Website | Planet Hollywood Resort |
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Located in Clark County, Nevada, the resort is located in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide manages hotel operations as a Sheraton Hotel. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate. Planet Hollywood rebranded and operates the rest of the property under the Planet Hollywood brand.
The property is owned by OpBiz[1], which is a partnership of Robert Earl, Bay Harbour Management and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
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[edit] History
[edit] Tally-Ho and King's Crown
The first hotel was originally opened in 1963 as the Tally-Ho. It was later called King's Crown in 1964 and failed after six months when it was denied a gaming license. In 1966, it was purchased by Milton Prell, and the hotel got a $3 million renovation, including a new 500-seat "Baghdad Theater" showroom. Prell turned the English-themed hotel into an Arabian Nights theme, but kept the original Tudor style room wings. A serrated canopy and a $750,000 15-story "Aladdin's Lamp" sign were also added.
[edit] The Aladdin
The Aladdin opened on April 1, 1966, with flower petals pouring from the ceiling and onto guests as they entered the hall. One guest was composer-pianist Warren Richards. The opening entertainment included comedian Jackie Mason, the "Jet Set Revue," a musical review that showcased The Three Cheers and the Petite Rockette Dancers in the Baghdad Theatre.
Prell introduced an innovative main showroom policy by offering three completely different shows twice nightly with no cover or minimum charges.
The Aladdin contained a 9-hole golf course.
A little more than a year after it was opened, the Aladdin was host to Elvis and Priscilla Presley's wedding.
In August 1969, the Aladdin completed a $750,000 makeover including renovations to the Sinbad Lounge, which became enclosed and leveled above the casino floor with Arabic motif.
Also in 1969, Parvin Dohrmann Corporation took over the Aladdin, and in 1972, using the name Recrion Corporation, sold it to Sam Diamond, St. Louis politicians Peter Webbe and Sorkis Webbe, and St. Louis attorney Richard L. Daly for the price of just $5 million. Under the new owners, a $60 million face lift was conducted, including the addition of a 19-story tower and the new 7,500-seat Performing Arts Center replacing the golf course, which was $4 million over budget.
A $250,000 porte-cochere continued the tower's arabesques. The Aladdin also added a new $300,000 140-foot (43 m) blockbuster sign with little neon, huge attraction panels and none of the arabesque of the Aladdin's original sign.
The Aladdin had a grand re-opening in 1976 with singer Neil Diamond being paid $750,000 for two shows.
In 1981 heavy metal band Iron Maiden played at the Aladdin - it was their first ever concert in America.
Wayne Newton was a part owner from 1980 to 1982.
The Aladdin closed on November 25, 1997. On April 27, 1998, the entire resort was imploded,[2] except for the Aladdin Theatre, to make way for the construction of an entirely new casino.
[edit] The new Aladdin
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The Aladdin was scheduled to reopen on August 17, 2000, at 6:00 p.m., with fireworks at 10:00 p.m. The opening was delayed while the Clark County building inspector completed its fire safety testing. Another delay was caused by last-minute repairs to the casino surveillance system. This left thousands of Aladdin visitors leaving in disappointment, as well as opening night hotel guests wondering where they'd spend the night. Many high-rollers waited out on the sidewalks in front of the Aladdin for hours. Most were unable to even get to their luggage, since the hotel had been locked down for testing. Aladdin employees tried to arrange alternate accommodations for the guests with Paris and Bellagio.
Meanwhile, the Desert Passage mall was opened with I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden opening the doors to let the large crowd in.
The Aladdin finally opened the next day at 7:45 a.m. 100 members of Culinary Workers Union Local 226, as well as more than 1,000 other workers were marching on Las Vegas Boulevard to protest the Aladdin opening without a union contract. Eden's speech as well as the other festivities were drowned out by the bullhorns and the rest of the protest.
The casino was in financial trouble from the start and was sold on June 20, 2003, to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
[edit] Planet Hollywood
Renovations were carried out in stages, allowing the resort to remain open throughout. Planet Hollywood Las Vegas includes an expanded casino, new restaurants, new nightclub and retail space. A redesign of the facade and pedestrian plaza was intended to correct defects that made accessing the property from the sidewalks on The Strip difficult.
As of October 2007, about a third to half of the retail space formerly known as "The Desert Passage" had been converted into the new, Hollywood-themed "Miracle Mile Shops"[3]. This includes new, black flooring in place of the old uneven cobblestone type walkway as well as the abandonment of the Arabian marketplace theme for a more conventional mall look. Despite the renovations, the popular rain show still exists and the V Theater still appears as it always has.
After the casino was renovated, it was reopened on April 17, 2007 as Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The official grand opening of was the weekend of November 16, 2007.
The Planet Hollywood restaurant, however, remains at The Forum Shops at Caesars.
The turbulent existence of the resort continues with widespread speculation that Harrah’s Entertainment will put it in charge of hotel operations, ousting Starwood.[4] Negotiations to form a larger partnership, or an outright takeover of the resort by Harrah's have been ongoing since Harrah’s and private equity firms paid about $30 million for a chunk of the resort’s debt with a face value of $140 million.[5][dubious ]
Harrah’s had hoped to purchase the debt and make a move on outright ownership quietly, but details of the plan were leaked to the media.[5][dubious ] Planet Hollywood's footprint on the strip would give Harrah’s total control of the 126 acres (0.51 km2) on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip from Flamingo to Harmon Roads.[4]
[edit] Planet Hollywood Resort Features
[edit] Casino
Planet Hollywood has hip and modern architecture fitted to its Hollywood theme. It features a three-acre casino floor full of traditional gambling machines like slots, table games and the The Playing Field Race and Sports Book. This features 33 plasma screens, two jumbo screens and a section for VIP. Planet Hollywood is the first Las Vegas resort to offer table games dealt by young ladies in "chic lingerie". The Pleasure Pit is a section of the table games where this happens with go-go dancers entertaining the gamblers at the side.[6]
The casino allows you to join the The a-List Players Club to receive exclusive rewards and special deals.
[edit] "The Mezzanine"
This can be accessed by taking an escalator in the casino or the elevator. Here, guests can relax on comfy chairs overlooking the casino. Many come to smoke, relax or think. The area is rather spaced out with room to walk and includes a place for shooting basketball hoops. It includes a "Living Room" with sofas to be accessed by the guests.
The Planet Hollywood showroom is also located here. It features different shows every once in a while, mostly adult shows. The current as well as the most popular so far is called Peepshow and Tony n' Tina's Wedding.[clarification needed]
The Spa by Madara is located on this floor. Two fine dining restaurants, KOI and Strip House are present here, across from the wedding chapel.
[edit] Swimming Pool
The swimming pool in this resort is can be accessed through the sixth floor. The area overlooks the Strip with a view of the north and south. It features two pools and two hot spa one of each in both the South and North Strip. The one in the North Strip section features VIP cabanas for renting. In between is a bar/grill/snack-bar with a patch of grass lined with pool chairs for guests to sit and eat.
The pool usually is open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and the bar from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, DJ's spin popular music from noon to 4:00 p.m.[7]
[edit] Accommodations
Planet Hollywood Resort features rooms that meet its Hollywood theme. The resort has 52 floors (with the final two being VIP) and each room is dedicated to a certain movie such as Backdraft. Rooms feature actual props and memorabilia from the film. The rooms range from standard to luxurious "Panorama" suites with a view of the whole Las Vegas Strip.
Rooms include:
- Hollywood Hip:standard room with a Hollywood "hip-style". Choice between one king bed or two queen. It is 450 square feet (42 m2), has two speaker phones, an ironing rack, an oversized bathtub, a shower, and 42-inch (110 cm) plasma television. A purple sitting chair is also available by the window.[8] This room is also available as a "fountain-view room" which offers a remarkable view of the Bellagio Resort and Casino and its fountain water-show. It has the same accommodations as the Hollywood Hip (unless it's a suite) and is usually available at an extra charge.
- Resort room: similar to the Hollywood Hip but larger and with more accommodations. It is about 560 square feet (52 m2) with a choice between a king bed or two queens. It has the same ironing board, oversized bathtub, and internet access (for a fee). What is extra other than extra space is that this offers two windows and two chairs. It offers a sofa, double sinks, and ambient bathroom lighting.[9]
- Resort Vista: not only does this room have a great view[neutrality disputed] but it is also 570 square feet (53 m2) with a king size bed, marble bathroom floors, oversized soaking tub, a writing desk, coffee table and sofa. This is an add-on to the other mentioned features.[10]
- Panorama Suite: about 1,255 square feet (116.6 m2); this is perhaps[weasel words] considered the most elegant room in the resort. It has a panoramic 180-degree view of the Las Vegas Strip from living room. It features luxurious accommodations like a double door foyer entrance, two sofas or one sofa and several chairs, one 52-inch (130 cm) flat screen TV in living area, a dining area, wet bar with refrigerator, adjoining powder room, large writing desk, separate bedroom area with couch and table, one 36-inch (91 cm) flat screen TV in bedroom, oversized soaking tub with retractable wall, and an iPod station in bedroom.
[edit] Dining
[edit] Fine Dining
- KOI: KOI is a Japanese themed restaurant with and fine-dining atmosphere. It features a dimmed garden seating lighted by candals. Offers sushi and other types of Japanese cooking
- Strip House: The steakhouse at this resort. Offers varieties of steak, meat selections, and other related items
[edit] Casual
- Spice Market Buffet:award-winning buffet that features food from around the world with each type having its own section.[clarification needed]
- Planet Dailies: this place allows you to start your morning with varieties of sections of coffee and "coffee-house items". Later on, they have lunch and dinner menus that include wide entrées of salads such as Greek salad or Asian salad, as well as sandwiches and pastas.
- P. F. Chang's China Bistro: this offers Chinese food in a contemporary manner. P.F. Chang's signature dishes include Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Mongolian Beef and Oolong Marinated Sea Bass.
- Yolos Mexican Grill: offers classical Mexican items like fajitas, burritos. chile, and chips and salsa.
[edit] Quick Bites
The Miracle Mile Shops also offer many varieties of dining not in the hotel but part of the resort.
[edit] Film history
Footage of the implosion of the original structure was used in the closing credits of the film The Cooler.
This casino was used in the filming of Going in Style.
Seasons One and Two of the A&E Network show Criss Angel Mindfreak were filmed at the resort.
The TLC show Trading Spaces took place at the Aladdin in a 2004 episode.
The Theatre for the Performing Arts was the site for the 2006 to 2009 Miss America pageants.
The Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) world premiere took place at Planet Hollywood on September 25, 2007.
The Rambo (2008) world premiere took place at Planet Hollywood on January 24, 2008.
Scenes from the 2008 movie 21 were shot in Planet Hollywood.
The Planet Hollywood hotel is prominently featured in the movie What Happens in Vegas as the hotel were the Fullers stay and get married.
The movie Transporter 3 had its world premiere at PH on November 21, 2008. Jason Statham was present for the premiere.
The movie Race to Witch Mountain was partly shot here for the space convention
[edit] Performing Arts Center
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001281657&owner=exclude&count=40
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/US/9804/27/fringe.aladdin.implode/aladdin.240.43.mov[dead link]
- ^ Miracle Mile[dead link]
- ^ a b Knightly, Arnold M. (2009-09-14). "Harrah's buying Planet Hollywood debt". Las Vegas Review-Journal. http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/Harrahs_buying_Planet_Hollywood_debt.html. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ a b Hevener, Phil (2009-10-20). "Harrah's to operate Planet Hollywood?". Gaming Today. http://www.gamingtoday.com/opinion/story.bv?storyid=23265. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ "http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/gam_index.php". http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/gam_index.php. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/amn_pool.php". http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/amn_pool.php. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_hip_room.php". http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_hip_room.php. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_resort_room.php". http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_resort_room.php. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_resort_vista_room.php". http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/acc_resort_vista_room.php. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Planet Hollywood Casino (Las Vegas) |
- Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
- Planet Hollywood (Aladdin) News - Vegas Today and Tomorrow
- Las Vegas Travelog. Including tens of photos.
- History of the Aladdin
- Implosion pictures and video of old Aladdin
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Coordinates: 36°06′36″N 115°10′15.45″W / 36.11°N 115.1709583°W
