The legendary casino called Sahara is back in Vegas! However, many actually think that the facility never left the Strip in the first place.
According to Rachel Hunt, SAHARA Las Vegas VP of marketing, people actually never stopped calling the property Sahara when they left the Strip. She added that they had conducted research, and it seemed that the name Sahara had “so much equity.”
In fact, Hunt claimed that the name was even more popular than before it left Vegas. Finally, she concluded that it was safe to say that all the Vegas residents and visitors are more than excited to see one of the most popular brands make a return to the city.
SAHARA Las Vegas was one of the first things that people would think of for 60 years when they thought of Vegas. The iconic camel symbol, as well as the desert-themed interior, left thousands of people mesmerized by the beauty of this resort.
However, the property, which was located in the north part of the Las Vegas Strip, had to close back in 2011. Three years after that, SLS Las Vegas opened in that very same building, giving it a completely new look and feel. Visitors loved going to SLS as well, but it seems that true Vegas lovers never stopped calling it by its true name — Sahara.
Bringing Back Nostalgia
Tides turned a year ago when SLS was purchased by Meruelo Group. As soon as they acquired the company, they started making plans of renovating SLS and restoring its original image.
They invested $150 million in order to renovate the resort and give it a fresh, yet familiar look that visitors loved. A couple of months ago, there was an official announcement by the company, stating that the facility will be rebranded back to SAHARA Las Vegas — a piece of news that put a smile on faces of many Vegas enthusiasts.
Hunt added that there weren’t many properties on the Strip with as much history as SAHARA Las Vegas. She stated that it was not mega-resorts that attracted people the most but these buildings that have a somewhat nostalgic and romantic value.
Hunt stated that people who visited Las Vegas in the past had a feeling that they had grown up with some of the venues, and one of the most important facilities was SAHARA. According to her, even people who just knew about Sahara and were never in Las Vegas usually connected the brand with the vintage Vegas.
A Long Process
The renovation process has been active for 10 months so far, and there are still a lot of things to do in order to restore the former yet updated look of this legendary casino. The casino floor, which is located on 60,000 square feet, will have a better design, upgraded lighting, and many other improvements.
One of the amenities that already opened is the 24-hour CASBAR lounge, which opened back in May and resembles the vintage lounges with live music that were popular in the glory days of SAHARA.
This week, the casino unveiled another new addition called Infinity, which is a high-limit lounge with numerous high-limit games such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and more. Moreover, there is a new poker room, which is located off the casino floor, and it will open its doors by the end of 2019.
When it comes to the Blanca and Mara hotel towers, they will have completely renovated rooms, new lobbies, and updated room corridors. Moreover, the Alexandria Tower will feature a dedicated hotel check-in and many other interesting additions.
