The Dunes was an iconic Las Vegas Hotel whose name even today is still remembered along the strip. It’s long gone now, of course - imploded in two stages to make way for The Bellagio in 1993 and 1994. This being Vegas, though, it’s demise was as spectacular as the old hotel’s reputation merited. The following post, therefore, provides a brief history of the Las Vegas Dunes hotel.
Las Vegas has been referred to as one of the modern wonders of the world, and for good reason. Long gone are the days when Vegas was a cheesy sleazy place full of casinos and endless Elvis memorabilia. Today, Vegas is an ultra-modern party town that’s rapidly going upmarket, with more attractions per square mile than anywhere else on earth, and hotels and casinos that simply take your breath away.
Even more remarkable is the sheer scale of redevelopment that’s going on within the 3.5 miles of the Las Vegas strip. More than $30 billion is being pumped in to develop new mega hotels that make the existing ones look like sheds. If you’ve never been to Vegas before, go now to catch a glimpse of the 20th Century Vegas before the 21st Century comes rushing in.
Before you do, though, read on to understand how a small town in the desert became one of the modern wonders of the world, and see what $30 billion of new Las Vegas hotels will bring to the future of this amazing place.
Note: This article was first published in EzineArticles - but that’s OK, because I wrote it! If you’d like to include it in your site, you have my permission to reprint it in its entirety (you can skip this bit in italics!), but you must include the links at the bottom
Las Vegas is currently in the middle of an unprecedented $30 billion building boom, with another $50 billion set to follow that, with few analysts worrying over whether Las Vegas can support the tens of thousands of new hotel rooms that are being created.
But it wasn’t always like that. Ten years ago, the Venetian and the Bellagio were both under construction as their owners, Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn, went head to head in their own personal mini building-boom. Back then, though, analysts were predicting a bloodbath, as the thought of Vegas supporting just two more mega-casinos seemed destined to render one of the casino billionaires bankrupt.
Read on for more details of the Bellagio vs the Venetian in the first of our new History of Las Vegas series.
The Palazzo is slowly starting to take shape. The new hotel being built between The Wynn and The Venetian is set to open later this year (though more likely early next year), but for those who can’t wait to see what it looks like, here’s an artist’s impression!
The main hotel is the large left building, while the building towards the right is a new condo that’s being built as part of the new complex. You can just about see the existing Venetian sandwiched between the two.
