The Sahara opened on October 7, 1952, as the sixth resort on the Las Vegas Strip, with a $5 million price tag and an African Sahara theme. Its owner, Milton Prell, called it “The Jewel of the Desert.” It sat on the site of Prell’s earlier Club Bingo casino, and Del Webb, the builder, bought the Sahara in 1961.
The Sahara was a celebrity magnet. It rivaled the Sands for headliners, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Louis Prima. In 1964, the hotel paid the Beatles $25,000 to play two shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center and stay at the resort. And in a very Vegas touch, a roller coaster called “Speed - The Ride” shot riders out of the hotel and looped through the Sahara sign.
The Sahara shut down on May 16, 2011, after 59 years of operation. The property later reopened as SLS Las Vegas and was renamed Sahara Las Vegas in 2019. The neon and the Congo Room are gone, but this chip is still here, and now it’s on your tie.
The Sahara opened on October 7, 1952, as the sixth resort on the Las Vegas Strip, with a $5 million price tag and an African Sahara theme. Its owner, Milton Prell, called it “The Jewel of the Desert.” It sat on the site of Prell’s earlier Club Bingo casino, and Del Webb, the builder, bought the Sahara in 1961.
The Sahara was a celebrity magnet. It rivaled the Sands for headliners, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Louis Prima. In 1964, the hotel paid the Beatles $25,000 to play two shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center and stay at the resort. And in a very Vegas touch, a roller coaster called “Speed - The Ride” shot riders out of the hotel and looped through the Sahara sign.
The Sahara shut down on May 16, 2011, after 59 years of operation. The property later reopened as SLS Las Vegas and was renamed Sahara Las Vegas in 2019. The neon and the Congo Room are gone, but this chip is still here, and now it’s on your tie.
