Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino
| Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Paradise, Nevada 89109 |
| Address | 120 E Flamingo Road |
| Opening date | May 1980 |
| Closing date | 18 October 2005 |
| Theme | New Orleans |
| No. of rooms | 166 |
| Total gaming space | 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) |
| Casino type | Land-Based |
| Owner | Harrah's Entertainment |
| Previous names | Shenandoah Hotel |
Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino was a small hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Opening in 1980 as the Shenandoah Hotel, the property was plagued with licensing and financial difficulties from the start. Ownership changed hands several times, with new proprietors often envisioning major renovations or redevelopment, but none of the plans came to fruition. Finally, in 2005, it was bought by Harrah's Entertainment (now Caesars Entertainment), who closed and demolished it.
The Shenandoah Hotel began as a $29 million project, named after the Las Vegas estate of minority investor, singer Wayne Newton. The hotel had opened by May 1980, but the casino opening was delayed by a Gaming Commission investigation into hotel president John Harlow Tucker for a 1975 securities fraud conviction. Tucker's license was ultimately denied, and he was ordered to sell his $1.8 million in shares. Newton also pulled out, instead buying The Aladdin. The hotel's landlord, Allarco Holdings of Edmonton, took over, and sought new investors to buy or lease the property, which was losing $500,000 a month.
Allarco was acquired in January 1981 by Carma Developers Ltd., a Calgary-based real estate company. Carma spent over two years trying unsuccessfully to sell the Shenandoah, before deciding to seek a gaming license to open the casino itself. Nevada passed a law in June 1985, making it possible for Carma to become the first foreign firm to receive a gaming license in the state. The property was reopened and rebranded as Bourbon Street Hotel and Casino.
In January 1988, Carma sold Bourbon Street to Las Vegas Investors Ltd., a firm run by two top executives of Hotel Investors Trust (now Starwood Hotels). The following month, the firm turned around and sold the property to Hotel Investors Trust, along with the King 8 Hotel, for a total of $35 million.
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