Clarion Hotel and Casino
| Clarion Hotel and Casino | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Las Vegas, NV 89109 |
| Address | 305 Convention Center Drive |
| Opening date | 1970 |
| Closing date | September 2, 2014 |
| Number of rooms | 202 |
| Total gaming space | 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) |
| Permanent shows |
What Happens in Vegas… A Victorious Gospel Brunch |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Choice Hotels |
| Operating license holder | United Coin |
| Previous names | Royal Inn (1970–80) Royal Americana Hotel (1980–82) The Paddlewheel Hotel Casino (1983–93) Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Hotel (1993–99) Greek Isles Hotel & Casino (2001–09) Clarion Hotel and Casino (2009 – September 2014) |
| Renovated in | 2001 |
| Website | www |
Clarion Hotel and Casino, formerly known as Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Hotel and Greek Isles Hotel & Casino, was near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The hotel originally opened in 1970 as a Royal Inn, and also operated under the names Royal Americana Hotel and The Paddlewheel Hotel Casino before being purchased by Debbie Reynolds in 1992. After Reynolds sold the property in 1999, it was briefly owned by the World Wrestling Federation, and was then sold and remodeled as the Greek Isles.
It was a 202-room hotel and a 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) casino on 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land.
The hotel closed on September 2, 2014, after Labor Day weekend.
The Clarion Hotel and Casino was demolished by implosion shortly before 3 a.m. on February 10, 2015.
Royal Inns of America opened its $3 million, 200-room hotel in 1970. In 1972, Michael Gaughan and Frank Toti bought out the property's casino operations.
In 1979, fast food operator (and former automat chain) Horn & Hardart agreed to buy the Royal Inn for $7.4 million.
By late 1980, the sale had been completed, and the property was rebranded as the Royal Americana Hotel, with a New York theme. A $3.5 million renovation increased the room count to 300. By 1982 though, the hotel was experiencing substantial losses, and Horn & Hardart decided to close it. They reportedly agreed that December to sell the property to an investment group for $15.4 million.
The property later reopened as the Paddlewheel Hotel & Casino. It had a kid-friendly atmosphere, with arcade games and amusement rides, but later shifted to an adult focus, including a male revue. Horn & Hardart put the hotel back up for sale in 1990.
It did not sell until 1992, when actress Debbie Reynolds and her husband Richard Hamlett bought the closed Paddlewheel at auction for $2.2 million. Reynolds planned to spend $15 million on renovations, including adding a museum to house her collection of Hollywood memorabilia, and a 500-seat theater where she would perform.
The property reopened in 1993, with the casino operated by Jackpot Enterprises, but Reynolds struggled with the financing to complete the project. She took the company public in 1994 to raise money, and the museum finally opened the following year. The casino closed in 1996 after Jackpot pulled out because it was unprofitable, and Reynolds could not get a gaming license to operate it in-house because of the company's poor finances. After a deal to sell the property to timeshare developer ILX Inc. for $16.8 million fell through, Reynolds and the hotel both filed for bankruptcy protection in 1997, and the property was put up for auction the following year.
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