Showboat Hotel and Casino
| Castaways Hotel and Casino | |
|---|---|
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Address | Boulder Highway |
| Opening date | September 3, 1954 |
| Closing date | January 29, 2004 |
| Theme | Polynesia |
| No. of rooms | 1,700 |
| Total gaming space | 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) |
| Signature attractions | Gateway to Luck |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Station Casinos |
| Previous names | Showboat |
| Renovated in | 1973, 1976, 2000 |
The Castaways Hotel and Casino, formerly the Showboat Hotel and Casino was a hotel and casino located at the north end of the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel consisted of a 19 story tower containing 445 rooms, a casino and an adjacent RV park. The Castaways hotel was demolished on January 11, 2006 to make way for an unknown project.
The Showboat was built by William J. Moore of the Last Frontier and J. Kell Houssels of the Las Vegas Club for $2 million. The first resort within Las Vegas city limits, it had 100 rooms on two floors. While Moore and Houssels ran the hotel, the casino was leased by a group of managers from the Desert Inn, including Moe Dalitz. The Showboat opened on September 3, 1954. After several unsuccessful years, Joe Kelley took over management, and began successfully targeting local customers with forty-nine cent breakfast specials and other promotions.
Kelley added a bowling alley in 1959, which soon became the Showboat's signature attraction, hosting nationally televised PBA tournaments. Showboat bowling leagues were organized in Los Angeles and Phoenix, offering winners free trips to Las Vegas for championship events. By 1979, the bowling alley grew to 106 lanes, making it the nation's third largest.
A 19-story hotel tower was built in two phases, with the first nine floors opening by 1973, and the remainder in 1976, bringing the property to a total of 500 rooms.
In the early 1980s, a large unused space on the second floor was converted into the Showboat Sports Pavilion, which hosted American Wrestling Association events and Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby matches, and competed with Caesars Palace to book high-profile boxing matches. The Pavilion was later converted into a bingo hall.
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