Dunes Hotel
The Dunes Hotel was known for its opulent design and association with the golden age of Vegas. It opened on May 23, 1955, and quickly became a hotspot for celebrities and high rollers. The Dunes was one of the earlier casinos on the Strip, and it aimed to evoke a sense of Arabian luxury with its theme, complete with a sultan's palace motif and camel statues. The hotel had 200 rooms when it first opened, and over time, it expanded significantly.
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It boasted one of the first real fine-dining options on the Strip, Tiffany's. The hotel's golf course, one of the earliest on the Strip, was a major attraction. It also hosted a famous topless revue that was an attempt to compete with the French-themed Folies Bergère at the Tropicana. Over the years, the Dunes attracted notable entertainers such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland.
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The Dunes struggled financially in its early years, competing with more established properties like the Desert Inn and Sands. It wasn’t until the 1960s, when business magnate Major Riddle took over, that the Dunes began to see success. He invested in expanding the property, adding a 24-story tower in 1961, which made it one of the tallest structures on the Strip at the time.
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The Dunes maintained a luxurious reputation through the 1960s and early 1970s but started to decline in the late '70s and '80s, as newer and more extravagant resorts opened. It fell victim to financial troubles and struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of Las Vegas, which was seeing an influx of megaresorts.
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In 1992, the Dunes was purchased by Steve Wynn, who had just opened The Mirage a few years earlier. Wynn had grand plans for transforming the Las Vegas Strip and saw the Dunes as prime real estate for his next project. He closed the Dunes in 1993, and in a highly publicized event, the Dunes' iconic hotel tower was demolished with a massive fireworks display on October 27, 1993. This marked the end of an era for the Dunes and paved the way for Wynn’s next major project, the Bellagio, which opened on the site in 1998.
