El Cortez Hotel & Casino Celebrates 80 Years With Stunning Renovations – And One Very Adult Change
El Cortez Hotel & Casino may be one of the oldest hotels in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t mean the historic downtown property is showing its age.
The only standing casino on the National Register of Historic Places, El Cortez celebrated its 80th anniversary last November by completing $25 million in renovations. In addition to revamping its casino floor with brand new ceilings and bold new carpeting featuring a fiery leopard print and leaf design, the family-owned and -operated property remodeled 200 Tower Premium rooms and suites. Boasting a warm, contemporary design blended with a bit of whimsy, the accommodations draw inspiration from the Spanish Colonial Revival era, with decorative elements that include black-and-white floor tiles, traditional-style rugs, modern accent furniture and carved wood details.
The property unveiled a dazzling new high-limit room and updated hotel lobby as well and recently refreshed its Vintage Rooms to further elevate the guest experience. Despite all of these changes, El Cortez still has the same vintage vibe that keeps visitors coming back for more.
“El Cortez has always been known as a great value, a great gamble and the last place to find authentic Las Vegas as it was in past generations,” said Adam Wiesberg, general manager of El Cortez. “Our recent renovations were completed with El Cortez’s history and authenticity at the forefront so the nostalgia is still alive and well, even as you stay in one of the nicest hotel rooms in the city. We just completed the renovation of our original 47 hotel rooms that were here when Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky owned El Cortez in the 1940s. These rooms are now fresh and new, but you will still feel the slight creaking of the 1941 wood slat subfloor. You also might be sleeping in a room Moe Sedway or Bugsy used as an office in 1945.”
While there’s no doubt guests will be impressed by the property’s refresh, there are some Vegas visitors who will have to wait a little longer to experience the changes for themselves. In April, El Cortez began transitioning into a 21-and-older property by only allowing adults to stay in the hotel.
“Since 1941, El Cortez has been the place to come for great gaming, drink service and value,” Wiesberg said. “We still offer single deck, 3/2 blackjack on most tables, 10X odds on craps and we even have 100 coin-operated slot machines.”
“We don’t have an arcade, kids shows, a food court or a pool, so there really isn’t anything here for kids. There is so much in this town for kids, but they’ll have to wait until they turn 21 to enjoy El Cortez.” elcortezhotelcasino.com
–Heather Turk, Vegas Guide Writer