The hotel, at the far northern end of “The Strip,” has struggled in recent years with changing ownership and a location surrounded by the empty Fountainebleau and Echelon, two hotel projects that stalled in the recent financial downturn.įor almost 60 years, the Sahara has been a name synonymous with the Strip, its place enshrined with the boulevard running east-west next to the property bearing its name.įans loved the Sahara because of its smaller size and the fact that despite many makeovers, it still had the general lines of the hotel that was a hot spot in the 1950s. Hotel officials said ownership was considering its options on whether to re-brand the hotel or redevelop the aging property. The Sahara Hotel & Casino, which dates to the days of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” and has featured the likes of Mae West and Marlene Dietrich in its showrooms, will close May 16.
