Operator News
US – SLS Las Vegas could rebrand back to Sahara
By Phil - 6 June 2019
SLS Las Vegas, a 1,720-room casino resort at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, is considering changing its name back to the Sahara Hotel & Casino, a name synonymous with Las Vegas’ Rat Pack history.
The claim comes from renowned Las Vegas blogger Scott Roeben who runs the Vital Vegas website.
He said: “Renaming SLS as Sahara is a brilliant move. It plays upon the storied history of the casino, while saving a metric hell-ton of money by playing up an existing brand rather than trying to create a new one from scratch.”
The rebrand would see the removal of the 32-foot tall white blob statue outside the front of the casino. The property was bought by Meruelo Group in 2018. Company CEO Alex Meruelo reversed the fortunes of the then struggling Grand Sierra Resort in Casino in Reno in 2011 and promised to do the same with SLS.
Mr. Meruelo said: “I was told there was no way in hell that I would be able to turn the Grand Sierra around. If I can turn around the Grand Sierra Resort, I could do that at SLS.”
The first casino to open on the site was Club Bingo in 1947. It became the Sahara Hotel & Casino in 1951, becoming famous as a hang-out for the Rat Pack.
The Sahara Hotel & Casino closed in 2011 and was developed to the tune of a $415m in 2014 reopening as SLS which stood for style, luxury, and service. It struggled though due to a lack of footfall at the north end of the Strip.
