(ConservativeJournal.org) – The Tropicana is an iconic Las Vegas hotel and casino that closed forever on Tuesday, April 2. The hotel was featured in the 1971 Bond classic “Diamonds are Forever,” where Bond himself plugs the hotel saying that he heard “the Hotel Tropicana is quite comfortable.”
The latter half of the twentieth century were the prime years of the famous venue. At the time, it was the only luxury hotel resort in the area, surrounded by desert. Today it sits amongst multiple high rises and skyscrapers and come October, the entire structure will be demolished to make room for a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium which is scheduled to open in 2028.
Charlie Granado worked at the Tropicana as a bartender for 38 years. He said the time had come for the grand old hotel to finally shutter its doors. Granado said it was a bittersweet ending.
Barbara Boggess started working there when she was just 26 years old in 1978. She said driving to work used to take just 10 minutes, but now it’s more like an hour with traffic. She highlighted how the Tropicana had evolved over the years.
In 1979 the building had major additions, including two hotel towers added upon the original three-story structure and a $1 million amber and green stained glass ceiling that they put above the casino floor.
JT Seumala is a regular Las Vegas resident. He said that the venue makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
The venue has hosted talent and guests like Mel Torme, Eddie Fisher, Gladys Knight, and Wayne Newton. The latter two had residences at the Tropicana.
In the 1980s the hotel rebranded itself as “The Island of Las Vegas” and added swim-up blackjack tables, and South Beach-themed decor.
The hotel was also notorious for being run by gangsters back in the 1970s. Nearly two dozen mobsters were charged by the feds for skimming just under $2 million from the profits of the hotel. Five convictions stemmed from crimes at the Tropicana.
Copyright 2024, ConservativeJournal.org
