The Plaza Hotel & Casino is a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. It currently has 995 rooms and suites, an casino and more than of event space. The Plaza Hotel also has a showroom, rooftop swimming pool, fitness center, bingo room, restaurants, a sports bar, and Oscar's Steakhouse, named after the former

Mayor of Las Vegas The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of Las Vegas. Starting with Mr. Peter Buol the first mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1911 to 1913. List of mayors of Las Vegas See also * Las Vegas history and timeline References ...

Oscar Goodman Oscar Baylin Goodman (born July 26, 1939) is an American attorney and politician. A Democrat-turned- independent, Goodman was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, succeeded him as mayor in 2011. Early ...

History

Las Vegas Union Pacific Station

Before the construction of The Plaza, a Spanish-style depot constructed in 1906 acted as the first train station in Las Vegas on the site.

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

replaced the structure in 1940 with a

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

station designed by H. L. Gogerty, including a Union Pacific shield and a "Streamliners & Challengers" neon sign. The station was demolished in 1970. The original casino, Union Plaza about the railroad station, included a small waiting room for

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

train passengers.

Union Plaza Hotel and Casino

The hotel was built on the station site by Upland Industries (Union Pacific's real estate division), along with the Scott Corp, headed by Frank E. Scott. The hotel opened on July 1, 1971, with the casino opening at midnight, being managed by a team of local casino executives including

Sam Boyd Samuel A. Boyd (April 23, 1910 – January 15, 1993) was an American entrepreneur, casino manager and developer. He was noted for introducing successful marketing, gambling and entertainment innovations into the casino gambling industry, as ...

Jackie Gaughan John Davis Gaughan, Sr. (October 24, 1920 – March 12, 2014) was an American casino owner and operator from the early 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada. He had an ownership stake in many casinos throughout his career, but he is best known for his owner ...

, JK Houssels Jr, and Bill Boyd. It was advertised as the largest casino in the world. With 504 rooms, Plaza's hotel was the same size as Fremont Hotel and merely a third of the size of The International Hotel & Casino, but Plaza contained the largest casino floor in Las Vegas at 66,000 square feet. Before the discontinuation of the

Desert Wind The ''Desert Wind'' was an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that ran from 1979 to 1997. It operated from Chicago to Los Angeles as a section of the ''California Zephyr'', serving Los Angeles via Salt Lake City; Ogden, Utah; and Las Vegas ...

train route on May 10, 1997,

built its Las Vegas station directly connected to the hotel. It was the only train station in the United States in a casino. The Las Vegas

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

bus station was also located at the Plaza from the hotel's opening until management terminated the lease and the station moved on February 23, 2021.

Plaza Hotel & Casino

Barrick Gaming Corporation acquired the Plaza from Jackie Gaughan. During his ownership, D.W. Barrick's friend,

Larry Manetti Lawrence Francis Manetti (born July 23, 1943), known as Larry Manetti, is an American actor known for his role as Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright on the CBS television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' He co-starred in ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'' as Firs ...

, who played Orville "Rick" Wright on the television show ''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980, to May 1, 1988, during its first-run broadcast on ...

,'' hosted a celebrity

brunch Brunch is a meal, often accompanied by "signature morning cocktails" such as mimosas, bloody marys, espresso martinis, and bellinis, taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 11am-2pm, though mod ...

every Sunday, featuring such guests as

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, before becoming known to television audiences for his recurring role as diner owner Matsuo "Arnold" Takah ...

and

Steve Rossi Joseph Charles Michael Tafarella (May 25, 1932 – June 22, 2014), better known as Steve Rossi, was an American stand-up comedian and singer, best known from his work with Marty Allen as Allen & Rossi. Early life Born in New York City in 1932 ...

. He also owned Manetti's in the Plaza. When Barrick sold its interest in the hotel to the

Tamares Group Tamares Group is a private investment group based in London. Tamares has international interests in real estate, finance, technology, communications, manufacturing, leisure and media.imploding the Plaza." Goodman wanted to see the Plaza replaced with new construction, creating a scenic entrance to Union Park. In the decades since, the Plaza has invested millions of dollars into property improvements, earning Goodman's support. Since 2011, the former mayor has lent his name to the property's

steakhouse A steakhouse, steak house, or chophouse is a restaurant that specializes in steaks and chops. Modern steakhouses may also carry other cuts of meat including poultry, roast prime rib, and veal, as well as fish and other seafood. History Choph ...

, which resides in the Plaza's famed glass dome. Plaza pool

The hotel closed for renovations on November 11, 2010. It acquired furniture, carpets, and fixtures from the bankrupt

Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a luxury resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Fontainebleau Development and is a sister property to Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and sits on the site previousl ...

project on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

. From November 2010 to August 2011, the Plaza operated its sports & racebook, showroom, one bar, and a portion of the casino. By March 2011, the south tower and the casino had finished renovations, re-opening on August 24, 2011. The hotel officially re-opened for business on September 1, 2011. The renovation project cost was $35 million. The property has undertaken numerous renovations and amenity enhancement projects since 2011. In 2014, the Plaza announced that a new 3,500-seat facility would be constructed at the hotel to become the new home arena for the

Las Vegas Wranglers The Las Vegas Wranglers were a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas Valley. The Wranglers were members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League). The Wranglers were founded a ...

minor league hockey Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

team of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. However, the hockey team suspended operations for the 2014–15 season and would eventually fold mid-season. In 2016, the Plaza fully refurbished its rooftop pool, creating an outdoor space with a wet deck, hot tub, private cabanas, bar, and food truck. The Plaza has 13

pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...

courts, more than any other hotel-casino in Las Vegas. The Plaza built the multipurpose venue CORE Arena, an

equestrian center An equestrian facility is created and maintained for the purpose of accommodating, training or competing equids, especially horses. Based on their use, they may be known as a barn, stables, or riding hall and may include commercial operations de ...

in downtown Las Vegas with 80 equine stalls, which hosts events like

rodeos Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

and

monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock p ...

shows. CORE Arena has hosted the Las Vegas Days Rodeo in partnership with the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial since 2019. In 2019, a $15 million renovation created more than 100 Luxe guest rooms and suites on the top floors of the North Tower. The Plaza has three 21-story murals by artists

Shepard Fairey Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campa ...

D*Face Dean Stockton, better known by his alias D*Face, is an English multimedia street artist who uses spray paint, stickers, posters, and stencils. D*Face grew up in London and had a childhood interest in graffiti in drawing. He credits this to Henry ...

and Faile on its North Tower. In 2023, the Plaza unveiled its Main Street façade renovations, with four new venues. The renovation was centered around Carousel Bar, an outdoor bar with life-sized animated Vegas-themed elements, including moving carousel horses, a tall

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...

, a rotating ribbon of lights, and outdoor video poker machines with seating for nearly 100 guests overlooking the

Fremont Street Experience The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of som ...

. U2 filmed their music video " Atomic City" at Carousel Bar in September 2023. The Main Street renovations also included Pinkbox Doughnuts across from Carousel Bar and a smoke-free gaming area that opened in partnership with Brian Christopher on the other side. Overlooking the new Main Street venues is a rooftop patio at Oscar's Steakhouse, an al fresco

fine dining Fine dining is a restaurant experience that is typically more sophisticated, special, and expensive than at a typical restaurant. The décor of such restaurants features higher-quality materials, with establishments having certain rules of din ...

space. Hosted by Amy Saunders, the

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

Miss Behave's Mavericks ''Miss Behave's Mavericks'', commonly shortened to ''Mavericks'', is a Las Vegas variety show performed at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. The show presents acrobatics, burlesque, comedy, contortionism, circus performances, juggl ...

'' debuted at the Plaza on October 2, 2024.

In popular culture

Film

*The Union Plaza, still under construction, as well as a "coming soon" sign in front, is prominently visible during the Fremont Street car chase in the 1971

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film, '' Diamonds Are Forever''. *In 1975 Warner Bros filmed scenes in the casino for '' Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins'', starring Alan Arkin. *In the 1989 film ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the Back ...

'', Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino Hotel is based on the structure of neon lights & signs of the Plaza. *The Union Plaza played a major role in the 1992 movie ''

Cool World ''Cool World'' is a 1992 American Adult animation, adult Live-action animation, live-action/animated hybrid fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt, ...

''. * In the 1995 film ''

Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

'', a scene starring

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

and

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

plays inside the Center Stage Restaurant, where Ginger (played by Stone) and Sam (De Niro) argue over missing money. *In the 2000 film ''

Pay It Forward Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying the kindness to others rather than paying it back to the original benefactor. It is also called serial reciprocity. The concept is old, but the particular ph ...

'', a scene starring

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

plays inside the Center Stage Restaurant. *In the 2001 film ''

The Mexican ''The Mexican'' is a 2001 American romantic crime comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski. The film stars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, with James Gandolfini, Bob Balaban, J. K. Simmons, and Gene Hackman in supporting roles. It tells th ...

'', Samantha (

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

) and Winston (

James Gandolfini James John Gandolfini (; September 18, 1961June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007 ...

) stay at the Plaza, where Frank (

Michael Cerveris Michael Cerveris Jr. (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, singer, and guitarist. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including several Stephen Sondheim musicals: ''Assassins (musical), Assassins'', ''Sweeney Todd: The ...

) is thrown off a balcony and killed. *In the 2003 film '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', the Plaza serves as the hotel tower for "

Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( ) is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park in California. His real name is ''Aloysius Bartholamew Sam''. ...

's Wooden Nickel" casino. *In the 2004 film '' The Girl Next Door'', desperate to win Danielle (

Elisha Cuthbert Elisha Ann Cuthbert (; born November 30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. As a child actress, she made her first televised appearance as an extra on ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' and co-hosted '' Popular Mechanics for Kids''. She made her feature- ...

) back, Matt (

Emile Hirsch Emile Davenport Hirsch (born March 13, 1985) is an American actor. His portrayal of Chris McCandless in '' Into the Wild'' (2007) earned him acclaim and multiple award nominations. Other notable roles include '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004), '' ...

) and his friends follow her to Las Vegas and find her performing at a convention, which appears to be taking place at the Plaza. *In the 2008 film ''

The Grand The Grand may refer to: Buildings Official names * The Grand (Calgary), a theatre in Alberta, Canada *The Grand (Ellsworth, Maine), an arts center in Maine, U.S. * The Grand Doubletree, condominium and hotel skyscraper in Miami, U.S. * The Grand C ...

'', the Plaza serves as the hotel tower for "The Rabbit's Foot". *The Plaza played a major role in the 2008 film '' Yonkers Joe''.

Television

*In the 1994 miniseries '' Stephen King's The Stand'', the Union Plaza played a key role as the headquarters of

Randall Flagg Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appeared in at least nine of his novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark", he has supernatural abilities involvi ...

(taking the place of the MGM Grand from the 1978 novel). *The syndicated

Ultimate Poker Challenge The Ultimate Poker Challenge (UPC) was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals. The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD. In the United States, it was a syndicated program. Forma ...

and the currently-running

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

program ''NWA Wrestling Showcase'', airing on

Colours TV Colors TV is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, comedies, fantasy shows, youth-oriented reality shows, shows o ...

were taped at the Plaza. *In early 2010,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

finished production of ''The Odds'', a show that was to take place at the Plaza and along the

, starring

Donald Faison Donald Adeosun Faison (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/ NBC comedy-drama '' Scrubs'' (2001–2010), and a supporting role as Murray in both the film '' Cluel ...

Music videos

*Carousel Bar and the Main Street entrance of the Plaza are featured prominently in " Atomic City" by U2. *The Plaza is featured in many scenes of the video "

We Built This City "We Built This City" is the debut single by American rock band Starship, from their 1985 debut album '' Knee Deep in the Hoopla''. It was written by English musicians Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, who were both living in Los Angeles at the time ...

" by

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...

, even though the song refers to 1980s Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, and New York City, but not Las Vegas. *The Plaza was featured prominently in

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean Combs, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 ...

's "Feels So Good". *Mase's video was parodied by

Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock music, rock band formed in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (musician), John McBain (guitar), and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band has since undergone severa ...

, who also filmed in front of the Plaza. *Some scenes of

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

's " Change Your Life" were shot at The Plaza. * Some scenes from

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

The Man "The Man" is a slang phrase, mainly used in the United States, to refer to figures of authority, including members of the government. Though typically used as a derogatory connotation, the phrase may also be used as a term of respect or praise. ...

" were filmed at The Plaza in 2017. *Portions of The Weeknd's " Heartless" were filmed at The Plaza.

Gambling history

*On April 11, 2004,

Ashley Revell Ashley Revell (born 18 September 1971 in Maidstone, Kent) is an English entrepreneur. In 2004 he sold all his possessions, including his clothes, and on 11 April he gambled US$135,300 (about £76,840 at the time) on a single spin of a roulette ...

, 32 years old, of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, sold all his possessions and traveled to the Plaza to bet his life savings of $135,300 on one spin of the

roulette wheel Roulette (named after the French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the colo ...

. He won and doubled his money.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaza Hotel and Casino Casinos in the Las Vegas Valley Downtown Las Vegas Skyscraper hotels in Las Vegas Hotels established in 1971 Hotel buildings completed in 1971 1971 establishments in Nevada Casino hotels in the Las Vegas Valley