The SLS Las Vegas, a 1,720-room hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, is officially rebranding itself. It’s well-known that this establishment has struggled to generate revenue over the past few years. It’s now being announced that the SLS is changing its name to the Sahara Hotel & Casino.
Hope is that this rebranding will help to build this hotel’s success back to what it experienced years ago. Now is the perfect time to look into why exactly the SLS is changing its name. Will this help to bring more revenue?
Meruelo Group is pulling the Sahara Hotel and Casino brand out of mothballs as part of the company’s efforts to revitalise SLS Las Vegas. The property was purchased by SBE Group back in 2007 and renamed the SLS Las Vegas as part of a $415m renovation.
SLS Las Vegas Struggling to Generate Revenue
The first casino built on the site of the SLS was Club Bingo, all the way back in 1947. In 1951, it was taken over and renamed the Sahara Hotel & Casino. This popular venue remained in place until 2011.
For many years, the Sahara was one of the most popular hotel-casinos in Las Vegas. At the time of its closure, however, it’s owner claimed it to be “not economically viable.” In 2013, reports came out that the Sahara was undergoing a $415 conversion to the SLS Hotel & Casino.
This establishment quickly opened its doors. Unfortunately, the assessment that this venue will struggle to generate revenue turned out to be true. The SLS Vegas Casino has lost hundreds of millions in operations since its opening. The Meruelo Group purchased the SLS in 2018.
Alex Meruelo, CEO of the Meruelo Group, has a proven track record to turning struggling casinos into successful businesses. The first step that this company is taking will be to rebrand the SLS Las Vegas back to the Sahara Hotel & Casino. What else do they have planned?
Sahara Hotel & Casino Coming Back to Las Vegas
It’s a surprise to see the SLS converting back to the Sahara. It does make sense, though. The Sahara was a popular and respected casino just a few decades ago. The nostalgia of this establishment may be enough to bring in customers right away.
Alex Meruelo is certainly confident in his chances of turning the Sahara into something profitable.
Sls Casino Grand Sahara Las Vegas
“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,” he told the media.
Meruelo Group may decide to completely renovate the hotel and casino. Time will tell which steps this company takes to turn things around.
Why Has the SLS Hotel & Casino Had Such a Difficult Time?
There are many factors contributing to the decline of the Sahara and SLS. First off, it’s in a less-than-desirable location. The Northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, sometimes referred to as the “Vegas Bermuda Triangle,” is known to be one of the worst areas to attract players.
Some feel that the Sahara may be the perfect venue to change this trend. Even some major players in the casino industry are looking into this part of the Strip.
Casino owner Derek Stevens claims to be interested in the North end area. He too is skeptical of whether or not it’s a viable place to attract customers.
“I question whether or not it can be a viable casino location,” he said.
Do you think the SLS Las Vegas rebranding to the Sahara will help turn things around? Is this part of Las Vegas dead for casinos?
The new owner of SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is reportedly looking to rebrand the property as Grand Sahara Resort as part of a planned $100-million renovation and upgrade, Eater Vegas reports.
Sls Casino Grand Sahara Hotel
Privately-owned gaming company The Meruelo Group acquired the struggling Strip property from its previous owners earlier this year for an undisclosed price. The company’s Principal, businessman Alex Meruelo, has said that they plan to invest more than $100 million over the next several years to renovate and upgrade the resort and hopefully turn it into a successful operation.
According to previous information from The Meruelo Group, the renovation would involve room enhancements, new gaming machines at the property’s casino floor, and redesign of the pool area, among other things. The company has pointed out that they believe the property could become profitable once again with the necessary adjustments made. The renovation of the SLS is being carried out amid booming development and redevelopment activity both on the Strip and in Downtown Vegas.
Sls To Sahara
Mr. Meruelo has previously said that they planned to rebrand the hotel and casino complex, but has not revealed what its new name would be.
Eater Vegas reported earlier this week that the Grand Sahara name was used in interior remodeling paperwork the property’s new owners have filed with the city earlier this month. The Meruelo Group currently owns the similarly branded Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, which it purchased back in 2006.
Reference to the Past
The reported new name of the casino property refers back to the days when it was quite popular with visitors of the Strip. The SLS originally opened doors in 1952 as Sahara Hotel and was the sixth resort on the emblematic Las Vegas Strip. It operated under that name until 2011 when it was shuttered by its then-owner Sam Nazarian for not being “economically viable”.
The property was relaunched as the SLS in 2014 and operated as a boutique resort, but never managed to regain its lure to customers. The complex currently features more than 1,600 hotel rooms across three towers, a casino spreading over 60,000 square feet with more than 600 gaming machines and 50 table games, multiple dining options, and meeting space, among other facilities.
Eater Vegas reported that some of the dining facilities could be changed or even replaced as part of the property’s overhaul.
Once its remodeling is complete and it resumes operations, the SLS or Grand Sahara, as it would probably be named, will look to attract new groups of customers, Mr. Meruelo has himself revealed earlier this year. The businessman, who is of Hispanic origin, has said that they would look to serve that particular market as, according to him, it has been underserved in both Las Vegas and Reno.
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