Siegel named the resort after his girlfriend Virginia Hill, who loved to gamble and whose nickname was Flamingo, a nickname Siegel gave her due to her long, skinny legs.Ĭasino management changed the hotel name to The Fabulous Flamingo on March 1, 1947, and in time the Flamingo presented lavish shows and accommodations for its time, becoming well known for comfortable, air conditioned rooms, gardens, and swimming pools. It was billed as the world's most luxurious hotel.at that time. Hearing that Wilkerson was seeking extra funding, Siegel and his partners, posing as businessmen, approached him and bought a two-thirds stake in the project Siegel finally opened The Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6 million on December 26, 1946. Due to high wartime materials costs, Wilkerson ran into financial problems almost at once, finding himself $400,000 short and hunting for new financing.īugsy Siegel began looking for a site outside the city limits to build a casino. He planned a hotel with luxurious rooms, a spa, health club, showroom, nightclub and upscale restaurant. Wilkerson then hired George Vernon Russell to design a hotel that was more in the European style and something other than the 'sawdust joints' on Fremont Street. Wilkerson was the owner of the Hollywood Reporter as well as some very popular nightclubs in the Sunset Strip. In 1944, Margaret Folsom bought it for $7,500 from Squires, and she then later sold it to Billy Wilkerson. The Flamingo site occupies 40 acres and was originally owned by one of Las Vegas' first settlers, Charles 'Pops' Squires. ( which in itself is an amazing thing since Vegas seems to love imploding old casino's and build mega-resorts ) It was the third resort to open on the Strip, and the oldest resort on the Strip still in operation today.

It has a garden courtyard with a wildlife habitat featuring flamingos. The Flamingo's architectural theme is reminiscent of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style of Miami and South Beach.

The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada ( most people refer to it as Las Vegas ) and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. The Flamingo Hotel and Casino Las Vegas NV

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