The site of Planet Hollywood was previously occupied by the Aladdin, an Arabian-themed hotel and casino which operated until 1997. Real estate developer Jack Sommer demolished the Aladdin in 1998 to make way for a new version, with London Clubs International as his partner. The new Aladdin opened on August 18, 2000. It suffered immediate financial problems, eventually filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2001.
Planet Hollywood International and Starwood Hotels took over ownership in 2004, and launched a renovation to convert the property into a Planet Hollywood resort, a project which concluded in 2007. The resort suffered further financial problems amid the Great Recession, with Caesars taking ownership in 2010.
The property was initially the site of the Tallyho hotel, opened by Edwin S. Lowe in 1962.[1] It was sold later that year and renamed as King's Crown Tallyho.[2][3][4] In 1966, Milton Prell purchased the hotel and reopened it as the Aladdin.[5][6] In 1994, the Aladdin was purchased by Las Vegas real estate developer Jack Sommer and the Sommer Family Trust.[7][8]
New Aladdin (2000–2007)
In 1997, Sommer partnered with London Clubs International (LCI) through his company, Aladdin Gaming. Plans were announced later that year to demolish the Aladdin, replacing it with a new, larger version.[9][10]Fluor Corporation was hired to design and build the new resort.[11] The original Aladdin closed on November 25, 1997,[12] and was imploded on April 27, 1998. The Aladdin Theatre was retained and incorporated into the new resort.[13][14][15]
In February 1998, Aladdin Gaming finalized a financial plan for the new Aladdin resort, expected to cost $826 million, while Planet Hollywood International would develop a music-themed resort,[16][17] known as Sound Republic,[18][19] which would be built behind the Aladdin. The cost of the new Aladdin complex would total $1.3 billion,[16] although the music project was canceled at the end of the year after Aladdin Gaming ended its partnership with Planet Hollywood, because of concerns that the latter could not produce a $41 million commitment to the project.[20]
Sommer Family Trust and LCI agreed to share cost overruns on the Aladdin project based on their ownership percentages. The trust owned 75 percent of Aladdin Gaming, while LCI owned the remainder, having paid $50 million for its stake. To LCI's disappointment, the company had to take on additional equity after Sommer was unable to fund his share of cost overruns on the construction.[21][22][23] The increased budget occurred in part because of last-minute design changes, which included a larger pool area and building the resort closer to the Las Vegas Strip sidewalk.[24] The Aladdin cost a total of $1.4 billion,[25] not counting an attached shopping center known as Desert Passage.[26][24] Skeptics had been doubtful that the resort would be completed.[27][28][29]
Despite the project's financial problems, the Aladdin was scheduled to open as planned on the night of August 17, 2000.[30][31][32] This was delayed, however, by fire safety testing conducted by Clark County building inspectors; their work had been pushed back as a result of ongoing construction.[33] Desert Passage was opened to the public as scheduled, although entry into the casino and hotel was blocked while inspections continued there, prompting many visitors to leave.[34][35] Approximately 8,000 people had gathered outside the resort ahead of its planned opening, a figure that dwindled to 1,000 as the hours went by.[36] Because of the delay, approximately 200 scheduled hotel guests had to be sent to other nearby hotels.[28] The resort was fully opened to the public at 11:00 a.m. on August 18, 2000, attracting 3,000 visitors.[36][37]
The Aladdin's entrance along the Strip
The Aladdin was the fifth and final resort in a Strip building boom that started two years earlier with the opening of the Bellagio.[38] It would also be the last new resort on the Strip until the opening of Wynn Las Vegas in 2005.[39] The Aladdin employed 3,900 workers.[40] According to Josh Axelrad in his 2010 book, Repeat until Rich, he and other professional gamblers, primarily card counters, took advantage of the Aladdin's inexperienced staff during its opening weekend and fleeced the casino for an undetermined but large amount of money. The casino later introduced severe limits on mid-shoe bets in response.[41]
The Aladdin was in financial trouble from the time it opened.[42][43][44] Unlike existing rivals, the resort lacked the benefit of a hotel reservation network and a database of gamblers.[24] It also lacked the funds to launch an aggressive marketing campaign prior to the opening.[45] Design issues were also blamed for the casino's poor revenue.[24][46] The main floor was built nine feet above the Strip sidewalk level, a design change that occurred after workers struck a water table. The Aladdin's chief executive learned about the design change too late, and cited it as an example of poor internal communication between the resort's owners.[45]
The entrance along the Strip was considered unexciting, easy to miss, and was accessible only by stairs, while the interior allowed mall and restaurant visitors to bypass the casino floor.[24][46] Furthermore, resort officials had agreed with Clark County planners to place the Aladdin's main entrance on nearby Harmon Avenue, alleviating traffic congestion on the Strip. This was done with an agreement from the county that Harmon would be widened to six lanes by the time of the resort's opening, although the widening project subsequently stalled.[24]
In August 2001, LCI reached an agreement to increase its ownership further, from 40 percent to 85 percent.[47][48][49] However, discussions broke down and the deal was scrapped.[50][51] The September 11 attacks had a negative effect on tourism which worsened the Aladdin's finances,[52] resulting in 1,400 layoffs.[45] Aladdin Gaming filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy later that month.[53] The resort's lenders, led by Bank of Nova Scotia, announced later that year that the resort would be sold.[54][55] The lenders were owed more than $400 million.[56][57] Aladdin Gaming began actively seeking buyers for the resort in early 2002.[58] Among the prospective buyers were Pinnacle Entertainment and Colony Capital, both of which planned to partner with Marriott International to purchase the resort.[59][60][43] However, this deal did not pan out.[43][61]
Planet Hollywood (2007–present)
In April 2003, an agreement was reached to sell the Aladdin to OpBiz,[62] a partnership of Planet Hollywood International, Starwood Hotels and Bay Harbour Management, for $635 million. The companies planned to renovate the resort and rename it Planet Hollywood.[63][64][65] Starwood, with a 15-percent ownership stake, would handle hotel operations.[62] Planet Hollywood had previously planned to build a Las Vegas resort on the site of the Desert Inn during the mid-1990s.[66]
The Aladdin sale was finalized on September 1, 2004,[67][68] and renovations began 13 months later,[69] taking place in phases so the resort could remain open.[70] The conversion was originally expected to be done by 2005, although the logistics of renovating the resort while operational proved to be more complex than initially thought, resulting in the delay.[71] Another factor was the lengthy county permitting process for renovation work.[72] The desert facade along the Strip was modernized with a Times Square-esque design featuring large LED screens,[62] and escalators were added to bring pedestrians to the casino entrance. The separately owned Desert Passage mall was also renovated,[71][73] and eventually renamed Miracle Mile Shops.[74]
The Planet Hollywood name change became effective on April 17, 2007,[75][62][76] and an official grand opening took place on November 16, with various celebrity performances.[77][78] The resort features a modern design and a Hollywood association.[75] For instance, celebrities had penthouses named after them, which were available to the general public when not in use by their namesakes.[79]
Planet Hollywood International had a history of financial problems and bankruptcies, and founder Robert Earl intended for the eponymous resort to mark a comeback.[79][80] The property's finances suffered in 2009, amid the Great Recession. That year, Harrah's Entertainment purchased a portion of the resort's $860 million mortgage loan.[81][82] Harrah's took over operations from Starwood in January 2010,[83] and took complete ownership of the resort a month later.[84][85] The acquisition gave Harrah's total control of the 126 acres (0.51 km2) on the east side of the Strip from Flamingo Road to Harmon.[86] Harrah's was renamed Caesars Entertainment later that year.[87] A $100 million renovation of the hotel rooms concluded in 2017.[88]
Union dispute
When the Aladdin opened in 2000, it was one of the few non-unionized resorts on the Strip, along with the Venetian and Imperial Palace. The Culinary Workers Union represents most resort workers on the Strip, and it voiced opposition to the Aladdin opening as a non-union property.[89] Resort executives said they were neutral regarding union representation; they sought to resolve the dispute through a secret ballot, although the union opposed this, believing a card check would be better.[90][91]
A protest with approximately 1,000 union members took place in front of the Aladdin on the night of its planned opening, although the group dispersed after several hours, once the opening got pushed back.[91][92] Another protest took place in 2003, with Culinary seeking to unionize 1,500 of the resort's 2,300 employees.[93] That year, the union also filed a 90-count complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the resort of unfair labor practices.[94] Culinary also voiced opposition to Earl's proposed purchase of the Aladdin, alleging mismanagement of his Planet Hollywood restaurant chain.[95]
The majority of eligible Aladdin workers signed union cards in 2003, although the owners at the time declined to recognize this. After Earl's group took over ownership, he reached an agreement with Culinary to unionize the resort.[96]
Planet Hollywood includes a 64,470 sq ft (5,989 m2) casino.[97] When it opened as the Aladdin, it included a 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) "casino within a casino" by LCI, intended to attract wealthy foreign gamblers.[98][99][100] It marked the company's first American casino.[101] The overall casino opened with 2,800 slot machines,[24] 1,000 of which came from the previous Aladdin.[102] To help alleviate the resort's financial problems, the number of slot machines was reduced to 2,270 shortly after opening, making for a less-cluttered layout.[24] Despite the financial problems, LCI's high-limit gaming area proved successful.[24]
The resort has 2,494 rooms,[103] and includes a 39-story hotel tower.[25] Upon its opening, the resort included 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) of meeting space,[37] as well as its own on-site utility plant, providing hot and cold water, as well as backup electricity.[104] Like the original Aladdin, the new incarnation also featured an Arabian theme,[105] most of which was removed during the Planet Hollywood rebranding;[80] some elements remained in place at Desert Passage after its conversion into the Miracle Mile Shops.[106] The mall is 475,000 sq ft (44,100 m2),[107] and contains 170 tenants.[106]
The Aladdin opened with approximately 20 restaurants, including those located in the mall.[101][108]Pink's Hot Dogs opened a location at the resort in 2005.[109] Koi, a small chain of Japanese restaurants, opened a Las Vegas location at Planet Hollywood in 2007.[110][111][112] Chef Gordon Ramsay opened a burger restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Burger, in 2012.[113][114][115] The restaurant includes a 30-foot-long glass wall containing flames.[116][117]
A nightclub, Privé, opened at the end of 2007. It was closed in July 2009, following a year-long investigation into various activities at the club,[118] including drug use, prostitution, the admission of minors, and employ assault toward customers.[119][120][121] Nevada gaming regulators issued a $500,000 fine against Planet Hollywood, which agreed to improve security and oversight at the club.[118][120] It reopened in August 2009.[122]
A 52-story timeshare tower, originally known as PH Towers, opened behind Planet Hollywood in December 2009. It was initially owned by Westgate Resorts and operated by Planet Hollywood, and featured 1,200 suites to be used as timeshares and hotel rooms.[123]
In November 2011, Resort Finance America, a subsidiary of Centerbridge Partners, acquired a controlling interest in the tower, took over operations, and began rebranding it as a Hilton Grand Vacations resort.[124][125] The property was renamed Elara in March 2012.[126]
Live entertainment
The main theater in 2009
Planet Hollywood includes the Bakkt Theater, a 7,000-seat auditorium initially opened in 1976, as part of the original Aladdin. The theater was renovated and reopened in 2000 as part of the new Aladdin, and has since undergone several name changes.[127][128] It is located at the center of the property, surrounded by the casino and shopping mall.[129] The theater was renovated in 2005, with live entertainment planned as a major attraction for the new Planet Hollywood resort.[62][130]Clear Channel Entertainment was hired to manage entertainment in the venue.[131]
Aside from the main theater, the resort also has several smaller venues, including a 1,500-seat showroom on the mezzanine level. It has hosted numerous shows,[139][140] including Peepshow, a topless production which ran from 2009 to 2013.[141][142]Criss Angel also performed in this space beginning in 2018.[143] The Sin City Theater is also located on the mezzanine level. It hosted Crazy Girls, a long-running topless show, from 2015 to 2021.[144][145] Producer David Saxe also operates the V Theater and Saxe Theater at Miracle Mile Shops.[146][147]
^Smith, Rod (April 30, 2004). "Deal for Aladdin likely to be done in August". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 29, 2005. Executives blamed slow initial business that was compounded by the dramatic tourism slowdown that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
.jpg)
.jpg)
