The Decline of Las Vegas
Busted flush: Las Vegas on a losing streak
Four years ago Las Vegas was the fastest-growing city in the US. Now it's America’s foreclosure capital
Image 1 of 5
The distinctive sign of the Sahara hotel is dwarfed by the shining blue Fontainebleau, a $2.9 billion hotel and casino development that went bankrupt in 2009 Photo: Jane Hilton
Sitting in the poolside restaurant at the Trump International hotel in Las Vegas, my eye was taken by a saying by the inimitable 'Donald’ etched into a floor-to-ceiling mirror: 'As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.’
Opened in 2008, the Trump International stands back from Las Vegas Boulevard, the main thoroughfare known as the Strip. With its 1,250 rooms and 50 penthouse suites on 64 storeys, the Trump is far from being the largest of the steroid-pumped hotel resorts along the Strip – it does not even boast a casino – and yet, standing in its perfect isolation, its windows clad in 24ct gold, it resembles nothing so much as a huge shimmering tombstone, a metaphor for the near-death experience that Las Vegas, where 'thinking big’ is what they do, has gone through in recent years.
Beside the Trump Tower is a vacant lot that was once the site of the New Frontier hotel. Opened in 1942 – the second hotel to open on the Strip, and in Las Vegas terms a building of outstanding historical importance – the New Frontier was the scene of Elvis Presley’s first Las Vegas appearance in 1956, and was briefly owned by Howard Hughes. In 2007 it was imploded – in the traditional Las Vegas style – to make way for a new $8 billion luxury hotel, provisionally named the Las Vegas Plaza, which was originally scheduled to open in December 2011. But the developers, hamstrung by the financial paralysis that has engulfed the town, have yet to break ground.
Beside the deserted site stand the skeletal steel foundations of another mega-resort, the Echelon. This was once the site of another historic Vegas casino, the Stardust, which was blown up in 2007. Plans for the Echelon include five hotels, a convention centre and a shopping centre, but construction was halted in 2008 when the American economy went into chronic relapse. The project’s owners, Boyd Gaming, say it will take several years and a further $4.8 billion to complete. Work will not be resuming any day soon.
Across the street stands the uncompleted shining blue tower of the Fontainebleau, a $2.9 billion, 3,889-room, 68-storey hotel, condominium and casino development. Building halted in 2009 when the Fontainebleau became the largest commercial construction to go bankrupt in the US. The property eventually passed into the hands of the corporate raider Carl Icahn for a song; the local rumour is that he is waiting for the price of steel to rise, when the hotel will be imploded and sold for scrap.
Comment
"Destroying the New World Order"
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!
Latest Activity
- Top News
- Everything
NAZA Official Trailer | Mongrel Media
The trailer for NAZA, a new documentary from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the Oscar®-winning filmmakers behind NO OTHER LAND.Shot at night on the ro...
Pentagon's LifeLog vs. Facebook: Same Day Shutdown? #shorts
LifeLog, the Pentagon's ambitious data collection program, was shut down by DARPA on February 4th, 2004. Coincidentally, Facebook was registered as a busines...
The Fantasy Clown World I Wake Up to Everyday
I never could have seen this coming before I was awakened by all the BS that I became aware of…See More
Why Was the Movie “The Bedford Incident” Such a Threat?
With wars looming in the Middle East and Vladimir Putin making more threats of using nuclear…See More
Oil News ( not good )
"~ Amendment. New hope on the horizon. Quick updates. Diesel sanctions on Russia Lifted ! by…"
The Death Doll-Halloween Story Two
Retired Major Lionel Eldridge was browsing items in a bazaar of relics, antiques, and curios when…See More
TDS
"ps.. Does anyone think this mental illness is viral escaping beyond the boarders of the USA ?,…"
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) - Trailer
Directed by: Melville ShavelsonYear: 1966Country: USAGenre(s): Drama, History, WarSYNOPSIS:In this fact-based film, distinguished U.S. Army Col. David Marcus...
" Scrubbed from the internet? The idiots photographed themselves!!! “Conspiracy…"
© 2026 Created by truth.
Powered by
You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!
Join 12160 Social Network