RonnieAdventures: RonnieAdventure #0612 - Tropicana Hotel/Casino, Las Vegas, NV

Picture by Kolohe

The Tropicana Hotel/Casino was the most luxurious gaming property in Las Vegas when it opened on April 3, 1957. Now, 67 years later, it is outdated and closing on April 2, 2024. It will now go the way of the Stardust, Dunes, Desert Inn, Aladdin, and other famous properties that were imploded to clear the sites for new developments. It has been announced that the Oakland A's will relocate to Las Vegas and build a $1.5 billion 30,000-seat ballpark stadium on the Tropicana site.

When the Tropicana was built, land along Las Vegas Boulevard was relatively inexpensive; so the original 300-room three-story hotel/casino was constructed on 40-acres of land. In 1979 and 1986 high-rise hotel towers were added to the site, but even after expansions the resort currently has only 1,467-rooms with 44,570 square-feet of gaming space. This is a very small hotel/casino for Las Vegas. The MGM Grand directly across the street to the north has 6,852-rooms, the Excalibur directly across the street to the west has 3,981-rooms, and New York-New York diagonally across the street has 2,204 rooms on less than 20 acres of land.

Bill Jaffe, a part-owner of the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, conceived the idea to build a high-roller hotel/casino in Las Vegas and convinced the mob to finance the project. No expenses were spared during construction and the final cost came in at $15 million, making it the most expensive hotel/casino ever built in Las Vegas up to that time. The ornate Tiffany stained-glass domed-ceiling over the central gaming area cost over $1 million.

The Tropicana was so over-the-top luxurious for Las Vegas, which historically had cheap hotel rooms that were often given away for free to gamblers, the complex soon became known by several nicknames - "Tiffany of the Strip," "Mighty T," :"T," "Taj Mahal of America," "Island of Las Vegas," and "Paradise Island." Such luxury had never been seen in Las Vegas - marble floors, chandeliers, expensive works of art, gourmet dining overseen by famous restaurateur Alexander Perino, and world-class entertainment.

Folies Bergere, a topless revue from Paris, was one of the first showgirl-based productions in Las Vegas and had lavish set designs, can-can dancers, a cast of 80 dancers and singers, and sometimes live lions. They are credited with bringing the showgirl culture to Las Vegas. Over its lifetime Folies Bergere had over 29,000 performances, which makes it the longest running show ever in Las Vegas. We were fortunate to get tickets to the show on its last night. (We went to the early family show, which was not topless.)

After it opened, other showrooms at the Tropicana featured a host of entertainers from New York and California. Hollywood stars and other famous people flocked to Las Vegas to stay at the "Mighty T." Actress Rhonda Fleming made the first nightclub appearance of her career on May 20, 1957. Debbie Reynolds celebrated her 25th birthday at the Trop with guests that included Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., and her husband Eddie Fisher. Little did she know that 2-years later Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor, while dining at the Tropicana, would tell Sammy Davis Jr. that they were getting married in Las Vegas on May 12, 1959 (Marriage Certificate #394535.).

Picture by Kolohe - View northwest from front of Tropicana

Picture by Kolohe

It was pouring rain when we visited The Trop, so we entered the casino from a side door and then walked around to the front of the building to take pictures. I do not know the significance of the bamboo along the walls as we entered the building.

Picture by Kolohe

The Tiffany stained glass dome over the gaming area cost over $1 million when the casino opened in 1957. Local residents were concerned about what would happen to the stained-glass when the building is demolished, but the property owners have assured everyone the the stained-glass will be preserved.

Picture by Kolohe

The guest check-in area is located on the north side of the canopy area.

Picture by Kolohe

Another gaming area with a second-story balcony is located on the south side of the canopy.

Picture by Kolohe

There are also other gaming devices scattered around the casino and hotel areas. At various places in the hotel/casino there were some really unusual light fixtures.

Picture by Kolohe

There is also a High Limit gaming area for "whales" that is separate from the casino. (A "whale" is a wealthy person that makes large bets.)

Picture by Kolohe

Dining and retail shops are located throughout the hotel. At Chill'm, they sell 100 ounce cocktails for $52 each.

Picture by Kolohe

The Laugh Factory, Murray the Magician, Concrete, and Rich Little theaters are still open. It has not been announced where some of these performers will move to when Tropicana closes.

Picture by Kolohe

A number of art works are on display in the hotel walkways.

Picture by Kolohe

For people that like to watch poker on television, the Big Bet Porker Tournament is filmed at the Tropicana. A big bet is defined as "the larger of two fixed bet amounts in a fixed-limit poker game. A big bet is used in the final rounds of a game to increase the pot amount and thereby enable the possibility of a bluff. Big bets are generally double the wager of the initial or small bet."

Picture by Kolohe

The Convention Center is located in the adjacent tower that is connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge. It has been a number of years since I was at the Trop; but if I recall, along the walkway there were exotic birds that were part of a Wildlife Walk Habitat.

Picture by Kolohe

When constructed, the Tropicana swimming pool was the largest and best in Las Vegas. The serpentine pool with several hot tubs covered five-acres and was more like a waterpark surrounded by lush gardens, lagoons, and a swim-up bar. A wedding chapel was also located in the gardens.