Which property has the most sentimental value for you?

I LOVE this thread...and all the memories!

 

Got married while staying at the Maxim in 1991. Didn't go .to Vegas again until 2005. Stayed at the Tropicana where we learned how close or far everything was. Lets just walk to Imperial Palace and see a show. Should only take about 10 or 15 minutes. Hah!

 

Mine would be the first stay in 1995, brother got married, my wife didn't care to go, I stayed at Harrahs, stayed here the most, always a nice clean room, 2nd would be Westward Ho, my second trip to Vegas and the first one my wife went, she didn't miss many trips after that one, unfortunately she passed away in 2010

 

We had so much fun at Westward Ho, also that whole area of Ho, Stardust, Frontier was awesome

 

Tie between Wynn and Excalibur. My family stopped in Vegas in 1992 and Excalibur was AMAZING, especially for an 11 year old - incredible sentimental value and I always need to visit the castle every time I go just to scratch that itch. I didn't come back to Vegas until 2009. Went to the Wynn on a whim when I heard they had a great buffet. Nothing disappointed, and it's been my spot ever since - I'll be staying next week, and of course visiting the castle and playing some arcades like a true kid at heart

 

Although it we didn't stay here until our 3rd trip (first stays were at Mirage and Aria), the Cosmopolitan will always be that key place that sparked our love for Vegas. It embodies what we "think" Vegas is. We've now shared this place with our boys on a few trips over the past couple years, hopefully they appreciate it as much as we do.

 

I'd have to say the Nugget as well, particularly since Tillman Fertitta reimagined the place in the mid-to-late 2000s. Had a few trips where I had an absolute blast when the Tank was brand new and still had $5 3/2 blackjack poolside. Of course, these days there's no real playable blackjack there except high limit, but keeping the carny games at $5 earns the GN props.

The Bellagio from its opening until the mid-2000s will have a special place for me. Going there for the first time was so magical, as was actually staying there several times with my wife. When we've gone out in recent years Wynncore has been our choice, as its an exceptional property that has aged well over 19 years. But the Bellagio opening coincided with the pinnacle of my Vegas fandom.

On the locals side, the place is no longer standing, but I had some memorable sessions in the late 90s - early 00s at the Reserve in Henderson.

 

Mine would be MGM Grand. It was the first place i ever stayed when i was awarded an incentive/celebration trip with a job i had. Then my next trip I had my first $200 win on a Beer Haus slot there. It was the first place i stayed post pandemic and had the best trip ever with my mom. Going back with her in just over a week to see if still holds the same magic for us!

 

Any place I stayed or gambled at in the 70s or 80s. Now, who cares, they are all becoming the same.

 

Encore.

October 2010...My wife had zero interest in going to Las Vegas. I finally convinced her to give it a chance.
We had received a teaser offer for a three night stay at a very reasonable rate and my wife relented and we booked the stay.
When we arrived at the Encore I could see the excitement building in her. When we walked into the room she looked at me and said, "I could live her forever."...Thirty-nine trips later we still have that same feeling

 

Haven't seen my first mentioned yet... Hacienda! Went in 1993 with my best friend right after we turned 21. Too cheap to cab anywhere so walked up and down the Strip. One night landed at IP and played $1 BJ from mid afternoon to sunrise. No food breaks, liquid meals. One dealer went home for the night and came in for her next shift shocked to find us at the same table. Then another dealer, who when we asked why he was so quiet, responded with, "Pffft, you want excitement at the $1 table? Please!" Words of wisdom for us kids. Finishing the night of course walking all the way back to Hacienda with some great memories. Until we stayed in the room for the next 24 hours with the hangover of a lifetime.

These days I'd say Golden Gate. First fell in love playing BJ with the piano player tickling the ivories just nearby. Seemed like class to a youngster. Also the first hotel that ever comped me anything so that booked me too. I stay at the D now over those god awful GG rooms, but still love to play there. Dealers, dancing or otherwise, make you feel very welcome.

10 years ago would've added El Cortez to the list after some fun nights there in the 90s and early 2000s but the atmosphere and gambling have gotten so blah I don't even want to visit anymore.

 

Think the OP was trying to narrow it to places still open, but the Hacienda has to hold a special place for me, as it's where I stayed the first couple of times in the mid 90s when I really started to fall in love with Vegas. Those days I would arrive in Vegas like 11 pm from the East, stay another night, and then take a redeye back the next night. Hit some progressive on a quarter VP machine at Hacienda that paid like $250 and thought I was in heaven.

 

Too many props for too many different reasons. But enjoying all the feedback on this thread for sure!

 

Great thread! I haven't been going to Vegas as long as most of you, about 10 years. Throughout that time I've stayed at most of the MGM properties, some of the Caesars, plus V-P, Wynn, and a handful of downtown properties.
It may sound weird, but the one that's most sentimental to me is....Circa. I started visiting there shortly after they opened in October 2020, in the height of the pandemic. As we all know, that was a super challenging time for Vegas, and for me I'll never forget how masterfully the staff there handled it. Somehow they managed to keep the energy level high despite all of the restrictions, and in the months that followed I started playing there pretty regularly, almost as a show of support. Got to know a few of the bartenders at the Overhang bar during that time, so these days I always remember how that property got past a difficult birth and is now thriving. So nice to see. That's what makes that place sentimental for me.

 

Usually its the place we stay the most and in this case its the Cosmo but that may soon change in a few months once MGM converts over.
After that who knows.

 

I’ll vote for the RIO back when it had the masquerade show in the sky, followed up by a show on the stage. I loved everything about it at one time; the VooDoo Lounge and the very awesome Wine Cellar bar. I can’t wait to step foot in there again on my next Vegas trip in two weeks!

 

We are massive fans of staying at the wynn….it was the first really nice hotel my wife and I stayed at in LV. It’s a special place for us…

We did get a chance to stay at Aria sky suites… i surprised my wife and when we got picked up in their limo and driven to the private entrance is something neither of us will forget. What an incredible stay from start to finish!

 

Shout out to vegasdev for that picture. Didn't see it until I posted. As Barbra put it, Memories...

The property that is The Cromwell today has a lot of sentimental value. I would say the old Sands has more, but it's totally gone now, a lagoon to replace it. Anyway, I always seemed to gravitate toward the old Barbary Coast and the Cromwell is basically the same space other than the east opening to the valet, which used to be a restaurant. I think I spent most of my very first trip in there playing horses and losing at blackjack.

Stayed there many times. It would at some point turn into Wild Bill's Gamblin' Hall, not sure why, must have been when it switched to Harrah's Rewards. Back in the 90's they would hold the Nike Basketball Clinic across the street at Bally's—today it's at the Orleans. This clinic attracted the best college basketball coaches in the nation, such as Bobby Knight, Dean Smith and Roy Williams.

One night, I was playing blackjack at the Barbary and John Thompson, then Georgetown coach, sat down at my table. He was one of the largest human beings I've ever been around. We played for a few hours (no idea how I did, but usually broke about even on double deck games). He was a super nice guy and really knew how to play BJ—it was a great table. When I was leaving I noticed a big crowd standing around a lively craps table. When I got close enough I noticed the guy rolling was Coach K from Duke. Most of the time, however, I just loved the blackjack in that place. At night it always came alive and seemed to have a gritty, Vegasy sort of feel (kind of like the old Las Vegas Club downtown).

As for the rooms, they were huge, but a bit dark. If you've stayed at Gold Coast or Orleans, picture those rooms, except bigger. I think the GC and Orleans rooms were patterned after the BC since it was all owned by the same people at one time, as was the South Coast, which is now South Point.

Whenever I walk through the Cromwell I get major flashbacks.

 

When Harrah's (now CET) bought Barbary Coast from Coast Casinos (now Boyd), they renamed it Bill's after Harrah's founder William Harrah.

 

Loved that place. My buddy's mom had her picture on the wall for winning some huge slot jackpot. Seems she always won. I'd periodically ask my friend about her and he'd say she hit another big one at the Hacienda. She was obviously very sad when it got blown down. Not to worry, though, she just moved downtown to Main Street Station and started hitting jackpots there. Lucky woman and salt of the earth. Her husband taught me how to count cards. Fun days. We killed the Las Vegas Club one night for a few thousand—big money for us a the time.

Anyway, yes, I get it about the Hacienda. It was a cool property.