The Aladdin was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Toy manufacturer Edwin S. Lowe originally opened the 450-room Tallyho Hotel on the property in 1962. The Tallyho was the only major hotel in Nevada to not include a casino; it closed at the end of the year and was sold to Kings Crown Inns of America, a hotel chain which reopened the property a month later as the King's Crown Tallyho. The company added a casino and showroom but plans to open the casino were halted when the Nevada Gaming Control Board declined to issue a gambling license because of concerns about the resort being inadequately financed.
Milton Prell purchased the hotel and began an extensive $3 million renovation of the property before reopening it as the Aladdin on April 1, 1966. A 19-story hotel tower was added in 1976. After various ownership changes, the Aladdin was closed in 1997 and demolished the following year to make room for a new Aladdin resort that opened in 2000.
History Tallyho (1962–1963) The English Tudor-styled Tallyho hotel was conceived by owner Edwin S. Lowe, a New York toy manufacturer who also served as the president of the hotel. Lowe, who believed that there were some Las Vegas tourists who were not interested in gambling, chose not to add a casino to the Tallyho. The hotel was built on the Las Vegas Strip, across the street from the Dunes resort. Construction of the Tallyho was underway in March 1962, with an opening planned for July. In May 1962, the Clark County Ground Water Board denied an application for a water well that would be used for a nine-hole pitch and putt golf course, which Lowe planned to construct at the rear of the property. A nine-hole golf course was ultimately added to the final plans.
In June 1962, the hotel's opening was delayed until October 1, 1962. Simultaneously, county officials discovered that the three-story stucco hotel may be in violation of fire codes. A request was made for the owner to propose plans to fireproof the hotel's wooden roof and attic. County officials suggested the installation of either a sprinkler system or sheet rock in the attic, as well as the addition of fire-proof materials on the roof of the hotel structures. In November 1962, key positions in the resort were being named while an opening date of Christmas week was being planned.
The Tallyho Hotel and Country Club opened on December 24, 1962, at a cost of $12 million. Grand opening celebrations were held in February 1963. It was the only major resort in Nevada to not include a casino. The hotel featured 450 rooms, 32 villas, six restaurants, horseback and bicycle-riding facilities, and a helicopter service to take guests to nearby attractions such as Mount Charleston and Lake Mead. Despite the lack of a casino, the business was operating successfully at the time of its opening. However, the Tallyho closed on October 10, 1963, because of low revenue caused by the lack of a casino. The closure affected 100 employees, and Lowe conceded that it was a mistake to not open the hotel with an adjoining casino.
King's Crown Tallyho (1963–1966) Kings Crown Inns of America, Incorporated, a chain of hotels, purchased the Tallyho at a cost of $7 million, and reopened it as the King's Crown Tallyho on November 5, 1963. Kings Crown planned to add a casino and showroom as soon as possible. The Tallyho was Kings Crown's first hotel in the western United States.
Lighting and sound system details for the showroom were being finalized in March 1964, while Kings Crown planned to have the showroom opened in the summer. Sound men who designed the showroom consulted with sound engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles. Film producer Steve Parker, husband of actress Shirley MacLaine, was named as the head of the hotel's showroom, to be named the Crown Room Theater-Restaurant. In addition, Parker was named as a part owner in the resort. In April 1964, a fire started in one of the hotel rooms and caused smoke damage to part of the hotel. The fire was believed to have been started by a cigarette.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the casino and showroom were scheduled for the weekend of April 11–12, 1964. Celebrities, including MacLaine, were expected to attend the ceremonies. Other additions in the $3 million expansion project would include a convention hall and another restaurant. Future plans included the addition of a 15-story hotel structure with 500 rooms. Construction of the casino and showroom was underway in May 1964, while Parker was planning a show that would feature non-topless showgirls, a concept that was not present in other showgirl shows in Las Vegas.
By the end of 1964, a partnership of six corporations, with a total of 17 stockholders, was seeking a gambling license to open the casino as part of a $500,000 investment. On December 22, 1964, the Nevada Gaming Control Board deferred action on the approval of a gambling license until the following month to allow time for an investigation of the partnership's finances. A New Year's Eve opening date had been planned for the casino, while the possibility remained for a showroom lounge and two new restaurants to open at that time, although they ultimately did not. A total of 500 people were expected to be employed at the resort's new facilities. In January 1965, the Gaming Board considered the request for a gambling license, but agreed to the hotel's request to delay action for another 30 days so financial agreements could be worked out between people in the partnership. By that time, the partnership consisted of 18 people with a total investment of $800,000.
In February 1965, as the Gaming Board was considering the issuance of a gambling license, the hotel submitted multiple partnership changes that would include increasing Parker's ownership from eight percent to twenty percent. The Gaming Board deferred action on the gambling license until the following month. Board member W. E. Leypoldt said, "I don't think it's fair to ask us to act on something that's entirely different from what was presented Monday. It would do the casino industry a great deal of harm if you opened and in six months went broke because of lack of financing."
The request for a gambling license was withdrawn in March 1965, to allow more time to reorganize the partnership. Later that month, a suit was filed by Kings Crown Tallyho Inn Incorporated, Equitable Real Estate Investment Trust, and Fidelity Real Estate Investment Trust, all of which requested that the present leasees of the hotel be removed for not paying $632,000 in rent and other payments. The companies stated that other groups were interested in taking over the resort as soon as the leasees, including Chuck Luftig and Edward Nealis, could be removed.
Phone service to the hotel was cut off in April 1965, due to unpaid phone bills dating back to January. All 50 non-permanent guests were asked to leave the hotel. Luftig and Nealis were removed as lessees at the end of the month, after a judge ruled that the hotel be vacated and returned to Kings Crown. The next month, Luftig and Nealis asked for a $3.3 million judgment, alleging that Kings Crown failed to finish necessary improvements to the property during the period of August 1964 to January 1965, leading to financial losses.
Aladdin (1966–1998)
On January 1, 1966, Milton Prell agreed to purchase the King's Crown Tallyho, which was owned by three trusts overseen by the Cook brothers of Indiana. Prell agreed to purchase the resort for $10 million, which would be delivered in monthly payments.
Prell announced plans to remove the old English theme and reopen the resort as the Oriental-themed Aladdin on April 16 following an extensive $3 million renovation. Prell also planned to construct a $20 million, 40-story hotel addition with 600 rooms. Construction of the high-rise was expected to begin later in the year. Martin Stern Jr. was the architect for the Aladdin project, while R. C. Johnson and Associates was the contractor and was hired to construct new facilities and renovate existing structures. Renovation plans included the remodeling of the showroom and lounge, as well as the casino and the hotel's front side. Elevators and escalators were also installed at the hotel's two main front entrances. The original English-themed room wings were kept, but received an Arabian Nights theme along with the rest of the resort. The Aladdin was named after the character of the same name. A serrated canopy was added along with a $750,000, 15-foot "Aladdin's Lamp" sign.
Two weeks after Prell took over the property, a new opening date of April 1 was announced due to the fast progress of renovations, while construction of the high-rise was expected to begin in the fall. Later in the month, Prell requested a gambling license to operate 27 table games and 350 slot machines, with casino operations to be financed at a cost of $400,000 through Prell and his partners, Gil Gilbert and Sidney Krystal. Prell owned a 20-percent interest in the hotel corporation, while Gilberts, the corporate vice president, held five percent and Krystal, secretary-treasurer, had seven percent. A large group of investors owned the remaining stock. Prell named Joe Rollo and Bernie Richards, both of Beverly Hills, to serve as entertainment director and head of orchestrations respectively. The Gaming Board recommended approval of Prell's request for a gambling license in February 1966. Prell was approved the next month for gaming and liquor licenses, with approval to operate 351 slot machines and 29 table games.
Opening and ownership changes The resort opened as Milton Prell's Aladdin at midnight on April 1, 1966, becoming the first major resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip in nine years. The Aladdin included the largest casino on the Las Vegas Strip and the 500-seat Bagdad Theatre. People present at the grand opening included Prell and his wife, as well as County Commission Chairman William H. Briare, Las Vegas mayor Oran K. Gragson, and Las Vegas Sun publisher Hank Greenspun. The Aladdin, located on , included a golf course and five dining facilities. A week after opening, the sign for the Dunes casino welcomed the Aladdin and wished the new resort "good luck." The Aladdin was considered one of the most luxurious resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, although profits were usually low. Construction of the high-rise hotel addition was scheduled to begin in October 1966.
In September 1966, nine people – including Prell's daughter Sheila – were approved to invest $287,500 for a combined 11.5 percent interest in the Aladdin. At the end of 1966, Prell stopped making payments to the trusts, stating he could not afford the overall $10 million sale price. The trusts agreed to reduce the sale price to $5 million, and Prell's purchase of the property was completed on February 9, 1967. Prell Hotel Corporation was the new owner.
In May 1967, the Aladdin was host to Elvis and Priscilla Presley's wedding.
In 1968, MK Investment Corporation made a failed offer to purchase the Aladdin. Renovations totaling $750,000 were completed in August 1969, which included making the Sinbad Lounge enclosed and leveled above the casino floor with Arabic motif.