Stratosphere Hotel Las Vegas
The Stratosphere
Hotel Las Vegas is that tall structure you can't miss if
you are at the north end of the famous Las Vegas
Strip.
It is now owned by a Golman Sachs subsidiary,
Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which bought the hotel and
casino in 2008 for $1.3 billion.
The Stratosphere Hotel
Las Vegas is within two miles of downtown Fremont Street,
the Las Vegas Convention Center, Madame Tussauds, and the
Fashion Show Mall. It is also in close proximity to Red Rock
Canyon National Conservation Area, Valley of Fire and Mt.
Charleston, as well as numerous golf
courses.
The Stratosphere was
originally conceived in the 1990's by Bob Stupak to replace his
Vegas World Casino. At the start of the project, one of the
planned rides was a King-Kong like ride where a giant ape would
carry you up and down a tower on top of the building. The plan
was to build a tower higher than the CN Tower (1,815 feet) so
that it can be called the highest free standing structure at
the time. Unfortunately, because of it's proximity to the
McCarran Airport and it's associated safety concerns, the
height was drastically reduced to what you what you see now, at
approximately 1,149 feet.
In 1993, the
Stratosphere Hotel Las Vegas caught fire during construction,
which led to repairs and numerous delyas. It was able to open
finally in 1996. A major addition was done in 2001 when a
1,000-room second tower was completed at a cost of $1
billion.
The Stratosphere Hotel
Las Vegas offers over 2,300 standard guestrooms and 130 suites.
Many rooms and suites give you unparalleled views of the Strip.
Guestrooms and suites include satellite television and wireless
Internet access for a fee. Select suites include separate
sitting areas, bedrooms, powder rooms and kitchens. Select
bathrooms contain spa tubs and separate
showers.
The Stratosphere Hotel
Las Vegas 80,000 square feet casino offers every gaming
opportunity imaginable. The revolving Top of the World
Restaurant, which revolves 360 degrees in one hour and 20
minutes, offers a fine dining experience. Fellini's Tower of
Pasta or Hamada Asian Village, The Crazy Armadillo Tex-Mex
Grill and Oyster Bar, and The Courtyard Buffet fill the
Stratosphere's dining options.
The Stratosphere Hotel
Las Vegas also has a 67,000 square-foot resort pool and
recreation deck. The deck is located on the eighth floor of the
Premier tower. In addition to the swimming pool the deck
features private cabanas, a spa, waterfall, and a special
events area. Enjoy refreshing drinks at the poolside bar and
eats at the poolside cafe. Beach Club 25 provides a secluded
adult environment.
The Stratosphere Hotel
has, on the 25th floor, table tennis, water volleyball, fitness
equipment and space that can be used for private parties and
functions. Located on the 103rd and 104th floors are six fully
catered meeting and banquet rooms. The Tower Shops is an
international marketplace that takes you on a cosmopolitan
journey through the streets. The Tower Shops mall is
conveniently located on the second level at the top of the
escalator near the hotel's main
entrance.
The Stratosphere has a
lot going for it but the main attractions are these rides that
are located right on top of the main tower. These rides would
be boring if they were on ground level, but placed on top of a
1,000 feet plus tower, it's a totally different heart-attack
inducing experience. The Xscream is a coaster
that teeters over the edge of the tower, the
Insanity just dangles you and tilts its cars
as if it's going to drop you on the Strip, and the Big
Shot is a standard drop tower ride but ten times more
intense since it's right on top of the
tower!
For 2010, a new thrill
ride called SkyJump is scheduled to open in
April. It's a Bungee jumping-like ride that will allow riders
to plummet close to 900 feet while attached to a bungee cord.
Cool!
If you are to squeamish
for these rides, just go to the top of the Stratosphere tower
for the view, especially at night. It is well worth
it.
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