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The Sands Hotel was a legendary Las Vegas,
Nevada hotel/casino that operated from December 15, 1952 to
June 30, 1996. It was the seventh resort that opened on the
Las Vegas Strip.
During its heyday, the Sands would be the
center of entertainment and cool on the Strip, and hosted
many famous entertainers of the day. Regulars would be able
to mingle with the stars in the lounge after their late-night
shows. Even most of the Presidents stayed at the Sands when
they were in town.
Its most famous claim to fame was a 3-week
period in 1960 when, during the filming of the movie Ocean's
Eleven, they organized an event called the “Summit at
the Sands”, where for the first time Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford
performed on stage together. They would forever be known after
that as the Rat Pack. Sinatra would also own a stake in the
Sands for a time.
The hotel first began as just a casino with
a few hundred rooms.
In its final years, the Sands became a shadow
of its former self; a throwback to the old days, and it ultimately
could not compete with the newer and more exciting megaresorts
that were being built on the Strip. The decision was eventually
made by its final owner, Sheldon Adelson, to shut it down
and to build a brand new resort. On November 26, 1996, it
was imploded and demolished much to the dismay of longtime
employees and sentimentalists. The Las Vegas scenes of Con
Air (1997) were filmed at the Sands prior to its demolition.
Today, the Venetian now stands where the
Sands once stood.
History
When billionaire Howard Hughes purchased
the hotel in the mid-1960s, a 500-room tower was added and
the hotel became a Vegas landmark.
Kirk Kerkorian bought the hotel in 1988 and sold it in 1989.
In 1989, Sheldon Adelson purchased the Sands.
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