LAS VEGAS The Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower here is nearing completion of its $75 million tower expansion project, which will make the property the first mega-resort located in the city of Las Vegas.
The resort, which will increase its size from 1,444 rooms to 2,444 rooms by mid-summer, is located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip at Sahara Street, which is a dividing line between the city and the county.
The other mega-resorts you think of, like the Venetian, are located at the south end of the Strip in the County of Las Vegas, said Michael Gilmartin, communications manager at the resort. The Stratosphere, however, is located in the City of Las Vegas where a major redevelopment project is currently underway.
With the addition of the new tower, the Stratosphere will reposition itself within the Vegas market to compete against some of the heavy hitters at the other end of the block.
To be competitive on the Strip, you need to have 2,500 to 3,000 rooms, said Bobby Ray Harris, svp/operations.
The new tower will be connected to the existing hotel, and will feature 1,000 new guestrooms with 100 suites and a new lobby area. Most of the rooms will offer views of the Strip or the mountains, and many will feature oversized Jacuzzis.
The Stratosphere is renovating many of the resorts existing structures, which will be complete by September 2001. A new 67,000-square-foot pool area is being added on the eighth floor of an adjacent retail building, the resort s restaurant is being re-themed from a steakhouse to Tex-Mex cuisine, a new coffeehouse is opening, and a new amphitheater will be unveiled. (4/13/01) Diana M. Rodriguez