Information about Caesars Palace

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Address	3570 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109
Number of rooms	3,349
Theme	Roman Empire
Gaming space	166,000ft² (15,442 m²)
Permanent show(s)	Céline Dion: A New Day Elton John: The Red Piano
Signature attraction(s)	Forum Shops Pure Exotic Cars
Notable restaurant(s)	Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant Guy Savoy 808 Bradley Ogden Empress Court Hyakumi Mesa Grill
Owner	Harrah's Entertainment
Date opened	August 5, 1966
Casino type	Land-Based
Renovations	1974, 1979, 1992, 2001, 2005
Previous name(s)	none
Website	Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment. Caesars is located on the west side of the Strip, between the Bellagio and the Mirage.

Caesars has 3,348 rooms^[1] in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Forum, Palace, and Roman. The Forum tower features guest suites with 1,000 square feet of space.

History

In 1962, Jay Sarno, a cabana motel owner, used ten million dollars that had been lent to him by the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund to begin plans for a hotel on land owned by Kirk Kerkorian. Sarno would later act as designer of the hotel he planned to construct.

Building of the 14-story Caesars Palace hotel began in 1962. That first tower would have 680 rooms on the 34 acre (138,000 m²) site.

Sarno struggled to decide on a name for the hotel. He finally decided to call it Caesars Palace because he thought that the name Caesar would evoke thoughts of royalty because of Roman general Julius Caesar. Sarno felt that guests should feel they were at a king's home while at his hotel. It is called "Caesars" and not "Caesar's" because every guest is a Caesar.

Sarno contracted many companies to build the hotel, from the Roman landscapes it presents, to the water fountains that have been stages of various events and the hotel's swimming pools.

On August 5, 1966, the hotel was inaugurated, with Andy Williams and Phil Richards providing entertainment; they both played Julius Caesar at a play that night. Two days later, Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat and flamenco guitarist Charo became the first couple to marry in the new establishment.

Soon after the hotel's opening, Sarno bought the land from Kerkorian for $5 million USD.

On December 31, 1967, Evel Knievel unsuccessfully tried to jump the hotel's water fountain with his motorcycle.

On July 15, 1969, executives lay ground on an expansion area of the hotel, and they buried a time capsule in the area, but the time capsule was stolen days later.

In 1973, the Del Webb company was contracted to build a 16-story building adjacent to the Palace. That project was finished in 1974.

Many top performers, such as Liberace, George Burns, Diana Ross, Cher, Julio Iglesias, Judy Garland, David Copperfield, Gloria Estefan, and most notably Frank Sinatra have performed at the hotel.

1980s

In 1980, Gary Wells gained much media coverage, and much physical suffering, when he unsuccessfully tried to jump a motorcycle over a water fountain at the Caesars Palace. He sustained injuries to many different parts of his body.

In 1982 Ronnie Vannucci, now playing in Las Vegas-based The Killers, became the youngest musician to play with a band at age six in a lounge in Caesars Palace.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix car race (a Formula One World Championship event) was held at Caesars in 1981 and 1982. After Watkins Glen race course was removed from the schedule after 1980, Formula 1 put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. The new race was not popular among the drivers, primarily because of the desert heat. The track was laid out in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel and was surprisingly well set up for a temporary circuit: wide enough for overtaking, it provided ample run-off areas filled with sand, and had a surface that was as smooth as glass. Its counter-clockwise direction, however, put a tremendous strain on the drivers' necks. When Nelson Piquet clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him fifteen minutes to recover from heat exhaustion. The 1982 race was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but the race was not renewed for the following season due to poor attendance.

During the 1980s, the hotel opened an Atari game room that had over 60 Atari video game arcade machines.

In 1989, Robbie Knievel successfully completed what his father could not do years before by completing the fountain jump.

Several championship boxing matches were held in Caesars Outdoor Arena. Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran all headlined here, along with Larry Holmes against both Muhammad Ali and Gerry Cooney. Also three bouts between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe were contested here, one of which included the infamous "Fan Man" incident which saw a parachuter with a fan attached to his back parachute down to the ring in the middle of the fight. Michael Moorer also won the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World when he defeated Holyfield. The fight led to Holyfield's first of several retirements. Oscar De La Hoya also headlined several boxing cards here during the mid-to-late '90s, as did Shane Mosley.

1990s

The hotel's management wanted it to have a new, family-oriented atmosphere as the 1990s approached, a trend mirrored by many of the big Las Vegas resorts. This move was not strange to Las Vegas hotel owners, as most hotels there were planning to modernize anyway by adding more children features and making Las Vegas hotels seem more family friendly and less gambler oriented.

In 1992, The Forum Shops at Caesars opened; it was one of the very first venues in the city where shopping, particularly at high-end stores, was an attraction in itself. The fourth phase opened on October 22, 2004. It now has the 2nd built circular escalator in the USA. The other one is at the Westfield San Francisco Centre.

WrestleMania IX, one of the annual World Wrestling Federation spectacles promoted by Vince McMahon, was held here in 1993. The theme was "The World's Largest Toga Party".

In 1993, the NBC game show Caesars Challenge was taped here.

Magician David Copperfield was a headliner for several stints in the Circus Maximus Theatre.

Comedian George Burns had performed there a number of times in the early '90s and had stated that he wanted to perform there on his 100th birthday but could not due to failing health.

In the summer of 1996, a $40+ million dollar venue opened known as "Caesar's Magical Empire", showcasing major magicians such as Whit Haydn, Jon Armstrong, Jeff "Magnus" McBride and Lee Asher in a dinner theater. The show was profitable, but was eventually closed on November 30, 2002 to make room for Celine Dion's new venue.^[2]

Over the years, the hotel has been owned by various companies, including Sheraton and The Hilton International Corporation. Caesars Entertainment (originally known as Park Place Entertainment) bought the property in 1999 before it merged with Harrah's in 2005. That year, Caesars Palace was affected by a large flood.

2000s

Caesars has opened the Roman Plaza, an open-air area with a cafe on the corner, and the Colosseum theater, where Céline Dion (A New Day...) and Elton John (The Red Piano) are regular performers. The Colosseum was specifically built for Dion's show, A New Day..., a spectacular produced by former Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Dion's show was also notable for having some of the highest ticket prices for any show in the city, with seats as high as $200 each; nonetheless, the show regularly sells out.^[3]

On October 2, 2004, big-time boxing returned to the Palace, as Wladimir Klitschko and former Olympian Jeff Lacy headlined a card televised on Showtime.

Caesars Palace opened the Augustus Tower in August 2005. It stands 46 floors high and is perpendicular to the Strip.

In 2005, Harrah's Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment and became the owner of Caesars Palace.

On May 4, 2006, Mike Metzger became the first person to ever backflip on a motorcycle over the fountains.

Future

With the success of the Augustus Tower, Harrah's Entertainment is planning a $1 billion expansion and upgrade to the famed resort. The expansion will include another hotel tower and a sports complex replacing the events center.

New features include:

• A new 29-story, 1,017-room hotel tower adjacent to the Palace Tower, which will frame the pool area at the back of the property along with an extension of the existing Convention Center.
• An additional 37,000 sq. ft. of casino space and about 110,000 sq. ft. of added retail and restaurants will cover the area closest to the strip replacing the new outdoor Roman Plaza.
• A “pedestrian promenade", with several decorative fountains surrounded by landscaping which will guide strip-walkers into Caesar's domain. Underneath the promenade, Caesars will excavate a parking garage, with 389 valet-parking spaces. The timeline for construction was undisclosed.

In May of 2007, Bette Midler was announced in a press conference as Dion's formal replacement. Midler will reportedly only perform about 100 shows a year, with Elton John continuing to perform his popular Red Piano show 50 nights a year while Midler is on hiatus. There is also a widespread but unconfirmed rumor that Cher, now in semi-retirement following her very successful , could also potentially return to the stage to alternate headlining with Midler for the remainder of the year.

Film history

• Hells Angels on Wheels 1967
• Where It's At 1969
• The Electric Horseman 1979
• Pleasure Palace
• History of the World, Part I 1981
• Oh God, You Devil 1984
• You Ruined My Life 1987
• Rain Man 1988
• Hearts are Wild 1992
• Caesars Challenge 1993, a game show
• Fools Rush In 1997
• The Strip 1999
• Ocean's Eleven 2001
• Dreamgirls 2006
• In the video game Caesars Palace appears in the fictional city of Las Venturas, but with the name Caligula's Palace. The Casino is a major part of the game's plot, in which the main character must pull off a robbery heist on the casino, which is run by the mafia.
• A&E had a reality show called Caesars 24/7 showing behind the scenes at Caesars. The jobs highlighted by the show ranged from security and concierge to "The Grape Goddess" and "Shadow Dancers." Many visitors were documented as well. The show ran for two seasons.

Amenities and entertainment

Caesars offers additional attractions including:

• Exotic cars showroom
• Fall of Atlantis — free show
• Festival Fountain — free show
• Pure Nightclub a 36,000 sq ft. nightclub
• Free shuttle to sister property Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino approximately every thirty minutes.

The Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls Lounge, an adjunct of Pure nightclub.

In February of 2006, a section of the casino was themed to match the Pussycat Dolls Nightclub^[4] and is called the Pussycat Dolls Casino.

See also

• Caesars Entertainment

References

External links

• Caesars Palace Web Site
• History of Caesars Palace

Preceded by Hoosier Dome	Host of WrestleMania IX 1993	Succeeded by Madison Square Garden

•  • [ e] Las Vegas Strip
South end	Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
West side	Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas • Mandalay Bay THEhotel at Mandalay Bay Luxor Excalibur New York-New York Monte Carlo Project CityCenter (2009) The Cosmopolitan (2009) Bellagio Caesars Palace The Mirage Treasure Island Las Vegas Plaza Hotel (2011) Echelon Place (2010) Slots-A-Fun Circus Circus Stratosphere
East side	Tropicana MGM Grand Planet Hollywood Paris Bally's Bill's (formerly Barbary Coast) Flamingo O'Sheas Imperial Palace Harrah's Casino Royale The Venetian The Palazzo (2007) Wynn Encore (2009) Riviera Fontainebleau (2009) Sahara
Transportation	Las Vegas Monorail The Deuce

•  • [ e] Harrah's Entertainment
Arizona:	Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino
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Illinois:	Harrah's Joliet • Harrah's Metropolis
Indiana:	Caesars Indiana • Horseshoe Hammond
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Kansas:	Harrah's Prairie Band
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Mississippi:	Biloxi: Grand Casino — Tunica: Horseshoe • Grand Casino • Sheraton Casino and Hotel Tunica
Missouri:	Harrah's North Kansas City • Harrah's St. Louis
Nevada:	Lake Tahoe: Harrah's • Harveys • Bill's — Las Vegas: Harrah's • Rio • Caesars Palace • Flamingo • O'Sheas • Paris • Imperial Palace • Bill's Gamblin Hall • Bally's — Laughlin: Harrah's — Reno: Harrah's — Golf Courses: Rio Secco • Cascata
New Jersey:	Atlantic City: Harrah's • Bally's • Caesars • Showboat
North Carolina:	Harrah's Cherokee
Pennsylvania:	Harrah's Chester
International:	Ontario: Casino Windsor — Uruguay: Conrad Resort and Casino — Worldwide: Caesars Palace at Sea
Other:	Total Rewards • World Series of Poker • LuckyMe
Annual revenue: $7.11 billion USD • Employees: 85,000 • Stock symbol: NYSE: HET • Website: www.harrahs.com

•  • [ e] WrestleMania venues
Allstate Arena • Caesars Palace • Citrus Bowl • Ford Field • Hartford Civic Center • Honda Center • Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena • Madison Square Garden • Nassau Coliseum • Pontiac Silverdome • RCA Dome • Reliant Astrodome • Rogers Centre • Safeco Field • Staples Center • TD Banknorth Garden • Trump Plaza • Wachovia Center

•  • [ e] Cher
Studio albums	All I Really Want to Do (1965) The Sonny Side of Cher (1966) Cher (1966) With Love, Cher (1967) Backstage (1968) 3614 Jackson Highway (1969) Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (1971) Foxy Lady (1972) Bittersweet White Light (1973) Half-Breed (1973) Dark Lady (1974) Stars (1975) I'd Rather Believe in You (1976) Cherished (1977) Take Me Home (1979) - Prisoner (1979) Black Rose (1980) I Paralyze (1982) Cher (1987) Heart of Stone (1989) Love Hurts (1991) It's a Man's World (1995/1996) Believe (1998) not.com.mercial (2000) Living Proof (2001/2002) TBA (2007)
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1974) (1992) (1999) The Greatest Hits (1999) The Very Best of Cher (2003)
Soundtracks	Chastity OST (1969) Mermaids OST (1990)
Live albums	Live! The Farewell Tour (2003/2004)
Other albums	Two the Hard Way (1978) VH1 Divas Live 99 (2000) VH1 Divas Live 02 (2003)
Related topics	Discography Concert Tours Videography Filmography Achievements and Awards Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher discography

•  • [ e] Pussycat Dolls
Members	Ashley Roberts • Carmit Bachar • Jessica Sutta • Kimberly Wyatt • Melody Thornton • Nicole Scherzinger
Albums	PCD
Singles	"Sway" • "Don't Cha" • "Stickwitu" • "Beep" • "Buttons" • "I Don't Need a Man" • "Wait a Minute"
Related topics	Discography • •

Coordinates: