Greek Isles Hotel & Casino
Encyclopedia
Clarion Hotel and Casino, formerly known as Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel and Greek Isles Hotel & Casino, is a hotel/casino located in Paradise
, Nevada
, one block off the Las Vegas Strip
. The hotel originally opened in 1972 as The Royal Inn Casino, and also operated under the names Royal American Hotel and Casino and The Paddlewheel Hotel Casino before being purchased by Debbie Reynolds
in 1993. After Reynolds sold the property in 1999, it was briefly owned by the World Wrestling Federation, acted as a service hotel for airline
employees, and was stylistically altered to become the short-lived Greek Isles Hotel.
It is a 202-room hotel and a 7000 sq ft (650.3 m²) casino on 6 acre (2.4 ha) of land.
acquired the property and added the Hollywood Movie Museum.
In 1999 the hotel was sold to the World Wrestling Federation
. The WWF sold it to Mark IV Realty Group in 2000; Mark IV partnered with Delta Air Lines
and United Airlines
to turn it into a crew hotel, with a major renovation that was completed in summer 2001.
In July 2007, the hotel was sold to a real-estate developer (DI Development Group) for $48.8 million; the developer announced in January 2008 that he was pursuing financing to redevelop the site, replacing it with a mixed-use development, proposed to include 780 hotel rooms, a 77000 square feet (7,153.5 m²) casino and 71200 sq ft (6,614.7 m²) of convention, retail and, restaurant space.
The developer never came through and the Hotel tried expanding operations.
The hotel was forced into bankruptcy on April 6, 2009 by its creditors. Canpartners Reality (owned by Canyon Capital Reality Partners and Spectrum Group Management) took over control on August 19, 2009 taking possession of the foreclosed property. As of April the hotel has been branded a Clarion Hotel and is the only Clarion with a casino. Currently the 300 seat theater built by Debbie Reynolds has a Sunday Gospel Brunch and a nightly show is in the works along with the re-opening of one of the wedding chapels.
36.1318°N 115.1591°W
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, one block off the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. The hotel originally opened in 1972 as The Royal Inn Casino, and also operated under the names Royal American Hotel and Casino and The Paddlewheel Hotel Casino before being purchased by Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
in 1993. After Reynolds sold the property in 1999, it was briefly owned by the World Wrestling Federation, acted as a service hotel for airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
employees, and was stylistically altered to become the short-lived Greek Isles Hotel.
It is a 202-room hotel and a 7000 sq ft (650.3 m²) casino on 6 acre (2.4 ha) of land.
History
Michael Gaughan opened the Royal Inn Casino in 1972. It operated as the Paddlewheel for several years, then in 1993 Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
acquired the property and added the Hollywood Movie Museum.
In 1999 the hotel was sold to the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. The WWF sold it to Mark IV Realty Group in 2000; Mark IV partnered with Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
to turn it into a crew hotel, with a major renovation that was completed in summer 2001.
In July 2007, the hotel was sold to a real-estate developer (DI Development Group) for $48.8 million; the developer announced in January 2008 that he was pursuing financing to redevelop the site, replacing it with a mixed-use development, proposed to include 780 hotel rooms, a 77000 square feet (7,153.5 m²) casino and 71200 sq ft (6,614.7 m²) of convention, retail and, restaurant space.
The developer never came through and the Hotel tried expanding operations.
The hotel was forced into bankruptcy on April 6, 2009 by its creditors. Canpartners Reality (owned by Canyon Capital Reality Partners and Spectrum Group Management) took over control on August 19, 2009 taking possession of the foreclosed property. As of April the hotel has been branded a Clarion Hotel and is the only Clarion with a casino. Currently the 300 seat theater built by Debbie Reynolds has a Sunday Gospel Brunch and a nightly show is in the works along with the re-opening of one of the wedding chapels.
External links
Official website36.1318°N 115.1591°W