The Linq is a casino, 2,640-room hotel, and shopping promenade on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The casino is 118,000 square feet (11,000Â m2) with 830 slot machines, 55 table games, 8 poker tables, and a race and sports book.
History
The property began as the $2 million, 180-room Flamingo Capri motel, owned by George E. Goldberg and Bill Capri. The motel was built directly north of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, where Capri was an employee. Construction began in May 1959. The original Flamingo agreed to provide hotel services to guests at the Capri.
Ralph Engelstad purchased the motel in 1971. He added a casino and renamed the property as the Flamingo Capri Motel and Casino in 1972. In 1973, four motel buildings from the Flamingo Capri were relocated and converted to become part of Engelstad's other property, the Kona Kai motel. Engelstad's construction company added a three-story wing at the east end of the motel, as well as a northern addition, both of which were opened by 1974.
By 1976, the motel was being operated as part of the Best Western hotel chain, while retaining the Flamingo Capri name. The new Imperial Palace Tower, which raised the number of rooms from 300 to 650, was completed in July 1977. The property later re-opened as the Asian-themed Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino on November 1, 1979.
The Imperial Theatre showroom with 850 seats was opened in June 1980. A second hotel tower with 850 rooms was added in early 1981, which brought the hotel's room count to 1,500. The Auto Collections opened on December 1, 1981, on the fifth floor of a new parking garage which was added that year. A third hotel tower was added in August 1982. In 1986, the casino was expanded by 15,000 square feet (1,400Â m2), with the meeting and convention space also being expanded. A fourth hotel tower was also added in 1986, for a total of 2,100 rooms. A final, 19-story tower with over 500 rooms was finished in 1987, bringing the total to 2,637 hotel rooms.
A major expansion from August 1987 to July 1989 included a new swimming pool, a two-story waterfall, heated spa and poolside bar, a nightclub, race & sports book, health and fitness center, and office complex. In 1993, an independent 24-hour medical facility serving guests and employees was opened.
In 1984, a couple from Missouri were assaulted in their guest room by a man dressed as a hotel employee. They were beaten, bound and gagged, and the wife was raped. The assailant was never caught. The couple sued the Imperial Palace, claiming that the hotel did not provide adequate security. The lawsuit lasted until at least 1989, with allegations that hotel employees destroyed evidence relating to their security practices. The case was ultimately settled on undisclosed terms.
The lawsuit would lead indirectly to more trouble for the casino. In 1988, several employees, angry about being placed on leave as punishment for talking to the plaintiff attorney, began speaking to the Gaming Control Board and local media about two Nazi-themed parties Engelstad had held at the Imperial Palace. The parties were held in Engelstad's so-called "war room", which featured a large collection of World War II Nazi memorabilia, including a portrait of Engelstad in the likeness of Hitler. A national controversy ensued. Engelstad claimed the collection was purely of historical interest, and not meant to glorify the Nazis. The Gaming Control Board recommended that Engelstad lose his gaming license and be fined $200,000 for reflecting poorly on the reputation of the Nevada gaming industry. An agreement was ultimately reached whereby Engelstad kept his license, but paid $1.5 million in penalties.
When Engelstad died in 2002, the casino ownership transferred to the Ralph Engelstad and Betty Engelstad Trust. The casino operated as its own limited partnership, Imperial Palace LLC, under the Trust's oversight. At the time of Engelstad's death, the resort was the second-largest privately owned hotel in the world, with nearly 2,700 rooms and 2,600 employees.
On August 22, 2005, Harrah's announced plans to purchase this property. The acquisition was completed on December 23, 2005. During a conference call with investors on November 20, 2005, the Chairman for Harrah's, Gary Loveman, noted that both the Imperial Palace and neighboring O'Sheas "are going to require very substantial modifications or complete tear-downs and rebuilds" in order to make room for a Harrah's and/or Flamingo expansion on the Strip. However, since then, Harrah's has invested millions of dollars into refurbishing both the hotel rooms and the casino itself.
In July 2009, Harrah's announced new plans for the area around the Imperial Palace, O'Shea's, and Flamingo casinos, confirming that the Imperial Palace will not be demolished at this time.
In August 2011, Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced it will be building a massive entertainment complex adjacent to the Imperial Palace and on the site of O'Shea's casino, called Project LINQ. The Imperial Palace name will be retired and the property renamed.
On September 17, 2012, Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced that Imperial Palace would be renamed The Quad Resort and Casino. The official conversion was completed on December 21, 2012.
In July 2014, Caesars announced that the Quad would be renamed again on October 30, as the Linq Hotel & Casino following a $223 million renovation of the property.
Film history
- In Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, the character Alotta Fagina stays at the Imperial Palace.
- The Imperial Palace is in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas under the name "The Four Dragons Casino". It is owned by the Triads, allies of the protagonist, Carl "CJ" Johnson.
- The Imperial Palace is where the Las Vegas scenes of John Cassavetes' Love Streams was filmed.
Attractions
The High Roller
On March 31, 2014, Caesars Entertainment opened the 550-foot-tall High Roller, The Worlds Tallest Observation Wheel at The LINQ Promenade.
The Auto Collections
The Auto Collections at the Linq is the world's largest classic car showroom, with more than $25 million worth of inventory on display and for sale. More than 250 antique, classic, muscle and historically significant cars are on display and nearly all are for sale.
Besides being the world’s largest classic car showroom this unique tourist attraction also serves as a museum, allowing visitors the opportunity to get personally acquainted with vehicles otherwise only featured on photographs or the silver screen. The 250 automobiles displayed on 125,000 Sq. Ft. of space. provide an excellent insight into the history of the industry and include antique exemplars from the early 20th century, elegant post-war limousines, high-end sports cars from the last decades as well as everything else in between. Most of these vintage cars are also fully operational and available for purchase. Prices vary dramatically depending on many factors and range from as low as $30,000 to several million dollars for the especially rare pieces in the collection.
Some of the cars presented here include those once driven by famous celebrities or utilized by state officials, such as the 1955 Lincoln Capri Convertible owned by Marilyn Monroe, the 1939 Chrysler Royal Sedan formerly belonging to Johnny Carson or the 1962 Lincoln Continental Towne Limousine serving President John F. Kennedy.
This exhibition is located on the 5th floor of the garage at the Linq Resort & Casino and can be visited daily between 10am-6pm. It takes approximately 2 hours to view the showroom. Audio tours are also available for rental and photography is permitted.
Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas
Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas is a drag revue starring Las Vegas' longest-running headliner, Frank Marino, who hosts the revue as his most famous impersonation, Joan Rivers. The show moved to the Imperial Palace from the Riviera in 2010.
Jeff Civillico: Comedy in Action
Jeff Civillico: Comedy in Action is a high-energy, all-ages, physical comedy show that stars Jeff Civillico.
Dealertainers
Beginning in 2003, the casino had approximately eight blackjack tables on the lower level that featured celebrity impersonators as dealers. These impersonators, which included Joliet Jake from the Blues Brothers, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Cher, Shakira, Roy Orbison, Zac Brown, Shania Twain, Britney Spears, Buddy Holly, and others, alternated dealing cards and performing a song on a small stage in the center of the tables. The Dealertainers pit was discontinued as of September 8, 2014.
References
External links
- The Linq
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