by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:35 PM ET, Tue September 5, 2017
The 111-year-old Golden Gate hotel-casino is now reopened for business.
The Las Vegas property that survived Prohibition and later became famous for hosting the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. doubled the casino floor, increased the size of its iconic outdoor bar and redesigned the façade.
"As the Golden Gate opens, this old-meets-new design creates a thrilling nostalgic feel evoking the spirit of the Rat Pack era with the excitement of our modern world," Golden Gate CEO Derek Stevens said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Located on Fremont Street, the Golden Gate project is a reflection of a much broader resurgence taking place in downtown Las Vegas, an area that exists somewhat in the shadow of the big lights and big names along the more famous Las Vegas strip.
Just across the street from the Golden Gate, Stevens is working on a separate new hotel-casino project, Associated Press reported. The nearby Downtown Grand recently got approval to build a hotel tower that will nearly double its existing room inventory.
The Fremont Street Experience, a five-block entertainment district, is also dusting off its offerings, including renovating its light show, according to Associated Press.
All of the area's attractions and improvements have not been lost on Las Vegas visitors.
According to a tourism report, 53 percent of visitors to the city in 2016 stopped in downtown at some point during their visit, the Associated Press reported.
"We only have 5 percent of the city's hotel rooms, which means a trip downtown is a major part of their trip to Las Vegas," Patrick Hughes, president of Fremont Street Experience, told the Associated Press. "They come to Las Vegas because downtown is part of that experience, not competing with the Strip, but we are a destination within a destination."
Hughes said visitors are drawn to the area because of its pedestrian-friendly set-up and attractions such as the Mob Museum and Neon Museum.
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As for the Golden Gate, this is the property's second major renovation since Stevens acquired it, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Previous work has included adding a five-story hotel tower, a new lobby and a new exterior.
In addition to surviving Prohibition (whiskey bottles were found hidden in the walls during a previous renovation), the Golden Gate was the location of one of the city's first electric signs and telephones, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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