Iconic Tropicana in Las Vegas closes after seven decades
The Tropicana Las Vegas closed for good Tuesday, as hotel guests checked out for the last time just days before its 67th anniversary, as the iconic resort faces demolition later this year.
Tropicana, which was once the crown jewel on the Strip, has struggled to compete with the newer megaresorts and is scheduled to be demolished in October. A new Major League Baseball stadium will be built on the site to house the now-Oakland Athletics in 2028.
“Thank you for 67 years of unforgettable memories and unwavering support,” the hotel wrote in a final post Tuesday on X. “We are immensely grateful to you, our loyal guests, dedicated team members and the vibrant city of Las Vegas for your role in making Tropicana Las Vegas an iconic destination.”
Liquidation sellers for the Bally-operated resort have already started listing artwork, flat-screen TVs, restaurant furniture, cooking appliances, beds, lamps, and hundreds of other items from the property on its YouTube channel.
Among the items for sale are Tropicana’s theater doors, made of a red alligator material, which are currently selling for $25,000, according to a Facebook Marketplace listing.
“Some of that becomes nostalgia, like the doors,” said Brendan Bussmann, a
Las Vegas-based industry analyst. “The Tropicana is known for all its shows. Those doors have seen a lot of history.”
While a row of seats from inside the theater can be purchased for $900 through an appointment, it is not clear when a public sales event will be scheduled. Las Vegas, which has torn down other older hotel casinos to make way for newer projects, now leaves only the Sahara as the last remaining resort from the 1950s.
“Hotels built in the
1950s were not designed for the 2020s,” University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor Michael Green told USA Today.
The closing of the Tropicana “reflects Las Vegas changing to keep up with and get ahead of everyone else. … The times have changed,” Green added.
“I’m so sad. It’s a classic. It’s an antique. It has a lot of history in Las Vegas,” said Nevada resident Carmen Pelegrino, who has spent decades enjoying the hotel.
The Tropicana, which once featured big-name performers including jazz great Louis Armstrong and the Folies Bergère from Paris, was known for its large stained glass dome above the casino, its conference center and pool, as well as its ties to the mob.
When it opened in 1957, it was the most expensive Las Vegas resort to be built at a price tag of $15 million. Bally’s Corp purchased the property in 2022 for $148 million.