Golden Gate Hotel and Casino

Hotel Review

Looking for the perfect setting for a stay in downtown Las Vegas? Situated in the city's oldest quarter and directly on Fremont Street Experience, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino offers boutique accommodations with modern-day amenities. The property also boasts personalized service and a unique history.

The Golden Gate has roots dating back to the birth of Las Vegas. Its land was purchased at a momentous auction in 1905. A year later, the hotel, originally called Hotel Nevada, opened. Although the same building structure remains, over the years, it has seen many changes -- including the major $12 million expansion and overhaul currently underway.

In recent months, the casino has been refurbished with new carpet and enlarged. There are now more slot machines and a striking new high-limit area with three blackjack tables. The resort's signature "dancing dealers" -- a modern reinterpretation of the flappers from the Jazz Age -- add to the fun and revelry. The restrooms have been redone and feature life-size silhouettes of either a gangster (on the Men's Room) or a flapper (on the Women's Room) for easy identification. A new lobby with displays showcasing the Golden Gate's past has also been built. Guests can now check out a 1907 Kellogg telephone, original gaming ledgers dating back to 1907, glass liquor bottles and more before they check-in.

Additionally, the property's 106 guest rooms have all been remodeled. A 35,000-square-foot, five-story tower with a new porte cochère for valet parking is under construction and will debut in July 2012. It will house 16 spacious suites, two of which are penthouses that will encompass the entire fifth floor. Amenities in all accommodations include pillow-top mattresses, 32-inch LG flat-screen TVs, wireless internet access, safes, Keurig coffee makers and iPod docking stations. The suites will also have balconies with fire pits and other exclusive luxuries.

Inspired by the past, the Golden Gate integrates Roaring '20s and Rat Pack-era influences in the rooms' vintage décor as well as throughout the property. Among the resort's famous guests was Clark Gable, whose image appears on a second-story window in tribute. Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. were also known to frequent the Main Bar, which has a speakeasy ambiance, in the casino. Two more bars -- the One Bar, where you'll find bartenders clad in bikinis and dancing on the countertop, and the Flair Bar, where bottles are sure to be flying -- are located just outside the doors on Fremont Street.

The Golden Gate is still beloved for its iconic shrimp cocktail served in a tulip sundae glass. Introduced in 1959 for a mere 50 cents, visitors can still order one today for only $2.99 at Du-par's Restaurant & Bakery (note: the Shrimp Bar & Deli is presently closed for renovation). A popular spot with visitors as well as locals, the menu here features traditional home cooking. Be sure to try the beloved pancakes or a slice of heavenly pie.

All things considered, the Golden Gate is a historic yet contemporary boutique hotel that can provide travelers with a luxurious paradise in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.

-- By Renée LiButti