Las Vegas
El Cortez Hotel & Casino
J.K. Houssels' 1941 hotel-casino on Fremont Street, owned by Bugsy Siegel and partners in 1945; book an 'Original 47' room, the only 1941 rooms. 21+.
- Built
- 1941Opened 1941 as downtown Las Vegas' first luxury hotel-casino. Guests can sleep in the 'Original 47' rooms, the 1941 rooms above the casino floor. Later wings: Pavilion rooms (1963), the 15-story tower (1980 per the hotel timeline, 1984 per Wikipedia) and the Cabana Suites in the former Ogden House apartments (converted 2009).
- Style
- Mission/Spanish Revival
- Architect
- J.C. Grayson and Marion Hicks (per the hotel's timeline)
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Rooms
- 364
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
J.K. Houssels opened El Cortez in 1941 as downtown Las Vegas’ first luxury hotel-casino. In 1945 Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum bought it; Houssels bought it back in 1946. Jackie Gaughan bought El Cortez in 1963 and lived in its tower penthouse for more than 30 years, staying on after selling to Kenny Epstein in 2008 until his death in 2014. The 1941 Mission-style facade has never been replaced, and the neon roof sign dates from 1952.
The ghost story
Ghost City Tours, a ghost-tour company that sells a room-and-tour package with the hotel, says employees have seen transparent, disembodied hands reaching out in empty rooms, and that guests in the Cabana Suites have heard loud, repeated knocking when no one else was on the floor.
Source: ghostcitytours.com
Good to know
- Parking: on-site free
- No pets
- Adults only
- Address: 600 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Things to do
Ghost tours and history tours nearby
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Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.