Located at the foot of Fremont Street, The Plaza Hotel & Casino has one of the most interesting histories of any Las Vegas casino hotel.

The site was originally a Union Pacific railroad station when it opened in 1940. Hence, in 1971 when the first hotel was built on the site, it was aptly named the Union Plaza Hotel. It took a while for the hotel operation to shed its railroad roots. For 26 years, it was the only casino hotel in the U.S. with an active train station and ticketing window attached to the hotel.

Over the years and through different ownership groups, the hotel become a movie extra in high demand. It has appeared in no less than 12 tinsel town productions, perhaps most famously as Biff Tannen’s Pleasure Palace in Back to the Future, and in Casino where Robert DeNiro’s character sits with his wife (Sharon Stone) in the famous glass-domed restaurant above the hotel entrance.

There’s a certain twist of irony here. In 2005, then-Mayor Oscar Goodman declared that “If I had my druthers, I would like to have somebody in place to discuss imploding the Plaza.” This was in reference to his vision of replacing the Plaza with a scenic entrance to Symphony Park – the $6 billion project-in-progress on 61 acres adjacent to the Plaza. After failing to gain traction on the implosion idea, fast forward to today and the former Mayor’s namesake restaurant (Oscar’s Beef, Booze and Broads) now occupies the very same restaurant space where the Casino scene was filmed. The irony doesn’t stop there. The movie Casino fictionalizes the Mob’s early days influence on the growth of Las Vegas, and prior to becoming the longest tenured Mayor in Vegas, Mr. Goodman was a criminal defense lawyer who represented defendants accused of being some of the leading organized crime figures in Las Vegas.

In 2010-2011, the Plaza underwent a complete renovation which included the installation of furniture and fixtures from the failed luxury Fontainebleau Hotel project on the strip. The Plaza has returned to its glory days as a hub for activity at the foot of Fremont Street. Comedian Louie Anderson has taken up residence there and there’s a diverse array of hugely popular restaurants such as Hash House A Go Go, Island Sushi and Pop Up Pizza. There’s a new Bier Garten restaurant with a street side patio for people watching, and a gelato bar right inside the front entrance.

The casino features $5 Blackjack tables with sports TV viewing, plenty of slots, and a poker room. The pool is located on a second floor outdoor deck that catches plenty of sunshine.

The service is always friendly. It’s definitely worth trying as your headquarters for a Downtown stay.

1 S. Main Street
Las Vegas, NV
702-386-2110
Plaza Hotel & Casino