Las Vegas’ tallest tower finishing remake, rename as The Strat

LAS VEGAS — After more than a year and $100 million upgrading restaurants, guest rooms, the casino floor and more, The Strat in Las Vegas is nearing the end of its renovation project.

Golden Entertainment representatives told the Las Vegas Review-Journal they hope the renovations encourage guests to stay longer at the 24-story hotel and its landmark 1,149-foot tower with a restaurant, thrill rides and observation platform 921 feet above the Las Vegas Strip.

The investments “were aimed to really offer a full-resort experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere,” company chief executive Blake Sartini said. New signage and video screens also remind guests that the property now goes by a new name.

The property opened in 1996 as the Stratosphere. Golden Entertainment bought it in October 2017 and began renovations in mid-2018. It renamed the property The Strat Hotel, Casino and SkyPod a year ago.

Stephen Thayer, vice president and general manager, said remodeling the 80,000-square-foot casino created an open layout and new color scheme including natural lighting, blues and golds.

Nearly half the 2,472 rooms have been renovated, with more scheduled, Thayer said.

Food and drink options have been expanded, with the observation deck cocktail bar now called 108 Drinks and an updated Top of the World restaurant featuring a new menu, carpet and furniture.

Outside, a 30,000-square-foot tent houses the new acrobatic show, “Celestia.”

Brent Pirosch, consulting director at CBRE’s Global Gaming Group, told the Review-Journal the renovations should help the property compete for walk-in customers on a stretch of the Strip resort corridor now experiencing a resurgence in investment and attention.

The multibillion-dollar Resorts World project is set to open in 2021 and the long-mothballed property now called the Drew Las Vegas is due to open in 2022.

The Sahara Las Vegas started a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2018, and new owner Phil Ruffin told casino regulators in December he plans to renovate and expand the aging Circus Circus Las Vegas property he bought last year from MGM Resorts International.