The Stratosphere

The Stratosphere Las Vegas is a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned by American Casino & Entertainment Properties which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Real Estate Partners and operated by AREP Gaming. The hotel offers 2,444 rooms and an 80,000 square foot (7,000 m²) casino.

The Stratosphere is the northernmost of the major Strip casinos and the only one actually in the City of Las Vegas. While the Stratosphere was originally intended to become a major tourist attraction and major strip property while it was being built, it was decidedly less popular than first envisioned due to its distance from the other major Hotel Casinos and attractions on the Strip. It now has a reputation for being less expensive than many Strip hotels. Many visitors find its location at the far end of the Strip inconvenient and the area immediately to the north – between the Stratosphere and Downtown – a little seedy.

Rooms Gaming space Signature attractions Notable restaurants Owner   Date opened  Major renovations   Previous name

2,444 80,000 ft² (7,432 m²) The Big Shot The High Roller Insanity the Ride XSCREAM Top of the World Lucky's Cafe Roxy's Diner Courtyard Buffet Crazy Armadillo Triple Crown Deli Fellini's Ristorante American Casino & Entertainment Properties April 30, 1996 2003 (second hotel tower) Vegas World Casino

History
In the early 1990s, The Stratosphere was conceived by Bob Stupak to replace his Vegas World Casino. At the conception of the project, one of the planned rides was to be a giant ape that would carry riders up and down one of the tower's columns.

In 1995 Grand Casinos was brought on as an equity partner for the still privately owned project that was already under construction.

While construction was still progressing, the Stratosphere Corporation was formed as a public company with shares being offered to the public.

The Stratosphere opened on April 30, 1996. Shortly after opening, the Stratosphere Corporation was forced to file for bankruptcy. This caused construction on the second tower to stop with only a few stories partially built and allowed Carl Icahn to gain control through one of his companies by buying a majority of the outstanding bonds.

A major addition was completed in 2003 that included finishing the second hotel tower.

In the early 2000s, the company attempted to get approval for a roller coaster that would run from several hundred feet up the tower and, in the last proposal, across Las Vegas Boulevard. Part of that last proposal included an entry monument on the ride over Las Vegas Boulevard welcoming people to the City of Las Vegas.

The City Council did not approve the project due to objections from the neighbors over possible noise from the enclosed cars on the proposed ride. This ride was intended as a replacement for the never built, but approved, ape ride.

Attractions
The Stratosphere is most notable for its tower, which at 1,149 ft (350 m) is not only the tallest structure in Las Vegas, but also the tallest structure in the United States west of the Mississippi River.

The top of the tower has an observation deck, revolving restaurant and the following rides:

The Big Shot at 1,081 feet (329 m) is the highest thrill ride in the world;
The High Roller at 909 feet (277 m) is the second highest ride in the world and the highest roller coaster;
Insanity the Ride, opened in 2005, at 900 feet (274 m) is the third highest thrill ride in the world;
XSCREAM at 866 feet (264 m) is the fourth highest thrill ride in the world.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Uses material from the article Stratosphere Las Vegas.