The Aladdin resort was swimming in a sea of debt when Planet Hollywood bought it. Wayne Newton owned the Aladdin for a while, Johnny Carson tried to buy it and, before the economic bubble burst in the Land of the Rising Sun in the '80s, a Japanese businessman controlled it. But no one has ever made a mint with this hexed property.
The genie's new masters shifted the casino hotel's theme from Istanbul to Hollywood, but have paid homage to the resort's past with the Turkish-style Spa By Mandara , and they've kept a few of the Aladdin's gold-star attractions: the Spice Market Buffet and Miracle Mile Shops , formerly Aladdin's Passage. (Fun fact: Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeannie fame hosted the grand opening of the shopping center when the new Aladdin opened in 2000.)
The Hollywood theme is relatively subtle: you'll see film memorabilia displayed around the resort, including inside the renovated guest rooms. But the developers' efforts to achieve a mod-glam look is clearly evident in the massive lobby, where black granite, spotless glass and massive columns create drama, and eight chandeliers, each strung with 66,000 crystals, adds old-movie glamour. Meanwhile dining, nightlife and entertainment options are still evolving. So far Gallery nightclub, microbrews at Sin City Brewing Co pub and sushi at Koi are enticing.
If the slick new property has you feeling nostalgic for days gone by, head downtown. The huge neon genie lamp that once stood outside the Aladdin resort, salvaged as part of the Neon Museum, now glows along the nightlife hub of Fremont East.
