The SLS Las Vegas recently announced that it will be switching its name to the Sahara Casino, which is what it was known as world wide until 2011. The statement took place following an elaborate fireworks and drone light show above the property’s outdoor pool area.
“Sahara is such a recognizable name,” said Paul Hobson, SLS’s general manager. “I drive to work every morning on Sahara Avenue. It’s a name that’s embedded into Las Vegas and in the lore of the city, but we’re not looking back so much as looking forward.”
Once the new ownership group took over during spring 2018 — which is when Hobson came aboard — the idea of a name change was almost immediately floated, Hobson said.
“It was one of the first conversations we had,” Hobson said. “We landed on Sahara as being a very appealing option. A lot of people speculated that it was going to be Grand Sahara Resort because that would match Mr. Meruelo’s Grand Sierra Resort property in Reno. We just thought that Sahara, without any modifiers, was powerful.”
“I had a dream of owning a casino on Las Vegas Boulevard and, through a lot of hard work, that dream came true,” Meruelo said. “Vegas is a very special place. It’s always been great to me, and it’s in my DNA.”
Read more about the return of the Sahara Casino at the Las Vegas Sun
