El Cortez Hotel & Casino

600 E Fremont Street

Location: Downtown

What makes it Special? Oldest continuously-open hotel in downtown Vegas

Entertainment Attraction: Elvis tribute show and karaoke

Number of Rooms: 364

Overview:

One advantage of staying in downtown Vegas rather than the Strip is that you immerse yourself in Sin City’s history. Before the Strip eclipsed it in the ‘60s, Fremont Street and its environs was where visitors to Vegas stayed when they gamed – and the El Cortez Hotel was one of their preferred choices.

Open since 1941, the hotel remains one of the few in Vegas to maintain its original signage and exterior. However, potential guests who imagine a musty, archaic interior should rest assured: El Cortez recently underwent an expensive refurbishment.  Nonetheless, the cost of the hotel’s facelift hasn’t been palmed off on guests, as El Cortez’s rooms and suites, which are decorated in a retro-chic ‘40s style, are reasonably priced.

You don’t come to Vegas to sleep – you come here to game and to be entertained. El Cortez doesn’t disappoint gamblers with a range of table games, including roulette, craps and blackjack, as well as a sports book and a large collection of slots.

The hotel’s entertainment options are less impressive. The Parlour Bar is El Cortez’s only bar and you’ll have to be there on the weekend to catch a show, which aren’t usually of a high caliber. Following a meal at El Cortez’s Flame Steakhouse, guests are advised to head to the nearby Fremont Street Experience for fun.

The El Cortez has a classy, old-time Vegas feel, but visitors who want to enjoy Sin City’s 21^st century attractions are going to spend a lot of time outside their hotel – or decide to stay somewhere else entirely.