Fremont Hotel & Casino

200 Fremont Street

Location: Downtown

What makes it Special? Hollywood-approved (since 1996)

Entertainment Attraction: Four bars but no live shows

Number of Rooms: 447

Overview:

Fans of the 1996 movie Swingers will recognize the Fremont Hotel, which was used in a number of scenes, including the celebrated one in which Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau play blackjack. This table game is just one of 24 offered in the Fremont’s gaming area, which also features a sports book as well as 1,000 slots.

While the casino will satisfy even the most discerning gambler, the same cannot be said for its restaurants. They’re adequate if you’re not hungry for anything elaborate  – the three laid-back eating options include a Pacific Rim-themed diner and rib-shack Tony Roma’s – but there are no fine-dining establishments.

The entertainment options are even more limited. While the Fremont does boast four bars, two of these are connected to restaurants and none of them feature live shows. The reason for this can be explained by what’s going on outside the hotel, which looks out onto the covered mall of the Fremont Street Experience. Here you’ll find the world’s largest LED screen and free concerts from major artists as well as less well-known ones. Still, it’s disappointing that the Fremont couldn’t offer guests at least one in-house show.

The Fremont’s rooms, which are affordable and uniformly bright and spacious, are less of a letdown, though they’ve no design theme and luxury fittings are kept to a minimal, even in the suites.

This hotel’s excellent downtown location and top-notch casino will impress guests, but they’ll be less captivated by the Fremont’s less than swinging approach to fine dining and entertainment – it’s unlikely that a Swingers sequel would be filmed here.