Vanderpump Hotel Walking Tour
3 discoveries Audio narration
The same property’s Cromwell entrance on June 5, 2015, before its Vanderpump renovation and renaming.
The Vanderpump Hotel occupies the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, across from Caesars Palace. Its casino history began as Michael Gaughan’s Barbary Coast on March 2, 1979. Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon, the Cromwell and the Vanderpump Hotel are later names and renovations of this continuing property, rather than four hotels that successively replaced one another.
From Barbary Coast to Bill’s
UNLV’s archival history traces ownership from Gaughan’s Coast Casinos through Boyd Gaming to Harrah’s Entertainment. In February 2007, Boyd exchanged the Barbary Coast for land adjoining its planned Echelon development farther north on the Strip. The transaction changed ownership; it did not move the hotel. The corner property took the Bill’s name that year.
The Cromwell renovation
Bill’s closed on February 4, 2013, for conversion into the Cromwell. The work remodeled its rooms, casino and common areas, added a second-floor restaurant and created a rooftop pool and club complex. The operator’s financial filing distinguishes the gaming floor’s April 21, 2014 opening from hotel rooms becoming available on May 21. This was a renovation and repositioning of the existing hotel-casino.
The Vanderpump transformation
Caesars announced another transformation in March 2025, this time with Lisa Vanderpump and designer Nick Alain. Their scheme redesigned the boutique hotel’s rooms and public spaces. The operator’s June 2026 account describes chandeliers from the earlier resort being refitted with new crystals and shades: an example of older features reused within the new design.
The 2026 debut
The Vanderpump Hotel celebrated its official grand opening on June 11, 2026. That ceremony should not be confused with the first day guests stayed during the transition; earlier reservation announcements had offered May arrivals. It remains an operating hotel-casino in October 2026. Vanderpump’s restaurants at Caesars Palace, Paris and Flamingo are separate venues.
Reading the earlier photograph
The retained historical photograph records the Cromwell entrance on June 5, 2015. Its lettering and the neighboring Flamingo sign place the image in that earlier period, before the Vanderpump redesign. The map marks the approximate current building area, not an entrance or a reconstruction of every earlier wall.
Read the full historySources and context
The Barbary Coast and Bill’s chronology
UNLV MS-00933, Biographical/Historical Note: Gaughan’s March 2, 1979 opening, ownership sequence, Bill’s period and February 4, 2013 closure. Underlying collection papers not consulted.
The completed 2007 land exchange
Boyd Gaming March 31, 2007 Form 10-Q, Note 9: completed February 27 property exchange for land adjoining Echelon. This is a land transaction, not hotel relocation.
The Cromwell’s renovation and staged opening
Caesars Growth Properties Holdings May 15, 2015 Form S-4/A, printed page 61 (PDF page 70): rooms, casino/common-area remodeling, restaurant and rooftop additions; actual April 21 gaming-floor and May 21, 2014 room availability.
The announced Vanderpump transformation
Caesars March 12, 2025 announcement: Cromwell renovation and rebrand, room/public-space redesign, and separate Vanderpump restaurant venues. Its early-2026 completion forecast is not an actual opening date.
The documented 2026 grand opening
Caesars June 12, 2026 release, pages 1–2: official June 11 celebration, Vanderpump/Nick Alain design and reused earlier chandeliers. Ceremony date is distinct from first guest arrivals.
The dated entrance photograph
Ken Lund’s June 5, 2015 photograph, originally published on Flickr and transferred to Commons under CC BY-SA 2.0. It shows the earlier Cromwell entrance; the Flamingo sign at left belongs to the neighboring resort.
The representative building-area location
Named and addressed OSM building way 61239326, version 26, retrieved October 20, 2026. Existing qualified point lies inside the current building geometry; no full-grounds, original-wall or visitor-access inference.
Reservations offered before the ceremony
Caesars March 23, 2026 announcement: May 2026 stays available to book, renovation underway and continuing casino operation. A prospective reservation date does not establish the actual first guest stay.
UNLV dates the Bill’s reopening to March 2, 2007, while an indexed operator filing describes business commencing March 1. This history uses the year for that name change.
June 11, 2026 is the documented official grand-opening celebration, not an established first guest-arrival day. Earlier May reservation availability does not prove the exact first stay.
The historical photograph shows the Cromwell entrance in June 2015; the main illustration interprets the later Vanderpump exterior. The building-area map is approximate and does not establish visitor access.
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