The Sands Hotel and Casino 196019601960
1960-2003
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Jack Entratter hired some of the biggest names to play "The Sands" during his reign as entertainment director. The Rat Pack appeared for 2 nightly shows for 3 weeks in the Copa Room in the early 60s, billed as "The Summit At The Sands" whilst shooting the film "Oceans 11" by day in the resort. No two shows were the same, as the show relied on spontaneouty more than scripts.
In 1966, “The Sands” tower took a new shape - a seventeen story cylinder tower was added containing at least 700 rooms. “The Sands” was bought by Howard Hughes in 1967 for $14.6million, and was considered the “Queen of the strip”. It was one of the few hotels where customers could check in and not have to move through the main building or casino in order to reach their room.
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In 1976, the capsule that was buried in 1953 was accidentally unearthed during renovations. In 1978, some of the contents and the capsule were re buried.
In 1982, the new Copa Room was opened by Danny Thomas. In the late 80’s “The Sands” was suffering as it wasn't equipped to house conventions and functions like its rivals, meaning that the younger generations simply weren't entering her doors. To accommodate for this problem, “The Sands” Expo and Convention Centre was built. 1993 saw renovations to the casino, restaurants and the addition of more slot machines.
The Hotel closed on June 20, 1996 but had one last hoorah, being fixed up to be used in the film “Con Air” starring Nicholas Cage.
On July 30-31, 1996, “The Sands” held an auction and auctioned off everything from bar stools to ice machines. Asbestos was removed from the building in August 1996 and at approximately 9.00pm pst on November 26, 1996 the famous “Sands Hotel and Casino” was no longer “a place in the sun” but rather “a place only existing in one’s memory”. "The Sands" was imploded to make way for the luxurious 
On the 14th November 1997, the $1 Billion financial package was secured to build the world's largest hotel, casino, convention centre equipped with a built in mall, gondola service and Guggenheim Hermitage Museum. On 3rd May 1999, the Venetian opened along with Madam Tussaud's first ever state side museum at the