Desert Inn

hotel and casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

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July 18, 2026

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The Desert Inn was a hotel and casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada, that opened in 1950. It was one of several casino and hotel complexes that emerged along the Las Vegas Strip during the mid-20th century, a period when organized crime syndicates were heavily involved in the city's development. Wilbur Clark was the owner of the Desert Inn, and the hotel was a significant part of the Las Vegas landscape, even hosting billionaire Howard Hughes for an extended period. The Desert Inn was the last of the 1950s-era hotels on the Strip before its demolition in October 1993, symbolizing a shift towards a new era of elite hotels.12

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Las Vegas
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…Clark, the owner of the Desert Inn, who proposed that the federal government retire its World War II–era debts by holding a national lottery, and Howard Hughes, who kept a suite at the Desert Inn throughout the 1950s and lived there permanently from 1966 to 1970. Some of the investments…
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…Clark, the owner of the Desert Inn, who proposed that the federal government retire its World War II–era debts by holding a national lottery, and Howard Hughes, who kept a suite at the Desert Inn throughout the 1950s and lived there permanently from 1966 to 1970. Some of the investments…
Read More