Boulder Dam Hotel   

1305 Arizona St
Boulder City, NV 89005
702-294-5005
www.boulderdamhotel.com

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Maybe they prefer to implode older hotels in Las Vegas, but in quiet, friendly Boulder City, the Boulder Dam Hotel has been serving guests since 1933, allowing residents to take pride in the property's distinguished history. Though it has undergone a major renovation, much of the exterior and some of the rooms look the same as they did nearly 70 years ago when its proprietors tried to bring a little elegance and decorum to what was then a Wild West town. The Boulder Dam Hotel was the first destination resort in Southern Nevada, back in the day when private bathrooms were considered an upscale amenity. Through the years many notable figures have checked in, including a future pope, European royalty, the famous (Henry Fonda, Will Rogers, John Wayne) and the infamous (OJ Simpson). Howard Hughes recuperated at the hotel after crashing his plane into Lake Mead. The Duchess of Winchester enjoyed doing needlepoint in the lobby. After falling into disrepair in the 1980s, the hotel has since been restored to its former glory through a combination of public and private funds. A conversion of the guest space from 83 rooms to 22 rooms allows for several gift shops, an art gallery and the Hoover Dam Museum. Care was taken to preserve the character of the property, as well as the service for which it first became famous. The lobby still possesses much of its original southern gumwood interior, and a wood mill was commissioned to recreate the design of the hotel's railings. One guest room still contains its original colonial maple furnishings. -- David Hofstede