SLS Las Vegas Takes Shape on the Strip
The Sahara Hotel and Casino, backdrop for the 1960s heist movie "Ocean's Eleven," is making a comeback after shutting its doors in 2011. The iconic Las Vegas resort, originally built by Del E. Webb, is undergoing a $415-million makeover that will restore its former swagger.
Renovation, however, is tricky due to decades of patchwork improvements and piecemeal additions done by various owners resulting in spotty construction records.
Project contractor PENTA Building Group of Las Vegas began refurbishing the 4-million-sq-ft complex at 2535 South Las Vegas Blvd. in February. The construction contract is valued at $187 million.
The 240-room Martin Stern Jr.-designed Sahara was "The Jewel of the Desert" when it opened in 1952. When the three-tower, 1,620-room Strip resort reopens this fall, it will be rebranded as SLS Las Vegas.
Renovating a classic
The venerable property, last renovated in 2003, had slipped into disrepair when Los Angeles-based SBE Entertainment and San Francisco-based Stockbridge Capital Group bought it in 2007 for $331.8 million from Gordon Gaming Corp. The resort eventually closed because it was no longer "economically viable," says Sam Nazarian, SBE chairman, who believes its makeover represents "the future of Las Vegas."
A significant hurdle has been to rectify years of additions and renovations. "The hotel casino was built 60 years ago in different phases, with new work taking place each decade," says PENTA project manager Steve Lobel. "It was a process of discovery."
Those discoveries included 35,000 sq ft of vintage woodframed construction as well as asbestos and walled-off forgotten spaces, including a private bar for the Rat Pack, an old elevator pit and a fuel tank that had to be remediated. The Las Vegas office of LVI Services performed $11 million in demolition and remediation work, with PENTA self-performing additional demo work. The hotel casino, on 17.5 acres, consists of seven interconnected buildings and two parking structures, east and west, with 3,865 combined spaces.
PENTA divided the project work force into two teams: one for the site's three towers and the other for the podium. There are 21 zones covered with a total of eight superintendents and eight engineers. The job will require 1,200 craftworkers, 100 scissor lifts and 80 subcontractor-suppliers during the peak of construction activity.
"A lot of the systems were either broken or stolen when the property was closed," says PENTA project manager Tom Richardson. "But we're trying to save and reuse as much as possible." Most of Sahara's plumbing system, for example, was missing from the site prior to renovation.
Luxury Amenities
SLS is a rarity among Strip megaresorts, which traditionally are razed and replaced once they become dated. Instead, SBE is ditching the Sahara's dated Moroccan theme for contemporary upscale elegance similar to nightclubs and restaurants that Nazarian owns in Los Angeles.
"We're seeing demand for a different experience—a refreshing, fun and accessible take on Vegas luxury," Nazarian says.
The basic structure will remain intact, with the only additions being the steel-framed penthouse suites designed by a rocker-turned-interior-designer whose identity is a closely-held secret at this time. The largest room, the high roller suite, features a patio, Jacuzzi, bar and fireplace, among other luxury amenities.
French designer Philippe Starck is redoing the rest of the project's interiors; it marks his first Las Vegas resort and largest hospitality project to date. Gensler, Las Vegas, is the architect of record.
"It's going to have a sleek modern updated look with minimal objects, and elements of surprise," says Gensler senior associate and project manager Kathleen Lynch. "There are multiple venues, each one with its own unique concept and feel."
The three-level podium will house 52,000 sq ft of high-end restaurants, including The Bazaar by celebrity chef José Andrés. There will be SBE-branded nightclubs—Shelter and The Sayers Club—plus two others, and eight Fred Segal retail stores.
"We're taking our proven brands and reimagining them for SLS Las Vegas in a manner that makes them accessible to a broad audience," Nazarian says.
The 76-ft-tall steel-framed podium will have a Strip-front beer garden with an outdoor mister-cooled patio accessible by roll-up glass doors as well as a reconfigured main porte cochere entrance with a large circle driveway off of Las Vegas Boulevard, a centerpiece sculpture and a $5-million, 10,000-sq-ft LED video marquee.
Guests will pass through a backlit glass entryway floor with recessed chrome and glass wall doors into an open floor plan with distinct individual venues.
The entrance from Paradise Road is also being redone, and an exclusive VIP entryway is being added. SLS is also reviving a dormant monorail station along Paradise Road in order to make the resort accessible to everyone.
The 737,000-sq-ft podium includes a 58,825-sq-ft casino with sports book plus a 37,800-sq-ft convention center with a 10,380-sq-ft ballroom.
Described by designers as an outdoor living room, the podium's roof will house a 44,000-sq-ft pool area with three wading pools, 20 cabanas, a center bar, café and concert stage.
To support the 500-person capacity space, the podium's structure was beefed up with 3-ft-deep steel I-beams and moment frame bracing to withstand the added dynamic load.
In total, the renovation will incorporate 1,100 tons of steel and 5,000 cu yd of concrete, with Las Vegas-based Nevada Ready Mix and SME Steel, West Jordan, Utah, as suppliers.
Removing past flourishes
A trio of post-tensioned and cast-in-place concrete hotel towers are being stripped of Arabic fenestration and repainted in white and gray, making them ideal as oversized projection screens for images and video to entertain guests in the pool area. Glass curtain wall will replace room balconies, with the exception of penthouses. One chiller, two boilers and 14 air handlers are being added, along with new elevators, windows, carpet and fixtures.
The Las Vegas offices of Southland Industries and Hansen Mechanical are doing the mechanical and plumbing work; framing and drywall are being handled by the local offices of The Raymond Group, Anning-Johnson Co. and Tiffiny Decorating Co.
The 151-ft-tall, 97,000-sq-ft Tunis Tower is being remodeled with 203 guest rooms, while the 24-floor, 245,000-sq-ft Alexandria Tower is being configured for 289 rooms with offices, a spa and salon. The largest high-rise, the 254-ft-tall, 544,000-sq-ft Tangiers Tower, will have 1,130 rooms. SLS Las Vegas will have 1,622 rooms and suites upon completion, about 100 less than the Sahara.
To drive the fast-track project to an on-time and on-budget arrival, PENTA is promoting constant communication and partnering, including the use of design-assist subcontractors and weekly management meetings. In addition to select demolition work, PENTA is self-performing concrete work, millwork, hardware and doors.
Scheduled to finish construction on July 19, SLS Las Vegas has been a one-of-a-kind undertaking, says Lobel. "This is a project where you find something new everywhere you turn."
