Sahara Gets a Makeover - Nazarian Buys Sahara Casino - Vows to Make it Trendy Again

Sam Nazarian is a well-dressed Hollywood bachelor and philanthropist. He’s also the newest owner of the Sahara Casino in Las Vegas.

While independent owners are rare in Vegas these days, Nazarian brings a West Coast sensibility to the table, not to mention a black book full of celebrity friends. When all is said and done, don’t be surprised to find the young elite like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan congregating at the legendary casino.

Many compare Nazarian to Palms owner George Maloof, a man who was able to take advantage of the celebrity culture and invent a whole new entertainment brand.

Nazarian has big plans for the Sahara and Vegas in general. He wants to “revolutionize nightlife,”and he hopes to do so by building dozens of trendy hotels, restaurants, and assorted other venues which create buzz and redefine hip. So far, his vision is coming right along.

But despite all his success so far, the Sahara may prove to be his biggest challenge to date. The casino is located in a relatively small building in a poor location which borders a low-rent neighborhood at the far end of the strip. Not exactly what you might call prime real estate.

The Sahara has been around for 54 years so far, and has at least been able to avoid the wrecking ball, something that many of its peers have been unable to accomplish. Still, it makes only a fraction of the profits brought in by its younger and more flashy competitors.

"The Sahara is a legendary asset with tremendous history, and its location and sheer potential fit perfectly into the SBE model," Nazarian said.

Nazarian has also been very aggressive in going out and getting the best available people from other businesses. So far, he’s added world-renowned designer, Starck, event producer Brent Bolthouse (a veteran of the Los Angeles club scene and co-founder of the Body English nightclub in Las Vegas), master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, "avant-garde" chef Jose Andres and hotel executives involved in the launch of the chic W hotel chain.

Since casinos often benefit from the success of their neighbors, you can bet that all the executives in Las Vegas will be very excited to shake hands with the newest hotshot on the block. Vegas is about to get a lot more interesting.

Sahara Gets a Makeover - Nazarian Buys Sahara Casino - Vows to Make it Trendy Again