From the International Hotel to Westgate: A Las Vegas Legend
A hotel built for the biggest names in entertainment
Today, it is known as Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, but this legendary Las Vegas property has had several names — and an extraordinary history.
The story began in 1969, when businessman Kirk Kerkorian developed the International Hotel. Designed by architect Martin Stern Jr., it was an enormous new resort built just off the Las Vegas Strip and was, at the time, the largest hotel and casino in the world. It was also one of the first of the era’s true mega-resorts.
The hotel opened with a spectacular entertainment programme. Barbra Streisand was the first major performer to take the stage, followed shortly afterwards by a performer who would change the history of Las Vegas forever.
Elvis arrives in Las Vegas
On 31 July 1969, Elvis Presley walked onto the stage of the newly opened International Hotel.
It was a hugely significant moment. Elvis had not performed live for more than eight years, and his return to the stage followed his acclaimed 1968 television comeback. His opening engagement in Las Vegas was intended to be a major gamble — but it became a triumph.
Elvis went on to make the hotel his Las Vegas home for the next seven years, performing more than 600 sold-out shows between 1969 and 1976. The hotel itself now states that he performed 636 sold-out performances, although other historical sources have quoted higher figures depending on which engagements are counted.
The enormous showroom — later known as the International Theater — became synonymous with Elvis.
And this wasn’t simply a hotel where Elvis happened to perform. During his Las Vegas years, the property was where he lived while in town, with his famous penthouse suite becoming part of the hotel’s mythology.
From International to Hilton
In 1970, Hilton entered the Las Vegas gaming business by purchasing the International Leisure Company. The International Hotel was subsequently rebranded as the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971.
The name changed, but the hotel’s reputation as one of Las Vegas’s premier entertainment venues continued.
And then there was 1994…
This is where my story comes in. ❤️
When I stayed there in 1994, it was still the Las Vegas Hilton — a name that carried enormous weight in Las Vegas entertainment.
I wasn’t simply staying at another Strip hotel. I was staying in a building that had already witnessed some of the most important years in the history of Las Vegas entertainment.
And Elvis’s connection was still very much part of the hotel’s identity.
From Hilton to LVH to Westgate
The Las Vegas Hilton name finally disappeared in 2012, when the property became LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
Then, in 2014, Westgate Resorts acquired the property and it became Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino — the name it carries today.
The building may have changed its name several times, but one part of its history remains particularly visible.
The International Theater, where Elvis made his dramatic return to live performance in 1969, is still part of the resort today.
From Hilton to LVH to Westgate
The Las Vegas Hilton name finally disappeared in 2012, when the property became LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
Then, in 2014, Westgate Resorts acquired the property and it became Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino — the name it carries today.
The building may have changed its name several times, but one part of its history remains particularly visible.
The International Theater, where Elvis made his dramatic return to live performance in 1969, is still part of the resort today.
A piece of Elvis history that is still here
More than half a century after Elvis first walked onto that stage, his connection with the property remains a major part of its identity.
In fact, the current Westgate still celebrates its Elvis heritage — including a bronze statue and events commemorating his historic 1969 opening.
So when you walk into today’s Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, you’re walking into a place that has been:
The International Hotel → Las Vegas Hilton → LVH → Westgate
…but beneath all those names is the same remarkable piece of Las Vegas history.
