The Truth About Elvis’ Former Las Vegas Suite
Elvis Presley remains one of the figures most closely associated with Las Vegas. For many visitors, seeing the places connected to him is just as important as playing in the casinos or going to a show, and it can be a real incentive to switch online baccarat for a trip to a top land casino.
This is why the Imperial Sky Villa at the Westgate Las Vegas attracts so much interest. The enormous penthouse has recently been presented as the former home of Elvis, and if you can spare around $20,000 on a single night, then you can book it. However, while Elvis did live in a penthouse at the same hotel, the room now available to guests is not the suite he stayed in. The original penthouse of Elvis was demolished more than 30 years ago.
Elvis at the International Hotel
Elvis began performing at the International Hotel in 1969, and his successful shows helped establish the modern Las Vegas residency. Hilton later bought the hotel and became the Las Vegas Hilton before eventually being renamed the Westgate Las Vegas.
During his twice-yearly engagements at the hotel between 1969 and 1976, Elvis stayed in the Imperial Suite, also known as Room 3000. The penthouse measured around 5,000 square feet and occupied part of the 30th floor. It became his Las Vegas home, and he spent a great deal of time there when not on the stage.
The suite had everything you would expect from an Elvis residence. It featured colorful decorations, gold finishes, thick carpeting, a large dining area, and a white grand piano. It was also the setting for post-show parties attended by some of the biggest entertainers of the time, including Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Liberace.
In February 1973, Elvis met Muhammad Ali in the suite and presented him with a specially designed boxing robe. Ali gave Elvis a signed pair of boxing gloves in return. Elvis also spent time there with his daughter, Lisa Marie, during his years performing at the hotel.
After Elvis’ death, Hilton began referring to Room 3000 as the Elvis Suite. A plaque was placed outside, and regular guests were eventually allowed to book it instead of it being reserved only for performers and high rollers.
What Happened to the Original Suite?
Unfortunately, anyone hoping to stay in Elvis’ actual suite is several decades too late. In 1994, Hilton decided to demolish it as part of a major redevelopment of the top floor.
Three much larger sky villas replaced the original 5,000-square-foot room. The project reportedly cost $60 million and increased the amount of penthouse space available by more than eight times. While this may have made financial sense for the hotel, it meant that one of the most important pieces of Elvis history in Las Vegas was lost. One of the replacement rooms was known as the Tuscany Sky Villa.
This is the suite that has now been renamed the Imperial Sky Villa and decorated with pictures of Elvis. When reporting on the change, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said: “The new brand is a relaunch of the 13,200-square-foot fortress that has topped the tower since it opened as the International Hotel 1969.” However, this description is not quite accurate. The villa did not exist when the International opened in 1969. Its walls, floors, windows, and ceilings were built in 1994, 17 years after Elvis died.
The current villa does overlap with some of the area occupied by the old suite, but the layout has completely changed. For example, Elvis’ former bedroom is now part of the villa’s living room. The modern penthouse also includes more than 8,000 square feet of additional space and a pool that was never part of Elvis’ home.
Can You Stay Where Elvis Lived?
This means that strictly speaking, you cannot stay in Elvis’ former penthouse simply because it no longer exists. The Imperial Sky Villa is in roughly the same part of the building, and some of it occupies the same physical space, but none of the original rooms can still be identified.
This does not mean that the villa will not appeal to Elvis fans. It is an enormous and extremely luxurious suite at the hotel where he performed hundreds of shows and lived for long periods, which means that there is a genuine connection to Elvis’ Las Vegas years.
The problem comes when the current penthouse is presented as the actual suite Elvis occupied. Photographs on the walls and a new name do not change the fact that the original was removed completely. It is similar to the confusion surrounding the supposed Hangover suite at Caesars Palace. Las Vegas is very good at turning its history and film connections into experiences that can be sold to visitors. However, the marketing is not always as straightforward as it perhaps should be.
Still, anyone with $20,000 to spare can spend the night in the Imperial Sky Villa and imagine what life was like for Elvis during his years in Las Vegas. They should not expect to sleep in his bedroom, sit in his living room, or swim in his pool, as the original penthouse of Elvis was demolished more than three decades ago. None of those things are still there, and in the case of the pool, it never existed.
