El Cortez Announces More Renovation Plans

Just off the Fremont Street Experience lies the El Cortez, a favorite hotel among budget travelers to Vegas. But recently, the historic downtown hotel has started renovating the rooms and some of the public areas.

The property says they are committed to investing $20 million into this renovation project, which they plan to have finished by the end of this year.

When all is said and done, the El Cortez will have 300 remodeled rooms, new restaurants, lounges and even a nightclub. A $500,000 air filtration system is being installed and the rooms will soon feature wireless internet and flat panel televisions. The Ogden Tower will feature 100 new luxury rooms, a business center, a fitness center and a new swimming pool.

The outside will also get some remodeling, including a new entrance featuring a classic 1940s neon sign. There’s even rumblings of a new plaza linking the hotel to Las Vegas Blvd.

I’m guessing all this gussying up the property is related to the new Fremont Street East project that has revitalized the section of Fremont just east of the famed canopied area of the Fremont Street Experience. But the real question is whether the hotel’s dirt cheap rates will go up to pay for all of this. Something tells me this will be a yes.