El Casino Movie
Secret Cinema specialises in immersive cinema experiences. From cult classics to new releases, films are brought to life around you in the world's most spectacular spaces. Bad Times at the El Royale. Four strangers check in at the El Royale Hotel. The hotel is deserted, staffed by a single desk clerk. Some of the new guests' reasons for being there are.
Ridgemont High served as the site of some 'fast times' in one classic high school movie, and now the El Royale is hosting a different kind of experience. The thriller Bad Times at the El Royale comes out on Oct. 12, and its title basically serves as a vague log line for what the movie's about: there's a place called the El Royale where bad things happen. It turns out that the El Royale isn't exactly a real hotel, but it is loosely based on one called the Cal Neva, W reports. You see, the hotel that's in El Royale is located on the border of California and Nevada, so its real-life inspiration makes perfect sense.
As far as why the movie's hotel is called the El Royale, that could be an inside-Hollywood wink to a hotel in Los Angeles near the base of the Hollywood hills. According to the California El Royale's website, the hotel has served as a location for many film sets and and it's provided a temporary stay for travelers in show business since the 1940s. Seeing as the El Royale has an old-time Hollywood feel to it — it's set in 1969, when the hotel is passed its prime — the California hotel seems to gel with that vibe.
The writer and director of Bad Times at the El Royale, Drew Goddard, told Screenrant that the Cal Neva was among the hotels that inspired him while writing this film, but it's not the only one. 'There's a lot of hotels that are sort of infamous for being voyeur hotels and that certainly played a big part of the hotel as well,' Goddard said. Perhaps one of those hotels he mentioned was Colorado's Manor House Motel, which writer Gay Talese infamously wrote about for the New Yorker in an article titled 'The Voyeur's Motel.'
Unless Goddard lists out all of the seedy hotels that he used for inspiration in El Royale, it's hard to find a concrete real-life version of the setting in the new mystery thriller film. If you had to bet though, the Cal Neva definitely seems like a good place to visit if you're trying to find a real place like the movie's El Royale. According to W, the Cal Neva has its own ties to Hollywood as stars from the '40s and '50s would venture to the hotel to test their luck in the casino.
W reports that Judy Garland performed at the Cal Neva when she was 13 years old, and that Marilyn Monroe purposely overdosed on pills there a few days before her actual death. According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, some believe that Monroe actually even died at the Cal Neva despite her death reportedly occurring in Los Angeles' Brentwood area. The station also reports that Frank Sinatra — who eventually bought the property — brought his friends from the 'Rat Pack' to the Cal Neva often, and W reports rumors of mafia activity taking place on the property have also circulated.
It sounds like the real Cal Neva has enough stories to inspire a movie that's more based in reality. For now, the El Royale is serving up enough shadiness and secrets to satisfy moviegoers.
Coordinates: 36°00′41″N115°10′31″W / 36.011426°N 115.1753°W
| South Point Casino, Hotel and Spa | |
|---|---|
| Location | Enterprise, Nevada, U.S., 89183 |
| Address | 9777 South Las Vegas Boulevard |
| Opening date | December 22, 2005; 15 years ago |
| Theme | Southern California |
| No. of rooms | 2,163 |
| Total gaming space | 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) |
| Signature attractions | South Point Equestrian Center Showroom Spa and Salon 16-screen Cinemark Movie Theater Complex 64-lane Bowling Center The Tournament Bowling Plaza Convention Center Race book Sports book Poker Room |
| Notable restaurants | Michael's Gourmet Room Silverado Steakhouse Don Vito’s Italian Restaurant Primarily Prime Rib Baja Miguel's Mexican Restaurant Big Sur Oyster Bar Zenshin Asian Restaurant Coronado Cafe Garden Buffet Steak 'n Shake Del Mar Deli Kate's Korner Smoothies and Ice-cream Seattle's Best Coffee |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Michael Gaughan |
| Architect | Leo A Daly / Klai Juba/Sink Combs Dethlefs |
| Previous names | South Coast |
| Renovated in | 2008 (new tower) |
| Website | South Point Hotel and Casino |
The South Point Hotel and Casino consists of a 24-story hotel tower, casino and 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) convention center located on a 60 acres (24 ha) site along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada and adjacent to Silverado Ranch. The casino is owned and operated by Michael Gaughan and it serves as the primary sponsor of Gaughan's son Brendan Gaughan's race car.
History[edit]
South Coast (2005-06)[edit]
This $500 million project started construction in 2003, under the South Coast name. Based on advance booking, Coast Casinos announced expansion plans to add additional hotel rooms, with a second tower, for a total of 1,350 rooms. The foundation was also poured for a possible third tower during the initial construction phase.
The casino received approval to open from the Nevada Gaming Commission on November 17, 2005. At opening on December 22, 2005, the South Coast was the first megaresort located south of McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel contained 662 rooms and 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) of space that was not finished and was available to be converted into restaurant or casino space.
South Point (2006-present)[edit]
In mid July 2006, it was announced that Michael Gaughan would sell all of his Boyd stock to Boyd Gaming in exchange for full ownership of the South Coast. The Nevada Gaming Commission approved the sale on October 19, 2006. After the deal closed, the South Coast was renamed South Point on October 24.
El Casino Movie
On August 24, 2007, the South Point announced an 830-room expansion with construction of the third hotel tower, turning the hotel towers into a 'T'-shaped facility as seen from above. The $95 million expansion, planned for completion in July 2008, would add 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of convention space and 5 food and beverage locations.[1] The third tower opened on July 21, 2008, with the hotel now offering a total of 2,163 rooms and 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) of meeting and convention space; the largest of any hotel in Las Vegas that is not on the Strip.[citation needed] An expansion opened in July 2010, and included the new Grandview Lounge,[2] named after the adjacent Grandview resorttimeshare property.[3]
The studios for the Vegas Stats & Information Network are based at South Point.
Television history[edit]
- During 2006, the South Point was the venue of NBC's Poker After Dark, ESPN's Pro-Am Poker Equalizer and the third and fourth season of GSN's High Stakes Poker.
- The South Point was the host site for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon from 2006 through 2011. The 2011 show was the first MDA Telethon without Jerry Lewis.
- The South Point Bowling Center, adjacent to the casino, was the site for the 2014 PBA 'World Series of Bowling,' and was featured in six ESPN telecasts during the 2014-15 PBA season.[4]
- In 2012, the Travel Channel featured a show titled Vegas Stripped that examined behind-the-scenes operations and management of South Point.[5]
- Was featured in the Netflix series Real Rob
Attractions[edit]
El Casino Film
- 4,400 seat equestrian arena with a 125 by 250 feet (38 by 76 m) arena with accommodations for 1,200 horses. At opening, it was the only equestrian arena connected to a hotel in the United States. The stalls are also air conditioned.
- 400 seat showroom
- 300 seat race and sports book
- 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) of meeting, banquet, and exhibit hall space
- A 16 screen movie theatre complex
- A 64 lane bowling center with pro shop and snack bar. A second 60 lane bowling plaza was added to the back of the South Point property to the tune of $30 million to host events like the PBA World Series of Bowling and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) annual National Championships.[6] The first USBC event to be held at South Point will be the 2016 USBC Women's Championships [7] The USBC Open Championships will be held at South Point the following season in 2017.[8]
- 11 restaurants
- Michael's
References[edit]
- ^Knightly, Arnold M. (2007-08-24). 'South Point starts project to expand'. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^'South Point Expansion'. Las Vegas Sun. July 16, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^Katsilometes, John (January 11, 2010). 'Gaughan plans for new Grandview Lounge at South Point; mopping up at AVN Awards'. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^'TV Schedule'.
- ^http://www.travelchannel.com/video/vegas-stripped Vegas Stripped homepage
- ^'Las Vegas News Breaking News & Headlines'.
- ^http://www.bowl.com/Womens_Championships/Womens_Championship_Home/Information/
- ^http://www.bowl.com/Open_Championships/Open_Championships_Home/Information/