The property was the site of Empey's Desert Villa from 1952. In 1979, it became Barbary Coast. The casino was built by Michael Gaughan and opened on March 2, 1979 at a cost of $11.5 million. Over time, this property, along with others owned by Gaughan would become Coast Casinos Inc. Gaughan shared partnership in the Barbary Coast with Kenny Epstein, Tito Tiberti, Frank Toti and Jerry Herbst. In July 2005, Boyd Gaming purchased the Barbary Coast Hotel. In September 2005, Boyd purchased the of land the hotel occupied for $16 million. The hotel had previously been leasing the land. In 2007, Boyd gave the Barbary Coast to Harrah's Entertainment in exchange for the site of the demolished Westward Ho, to be used for the Echelon Place project.
Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon (2007–2013)
The Barbary Coast closed at 2:00 a.m. on February 27 and reopened on March 1 as the newly rebranded Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon, in honor of company founder Bill Harrah. After nearly six years of continuous operations, Bill's closed on February 4, 2013, for complete renovation into a luxury boutique hotel. Plans called for complete renovation of the entire property, the guest rooms and casino floor, a new restaurant, and construction of a 65,000 square foot rooftop pool and dayclub/nightclub.
The Cromwell (2014–present)
Caesars announced in March 2013 that the hotel would be renovated at a cost of $185 million and converted to an outpost of the New York-based Gansevoort Hotels chain of boutique luxury hotels, with 188 rooms, a 40,000 square foot casino, and a 65,000 square foot indoor/outdoor beach club/nightclub overseen by Victor Drai. In October 2013, however, Caesars terminated its agreement with Gansevoort and said that it would continue the redevelopment of Bill's without the Gansevoort name. The move came after Massachusetts gambling regulators recommended denying Caesars a license for a proposed casino at the Suffolk Downs racetrack, due to alleged connections between one of the Gansevoort's investors and the Russian mafia. Plans announced in late 2013 indicated that Giada De Laurentiis would open her first restaurant in the new hotel and that Caesars would run the hotel. Caesars confirmed on January 31, 2014, that the hotel would be named The Cromwell. It marked its soft opening to guests on April 21, 2014. The hotel rooms were available starting May 21, 2014.
Restaurants
Giada
In July 2014, Giada De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, called GIADA, inside the resort. The restaurant offers seating in the dining room, lounge, or outdoor patio with views of the Bellagio fountains and Caesars Palace. The GIADA menu includes Italian cuisine with Californian influences, including "lemon spaghetti, chicken cacciatore, marsala herb chicken meatballs, rosemary focaccia and lemon flatbread and vegetable Bolognese rigatoni". Family-style, vegan, and gluten-free options are also available, as well as an antipasto station. Restaurant guests can watch chefs prepare food from the open kitchen.
In 1997, Victor Drai opened Drai's restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. Two years later, Drai added a nightclub to the restaurant, re-branding it Drai's After Hours. In Vegas Seven's 2012 Nightclub Awards, Drai's After Hours won "Best Place to Disappear".
Drai's Beach Club & Nightclub
Drai opened his latest Las Vegas club project, Drai's Beach Club & Nightclub, on Memorial Day Weekend 2014, at the resort. This 65,000-square-foot venue has a party pool and an indoor/outdoor club spread out over two levels on top of the new Cromwell Hotel.
