LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — On this day in history, the sights, sounds and flavors of France arrived in Las Vegas in a big way.
On September 1, 1999, Paris Las Vegas celebrated its grand opening with a lavish VIP party. The guest list included then Governor Kenny Guinn, former Mayor Oscar Goodman, legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve and future President Donald Trump.
Bally’s unveiled their plans for the resort casino in May of 1997. It carried a price tag of more than $785 million and included replicas of several Paris landmarks including the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Paris Opera House, and the Musee D’Orsay.
It also featured a unique marquee in the form of a 75-foot hot air balloon that’s become the resorts’ trademark.
Paris would offer gamblers more than 95,000 square-feet of casino space and guests more than 2,900 hotel rooms.
It now boasts more than 3,600 thanks to the conversion of The Versaille Tower which crews finished last year.
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