The expansion added nearly 10,000 square feet to the property’s footprint.
It is rare to see Kenny Epstein without a smile.
After all, the 83-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of the El Cortez hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas will be the first to say he has plenty to be happy about. But on Thursday evening, surrounded by family, friends and colleagues, Epstein’s smile was as bright as the neon lights along Fremont Street.
A $20 million expansion of the historic downtown property was officially unveiled Thursday, complete with nostalgia-laden speeches, a ribbon-cutting and a mayoral proclamation declaring Feb. 20 as “El Cortez Hotel & Casino Day” in the city of Las Vegas.
“I feel great,” Epstein said after the pomp and circumstance was over, grinning ear to ear. “I feel great because people like it. If they didn’t like it, then I’d be worried. But everybody likes it, and people are happy.”
The El Cortez expansion added nearly 10,000 square feet to the property’s footprint. It features two new bars called the Roulette Bar and Showbar, a new high-limit slots area, an expanded table games area and a noodle restaurant aptly named Hot Noods.
A soft opening for the expanded space took place earlier this month, allowing the public an early glimpse of the reimagined El Cortez.
Joe Woody, the property’s chief financial officer, called the recent expansion “the best project we’ve done, by far.” Woody also said that more projects are already in the works.
Adam Wiesberg, general manager of El Cortez, said that while the finished expansion product came out as expected, the infusion of energy it brought to the property was a bit of a surprise.
“It’s so exciting,” he said. “What’s really blown me away is the energy of this section. When you come in here on a Friday or Saturday night now, the best way I can describe it is ‘magical.’”
Weisberg conceded that there were moments during the design and construction phases when he was nervous that the project would not go as planned. (The “whole time,” he joked.) But the end result was well worth the sleepless nights, he said.
“Because of the El Cortez’s reputation and authenticity and history, people who already love the place see this new space and it’s an emotional experience for them,” he said. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced and it’s so much more than I thought it would be.”
The downtown Las Vegas gambling hall, which opened its doors in 1941, has long held a special place in the city’s history. In 2013, El Cortez was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Mayor Shelley Berkley said the El Cortez is “as much a part of Las Vegas as any hotel I can remember,” before publicly thanking Epstein and his family for their ongoing contributions to the city.
“You have helped to make Las Vegas great because you are great,” she said to the Epstein family.
