Sahara Closing?

Where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. I’m not much about rumors, but the rumor of Sahara closing seems too close to being true to not be true.  Here’s a tour on how this rumor developed.  SBE Entertainment, owners of Sahara, are bringing their Hyde Lounge to Bellagio.  The official announcement was made today.

“The move to bring the Hyde Lounge brand to Bellagio underscores the dynamic partnership forged between SBE and MGM Resorts International,” Nazarian said in a statement. “Together we’ve secured one of Vegas’ most prestigious locations, and will usher in a new and definitive chapter in nightlife on The Strip.”

I started reading that this might happen right after the Fontana Bar was said to be closing.  Next I saw another detailed nugget of info on Vegas Tripping further developing the rumor.  Their bottom line is this:

Right now, only The Naz knows if Sahara goes fishing or SBE cuts bait.

Toward the end of the VT article a link pointed to a post on Vegas Message Board that was very detailed, yet anonymous.

The internal buzz on the property for the past few months has the Sahara Hotel and Çasino shutting its doors no later than the fall of this year

None of this is from the horses mouth so there’s nothing to concrete to confirm, but putting 1 and 1 and 1 together I think it’s pretty close to being a truth.  I’m pretty sure Sahara won’t just be shutting it’s doors, but a sale makes a lot more sense.

Once again, I can see our old pal Carl Icahn stepping in and buying the old property on the cheap.  It could be a low cost complement to a possible high end Fontainebleau if that ever opens as a middle to high end property.  Another option is defaulting on loan on letting the bank deal with the mess.

I recently had my first trip to Sahara and the casino seems as if it could use a major cleaning.  It was filthy and I was happy when I left.  I’m curious to see how this all unfolds.