{"id":259732,"date":"2024-09-14T23:18:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T23:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/el-cortez-drops-sexy-casino-renovation-renderings\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:11:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:11:19","slug":"el-cortez-drops-sexy-casino-renovation-renderings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/el-cortez-drops-sexy-casino-renovation-renderings\/","title":{"rendered":"El Cortez Drops Sexy Casino Renovation Renderings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n \"Scott <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A classic downtown casino, El Cortez, announced back in May 2024 it will pump $20 million into a number of new enhancements.<\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re getting a look at these spaces, including a new high limit lounge, two new bars and a new restaurant, Hot Noods.<\/p>\n

If we sound giddy, it\u2019s because we\u2019re giddy. Renderings are the next best thing to foot rubs and chicken parm. Separately. The Venn diagram of foot rubs and chicken parm should never, ever overlap. On to the renderings!<\/p>\n

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El Cortez has great deals, a fighting chance in the casino and employees who treat customers like family. You know, 1975.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Construction of the new offerings is already underway, and should be completed in February of 2025.<\/p>\n

A good portion of the El Cortez casino floor is walled off, which is disorienting, but no pain no gain.<\/p>\n

We spent 15 minutes trying to come up with a different way of saying \u201cno pain, no gain,\u201d but all we got was \u201cno hurt, no dessert\u201d and \u201cno burn, no return\u201d and \u201cno whine, no shine.\u201d Which explains why idioms are idioms and one shouldn\u2019t try and reinvent the wheel.<\/p>\n

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Ike\u2019s Bar was right behind that construction wall. We are very nervous someone is going to think that bank of slots is the restroom. It\u2019s downtown, all due respect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Speaking of restrooms, we have never seen this other than at El Cortez.<\/p>\n

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How bad is the casino urinal aim problem? @ElCortezLV<\/a> has installed drains. pic.twitter.com\/XQGWzD4flh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) September 14, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Let\u2019s move on to something less awkward, shan\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

The sexiest El Cortez rendering is for a new roulette-inspired bar. It will replace the reliable, but not particularly sexy, Ike\u2019s Bar. Ike\u2019s Bar<\/a> has been around since 2017, further evidence we have been doing this Las Vegas blog far too long.<\/p>\n

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No spin needed, this is hawt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dreamy, and we trust there will only be one zero<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another angle.<\/p>\n

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El Cortez isn\u2019t having sex reassignment surgery, more like a vaginal rejuvenation. Look, we had to think of something that won\u2019t be in their news releases.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also impressive is a new bar they\u2019re referring to as \u201cShow Bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Show Bar will have a 20-foot video screen, as well as a stage for live music (despite our best efforts).<\/p>\n

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Shout-out to any Millenial who knows what a \u201cCasablanca\u201d is. We actually met the writer, Julius Epstein. Weird flex, but true.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new high limit slot area will have about 50 machines, along with a bar and the perfunctory TV screens for people who can\u2019t be away from sports for five minutes or their head will explode.<\/p>\n

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The current high limit room<\/a> at El Cortez doesn\u2019t get a lot of action, except from slot influencers, but that could change.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As mentioned, the casino refresh will also include a new restaurant, Hot Noods by Chinglish.<\/p>\n

Chinglish Cantonese Wine Bar and Kosher Chinglish closed in June 2024 in Summerlin, about 10 minutes west of The Strip. Chinglish is family-owned, from Kitty Heck and Ken Heck, and chef Po Fai Lam and Anna Lam (Kitty Lam\u2019s parents). The restaurants were popular, but didn\u2019t pencil out in their Boca Park locations.<\/p>\n

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A welcome addition to the line-up of restaurants<\/a> at El Cortez. You know it\u2019s slim pickings when they list Eureka as one of their dining options and it\u2019s across the street.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Large swaths of El Cortez are being given some love.<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t freak out. They\u2019re getting 100 additional slot machines as part of the expansion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The expansion is being led by McCarthy Building Companies, Ike Gaming, Jive Architecture and Kenneth Ussenko Design, an interior design firm.<\/p>\n

El Cortez is a throwback to a different era. It\u2019s grittier than most Las Vegas casinos, and they are trying to keep their longtime regulars happy while keeping up with the expectations of younger and potentially higher-end customers. That balance is not easy. Just ask Station Casinos. They tried it at Palms and neither type of customer was particularly happy with the evolution of the resort. The nightclub\/dayclub kids hated the olds, and the olds hated them back. It was Kaos. Station Casinos ended up selling Palms to the San Manuel tribe just to make the bleeding stop.<\/p>\n

El Cortez seems to understand its existing appeal to loyal customers (many of whom are value-driven grinders who love coin machines from the 1980s), so the trick is to, as an El Cortez news release puts it, \u201censure each of the new spaces embraces the iconic elegance of the property while adding a splash of modern details and energy to take the experience into the next generation.\u201d Like a shark, casinos die if they don\u2019t move forward. Which is a ridiculous myth, by the way. Not all idioms get it right, people are just too lazy to come up with better ones.<\/p>\n

Anyway, building a bridge between the past and future is no small feat. We were going to say \u201cno mean feat,\u201d but our fellow youths would make a WTF face and stop reading our story to post a dance video on TikTok, so we\u2019re going with \u201csmall feat.\u201d<\/p>\n

During our most recent visit, the unique mix of old and new customers (as well as tourists and locals) at El Cortez was evident. The casino was absolutely packed (made to feel even more crowded given a third of El Cortez is behind construction walls now), and the energy of new blood was undeniable.<\/p>\n

Younger, table games players (many bar-hopping in the Fremont East district) were taking advantage of the low table minimums and beer carts in the table games pit. Seasoned locals were in the video poker room, with a sound, flavor and fragrance all its own.<\/p>\n

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This room, including the machines and people in it, is a national treasure. We know, because we are they.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you ever yearned to see why casinos dropped coin-operated slot machines, look no further than El Cortez. Coin machines are a pain in the ass, with bags of 2,000 quarters ($500) weighing 25 pounds, and dollar coin bags ($600) weighing 30 pounds. It\u2019s a non-stop cavalcade of lugging and loading and jamming and mechanical repairs. El Cortez offers these machines because their customers love them, plain and simple.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve seen at other casinos, El Cortez is not only sprucing the place up, but adding spaces (like the high limit room) for \u201caspirational\u201d customers, or customers that may not exist for them quite yet in large numbers.<\/p>\n

Remember, this is the casino where there are signs on the slot machines that say, \u201cComplimentary beverages available when actively wagering a minimum of 40 cents.\u201d We are not making this up.<\/p>\n

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Freeloaders gonna freeload.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Grinders are demanding and fickle, too much change and they\u2019ll bolt. As El Cortez unveils these new venues, it will truly be able say it has \u201csomething for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, maybe not everyone. El Cortez is a 21-plus resort now, for which its owner Kenny Epstein and his management team are to be commended.<\/p>\n

You can bet we\u2019ll be poking our head into El Cortez as these renovations move forward.<\/p>\n

El Cortez is a truly one-of-a-kind holdover from another time and vibe. Anyone who gripes that \u201cold Vegas\u201d is gone hasn\u2019t been to El Cortez. With its expansion, the downtown casino will continue to honor its colorful past (Bugsy Siegel as a co-owner back in the day) while integrating more contemporary panache.<\/p>\n

You know, panache. Drip. Rizz. Mod.<\/p>\n

Sorry, Mr. Epstein, we have to try and keep up with our fellow youths and their bussin\u2019 argot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n