Things have come a long way since the 112-room Rendezvous Hotel & Casino first opened at 400 Ogden Street, back in 1977. The no-frills downtown joint closed just 9 months later, reopening as the Big Nickel. That in turn bit the dust, to be purchased subsequently, in 1983, by downtown casino legend Jackie Gaughan.
What was then named the Gold Spike continued to be known as an inexpensive hotel-casino with few amenities until 2002 when Gaughan sold this, together with three other properties, to Barrick Gaming and Tamares Group for a combined $82 million. After the sale, the new management closed down the pit, turning the casino into a slots-only joint; a few years later it changed hands yet again.
It wasn't until the Gold Spike was purchased, in 2008, by the Siegel Group, that its fortunes changed, thanks to an extensive property-wide remodeling effort that debuted the following year, having incorporated the adjacent 3-story former Travel Inn. Originally built in 1962, Siegel had been sitting on this long-shuttered motel for some time, and now transformed it into the boutique "Gold Spike Oasis," complete with the property's first swimming pool.
Still, all the quartz and wood and tile didn't come cheap, and in 2013 news surfaced that Zappo's CEO Tony Hsieh's "Downtown Project" had purchased the Gold Spike's debt, indicating that the venerable casino's days, like that of the distinctly unremodeled Western -- also snapped up by Hsieh in the interests of revitalizing the area and "building a community" -- were numbered. Sure enough, a year later came the abrupt announcement that the casino would close its doors for good on April 14, although at the time no concrete plan for its reinvention was made public.
A plan there evidently was, however, since just three weeks later the venue reopened as a hotel-less, casino-less bar and restaurant, serving an extensive beer menu and typical pub fare 24/7, not to offering mention free WiFi, an outdoor patio area, and a giant game of Jenga. In another break from its past, the hip and intimate new candle-lit property is smoke-free (aside from the candles) and has traded gaming for games, with other amenities offered including pool tables, darts boards, a miniature shuffleboard, retro board games like Battleship, Clue, Twister, Scrabble, and Connect Four, plus video golf. Oh, and then there's that bed you referred to.
This writer must confess to not having checked out the new Gold Spike in person as yet, but we've heard very positive feedback from those who have, and we can only applaud another new twist on the ever-expanding and diverse downtown nightlife experience, even though its sad to see another old-time institution bite the dust. Click to check out a comprehensive photo tour, from not long after its opening, courtesy of Vegas Chatter.
