For those of you who have been chomping at the bit for this answer for weeks now, all we can say is that the wait is finally over -- at least partially. (Who knew that the Maxim was the most popular casino of all time in the history of Las Vegas?!)
The life and times of the hotel-casino that opened on July 1, 1977 as the Maxim -- now the Westin Las Vegas -- turned out to be one of the more elusive subjects we'd pursued for this column in awhile and, having spent copious hours researching -- online, in archives, and via talking to former managers of the joint -- we confess that we still don't seem to know that much about it, although we did pick up some tantalizing glimpses and tidbits along the way. What follows is what we were able to put together in terms of a "biography," plus some random bits and pieces that help to embellish the portrait.
Before we embark on the answer, however, we'd like to express our sincere thanks to: Las Vegas gaming veteran and former Maxim Casino Manager Bill Zender; long-time Maxim employee Phil Bryan, who was there to open the joint in '77 and worked his way all the way up the ladder to wind up by 1983 as General Manager; to our long-time friends, and their invaluable resources, at Vintage Vegas, at Classic Las Vegas, and at UNLV's Digital Libraries and other Special Collections; and finally to those readers who wrote in with their personal recollections or online finds, all of whom have assisted in bringing this answer to eventual fruition.
The Maxim Hotel and Casino, as we mentioned above, opened on July 1, 1977, as a partnership between several entities, the two majority shareholders being Bill Trent, a Vietnam veteran who founded Vegas Valley Electric, sold, and invested the proceeds into the Maxim, and Corrao Construction, one of the preeminent building companies in the valley to this day. The owners originally wanted to call the property the Baby Grand, as a nod to its big-brother casino neighbor, as you can see from the land records (tune in tomorrow!), but this idea was swiftly nixed by MGM Grand (with or without legal pressure, depending on who you ask).
Boasting just 400 rooms, what eventually opened as the Maxim was a boutique property, designed to be modern for its time, with an emphasis on luxury and customer service. As a long-time customer who called by to pay his last respects as the Maxim closed, almost fourteen years ago to this day, recalled: "The rooms were beautiful. They had a pot of fresh coffee for you every morning, and if you put your shoes outside your door, they'd be shined. You had individual owners, not a corporation."
No expense was spared on promotion, including billboards all around town and various TV advertisements over the years, like the "Toast of the Town" spot released to launch the property, with gushing audio ("a friend with open arms ... all that you've been looking for ... a lot of class, a lot of charm .. only $40/night, seven days a week!") to the fabulous artist's sketches and the photos that highlight the décor throughout -- a retro fan's wet dream or hideous '70s nightmare, depending on your personal taste (we love it!). You can check it out as part of Don-O's Tribute to the Maxim. The Maxim also featured popular gourmet Italian eatery, Da Vinci's, with signature dishes based on the recipe's of one of the owner's mom's, Phil Bryan informed us, and the Olde Tyme Burlesque adult (but not topless) revue, which starred Bob Mitchell and Dyanne Thorne and ran forever in the showroom. With its Cloud 9 Lounge, the Maxim was a notable nightlife hotspot throughout the late '70s and '80s, hosting an acclaimed talent show and regulars who included the likes of Redd Foxx and Wayne Newton.
But it wasn't only shagtastic furnishings and classic Las Vegas entertainment that the Maxim was known for. The casino also offered some of the loosest slots at the time (its main competitor being Circus Circus, according to Bryan), and opened with a small race and sports book, plus six crap tables and approximately 40 blackjack tables. The latter would be fondly remembered by gambling expert and author Frank Scoblete (among many others), who spent eight weeks one summer at the Maxim playing The Best Blackjack Game of All Time and helping to finance his kids' college tuition (click the link to read the full story). Like a precursor to a modern-day Palms or Hard Rock or nearby Ellis Island, the off-Strip property aimed at straddling both the visitor and locals markets (there were a lot more in the way of residential neighborhoods within walking distance of the casino back then), something which it evidently achieved: According to Phil Bryan, shortly before the Maxim changed hands for the first time in 1983, the property boasted the highest-grossing casino floor, per square foot, in town.
So concludes Part I of our history of the Maxim. We'll be back tomorrow with the concluding installment, in which we'll travel both forward and backwards in time in our pursuit of the truth about any Maxim "Mob" ties; plus, we'll share details of the property's fairly extensive film and TV history, while throwing out a few more interesting tidbits we've learned during the course of our research. So come back soon!
