Algiers Hotel

The Algiers Hotel was an Arabian/Persian-themed hotel located at 2845 South Las Vegas Boulevard on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The Algiers opened on November 25, 1953, as a 110-room sister property to the adjacent Thunderbird hotel and casino. The Algiers was noted for mostly retaining its original design throughout its operation, giving it the appearance of an older Las Vegas hotel. In 1991, the property was earmarked for possible condemnation, allowing for the realignment of nearby streets in order to reduce traffic. In 2001, owner Larry Kifer proposed swapping the Algiers property for a different parcel that the county planned to auction. Kifer stated that the potential road realignment project on the Algiers property had made it difficult to redevelop the land. Kifer dropped his proposal in late 2002, after the county decided not to realign the streets. In 2004, the property was sold to a developer who planned to demolish the Algiers and build the Krystle Sands condominium tower on the land. The Algiers closed on August 31, 2004, and was demolished, while the Krystle Sands project was cancelled in 2005. Two years later, Turnberry Associates began construction of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort on the former Algiers and Thunderbird properties.

The Algiers opened on November 25, 1953. It was built by the Thunderbird hotel and casino (later the El Rancho), which was located at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The 110-room Algiers was built as a sister property to deal with an overflow of guests at the adjacent Thunderbird. The hotel was built by Thunderbird developer Marion Hicks and his wife Lillian. The Algiers was constructed on 3.55 acres (1.44 ha), located on what would become the northeast corner of Riviera Boulevard and South Las Vegas Boulevard. The hotel was located directly north of the eventual site for the Riviera hotel-casino, and across the street from the eventual site of the Circus Circus hotel-casino. Jack Walsh, the general manager for the Thunderbird during the late 1950s, became the Algiers' general manager in 1961. Walsh and his wife, Blanche, lived at the property from that point on. Marianne Kifer, the Hicks' daughter and the eventual owner of the Algiers, stated that her mother heavily relied on Walsh: "They were very, very good friends as well. She depended on him for everything -- his business advice and friendship." City and state politicians regularly gathered at the Algiers for afternoon meetings. In the 1970s, Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan stayed in a hotel room at the Algiers. Bulletproof glass was installed in O'Callaghan's room and was left in place afterwards. Paul Price, a former writer for the Las Vegas Sun, would also visit the hotel's bar to write his daily column. Las Vegas sheriff John Moran regularly ate lunch at the Algiers' restaurant during the 1980s. The Algiers would later become popular among sales people, senior citizens, and Europeans. In 1991, the Algiers property was earmarked for possible condemnation to allow for the realignment of Riviera Boulevard with nearby Circus Circus Drive, thereby reducing traffic. Walsh remained as general manager until his death in July 1996, at the age of 81. Marrianne Kifer and her business partner, ex-husband Larry Kifer, had been in charge of operations at the Algiers for some time prior to Walsh's death, and planned to continue operating it. Up to 2001, the hotel had remained nearly unchanged, and had built a steady clientele consisting of the same customers. At the time, it was one of only several small hotels still operating on the Las Vegas Strip, where megaresorts had become common.

Hotel data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).