The Haunted El Cortez Hotel & Casino
Posted: 11.25.2024 | Updated: 11.25.2024
The El Cortez Hotel and Casino stands on 600 E. Fremont Street and is a favorite for many looking to take in the Las Vegas nightlife. Every inch of its architecture and decor is a testament to the resort’s enduring history, offering visitors a glimpse into a glamorous era of the city that the desert sand has since carried away.
Stories have circulated over the years that have led many to believe the sins of this hotel’s violent past remain. Intertwined with a dark history of mob activity riddled with violence and murder, the historic El Cortez Hotel and Casino isn’t just known to be one of Las Vegas’ staple resorts. It carries a reputation for being one of the city’s most haunted hotels.
Is the El Cortez Hotel and Casino Haunted?
The El Cortez Hotel and Casino is a time capsule offering guests a front-row seat to a glamorous era of Las Vegas’ past. Reminiscent of the time, it’s hard to go near the city’s history without the mob getting involved, especially at the El Cortez Hotel.
Once owned by infamous mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, the resort is believed to be a hideout for ghostly figures. Some say they are intertwined with the mob’s bloody history. Curious about what lurks in the shadows of Las Vegas? Book a ghost tour with Las Vegas Ghosts today.
History of the El Cortez Hotel & Casino
The El Cortez Casino Resort distinguishes itself as a precedent in various aspects of Las Vegas’ nightlife starting in 1941. It was constructed by J.C Grayson, Marion Hick, and J.K Houssels and opened as Downtown Las Vegas’ first major resort.
With its location tucked away in America’s mobster capital, it wasn’t long before it caught the attention of infamous names like Bugsy Siegel, Moe Sedway, Gus Greenbaum, and Meyer Lansky. They purchased the El Cortez in 1945 and used it as a training ground for the original employees who opened the famous Flamingo Hotel and Casino a year later.
By the 1950s, the El Cortez took the leap from a simple resort to an all-in-one complex. Its newly installed signature marquee illuminated the night with a host of freshly added amenities waiting behind its doors: a barbershop, bar, nightclub, swimming pool, and a four-story wing. A dine-in theater was even added, and Pat Gallagher served as the only female maitre d’ in Las Vegas.
The resort continued to prosper and was sold in 1963 to Jackie Gaughan, the hotel’s longest-staying guest and most pivotal owner. A Nebraska legend and gaming pioneer, Jackie was seeking another piece to add to his downtown casino empire when he came across the El Cortez. He also apparently found a place to call home when he added a 15-story hotel tower in 1980. The top floor was solely designated as his private home for the next 30 years.
The El Cortez Casino and Resort remains in full operation to this day, offering guests and passersby a glimpse into Las Vegas’ past. It also stands as the first hotel and casino ever placed on the national register of historic places.
Hauntings At the El Cortez
Stories about The El Cortez Hotel and Casino’s numerous spectral residents have piled up for years. Guests have reported seeing numerous apparitions in the rooms and hallways. One in particular is a man dressed in 1940s attire, perhaps a mobster who met an unfortunate end.
The apparition of “Fat Irish” Green, a notorious henchman and associate of Bugsy Siegel, is also known to appear, holding a suitcase filled with illegal cash for Siegel. The story goes that he was instructed by Siegel to deliver the money to the mob should something happen to him. Sure enough, Siegel was gunned down in his home. Irish supposedly delivered the money to Meyer Lansky and for his show of loyalty, was allowed to stay at the El Cortez Hotel free for life.
Stories have also circulated about seeing shadowy figures looming in the hallways, only to disappear when approached. At other times, the sound of inexplicable knocks reverberates through the halls when vacant.
They’re Waiting in the Basement
It says a lot when someone is known for being crazy or, in 1940s slang, bugsy, in the mob underworld. However, Bugsy Siegel lived up to the title with ease, with one of his horrific stories emanating from the basement of the El Cortez Hotel.
The story goes that the cremated remains of several of Siegel’s rivals were discovered in the basement. He would also use the area as a final resting place for hotel employees with no living loved ones. Employees have since avoided the basement whenever possible, believing a hive of restless activity dwells down there. One unfortunate employee’s documented experience on Tripadvisor defends this claim.
The employee details that two rooms to the right of the elevator where she exited in the basement are vacant. It was odd then when one of the doors opened, releasing the expected distinct sound of water running down the pipes to the hole in the floor.
Something seemed off, though, as she heard someone moving around in the pitch-black room. Curiosity got the best of her as she pushed the door open a little more. A hand that clearly belonged to a caucasian male reached out, trying to grab her. She quickly apologized and walked away, but there was no reply.
The employee had to confirm the next thought that raced through her mind. Was there someone there, or was she losing her mind? She backpedaled to the door and pushed the door wide open, expecting to see someone, but no one was there.
Haunted Las Vegas
Las Vegas has a rich history, from its beginnings as an empty desert lot to what is now known as the City of Lights. Where there is good, there is bad. However, the city’s past remains splattered with blood stains. Underneath the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas’ golden age was an underworld where many of America’s most ruthless gangsters carried out heinous acts.
For this reason, many believe a different world awaits under the glowing marquee sign of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino, located in Downtown Las Vegas. Once owned by notorious gangsters Bugsy Seigel and Meyer Lansky, this historic resort has continued to entertain countless guests since Las Vegas’ early days while deep within its bowels, holding a mass grave of vengeful spirits.
Ready to take a walk with some of Las Vegas’ ghosts? Be sure to book a ghost tour with Las Vegas Ghosts today to explore the dark side of the City of Lights! You can also stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and our blog for more chilling stories and updates.
Sources:
Book A Vegas Ghosts Tour And See For Yourself
Join us and walk among the ghosts of the Vegas Strip as we recount stories and hauntings at various hotels from celebrities who just won’t leave the strip after death, those struck by tragic accidents, mobsters and their victims, and other hidden stories that litter Vegas.
Marvel at the foolish gambles of Las Vegas’s biggest losers and tragic winners in gripping real-life stories. Las Vegas Ghosts is the first and only ghost tour to take you straight to the source of Sin City’s most haunted area: the Las Vegas Strip!
