The "Great Recession" of 2007 - 2009 had a major impact on Las Vegas as a whole and downtown Las Vegas in particular. The Lady Luck Hotel and Casino which had closed for remodeling just the year before was originally expected to be closed for less than a year but when the recession hit, financing for the expected remodeling collapsed and all hopes for a quick reopening of the casino were abandon by the owners of the Lady Luck.
In 2007 the property was sold but that sale did not change the fortunes of the ill-fated Lady Luck Hotel and Casino. The partially gutted hotel was often described as a "carcass" or "rotting corpse" by then Mayor of Las Vegas Oscar Goodman in city council meetings as he tried to re-invigorate plans to revitalize downtown Las Vegas between 2008 and 2009.
With the end of the recession in 2009, work finally began on transforming the much-maligned Lady Luck into its next incarnation; that incarnation was officially announced in October of 2011 when the new project was officially renamed as the Downtown Grand.
The new Downtown Grand officially opened its doors in October 2013 as a 'boutique hotel.' A style of hotels that were quickly gaining popularity throughout the country and in Las Vegas. The Downtown Grand with its 629 rooms and a wide range of restaurants and bars that include everything from the loud and rambunctious Hogs and Heifers Saloon, popular with motorcycle owners, to the Sidebar Lounge where Las Vegas' legal elite can often be found after a day in court. This truly cosmopolitan hotel boasts something for everyone and is proof that even when the chips are down in Las Vegas your luck can always turn around.
Downtown Grand Casino Chips
