Post #600043 by aquarj on Sat, Jul 30, 2011 10:47 PM

Hey Sven, good point about the Landmark, more interesting stuff!

Purely out of the fun of more speculation, I would guess that the "Howard Hughes" motel card is from 1967 or later, and not pre-1958...

First, the phone number is written in the modern 10-digit style. Contrast that with the blue brochure with the aerial. That one almost definitely has to be older, with the REgent 5-3224 phone number. Yet it shows the Stardust and Riviera, among others.

Note that every other property appearing on the "Hughes" motel card map was also owned at one time by Howard Hughes. He bought the Desert Inn in 67, then the Sands, Castaways, Silver Slipper and Frontier. Hughes tried to buy the Stardust, but was rebuffed by the SEC. I would guess that all those properties on the map were Hughes-owned, and anything else in the vicinity was intentionally excluded. Their absence doesn't mean they didn't exist when the map was drawn.

Last, the Frontier was called the New Frontier when Hughes bought it, and changed to the Frontier in 1967. Again, this would date the motel card at 1967 or later, since it shows "Frontier Hotel". And the blue one would be earlier because it shows the "Hotel New Frontier".

I'm still wondering if Wilbur Clark had a hand in the Bali Hai. And what was the "Polynesia" at 10 Desert Inn Road, operating from 1952-53, according to the same link that TikiTomD posted?

-Randy