The aladdin hotel and Casino, an Arabian oasis on the Las Vegas Strip that had seen its fair share of financial woes, is no more. The newly renovated and rebranded Planet Hollywood Resort held a soft opening this week with a host of celebrities and athletes on hand.
The Las Vegas Gaming Wire reports "Actor Bruce Willis attended Tuesday's name-change-over ceremony, as did a mixture of Earl's friends from the restaurant and entertainment business, the property's business partners and media from around the world attended. Bold-type-worthy attendees included actress Carmen Electra, retired tennis player Pete Sampras, former boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, and semiretired pitcher Roger Clemens, who played last season for the Houston Astros."
The grand opening of the resort will take place later in year, as construction crews continue to scurry about renovating the facade of the building and updating the Arabian-themed decor. The soft opening was the first night that all Aladdin branding was gone from the facility. "(Tuesday night) will be the first day the resort will turn on the lights in the evening and be known as Planet Hollywood," said Robert Earl, co-chairman of OpBiz, the hotel-casino's ownership group. "If you look around now you won't find Aladdin's name anywhere."