Las Vegas, Nevada
 -- 115 East Tropicana Ave
 

Opened in the summer of 1973, the Las Vegas Howard Johnson's boasted of having three restaurants, two cocktail lounges, a swimming pool, and a "slot casino." The largest HoJo's to date, it was developed and owned by Osterie Nevada Corporation which also owned Reno/Sparks. But the long-time family oriented HoJo's concept was a bad fit for the gambling mecca of North America, and by the beginning of 1976, with its owner in Bankruptcy, it had ceased to be. 

Long time Howard Johnson's fan Harry Heck recalled that, "After being a HoJo's, it was called the "Treasury" best known for the plastic dancing showgirls on the light poles in the parking lot. That was in the late '70s and early '80s. It was eventually closed and was supposed to become Las Vegas' first gay resort. That never happened. It eventually became the "Polynesian," but they could not get a gaming license. In the early '90s it became the "San Remo" and was expanded."
Postcard 1975: Harry Heck
 
 
Matchbook ca 1974: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
 
 
Postcard 1975: Harry Heck
 
Below: Eric Paddon discovered while screening Dealer's Choice, which was "a very obscure (1974-'75) game show that aired only in syndication, not on the regular network daytime schedule and just had people doing various gambling games to win prizes," that the program had their staff put up in the Las Vegas Howard Johnson's. The show ended with the artist's rendering and a brief voice over.
 
Screen capture from Dealer's Choice: Eric Paddon
 
 
 
 
Photo May, 2005: Ethan Miller for The Las Vegas Sun
 
Although much altered and expanded, the 700 room property is small by current Las Vegas standards. Nevertheless the 1970s era former Howard Johnson's entered a new chapter when an investment group led by four founders of the Hooters chain, the Izumi family of Japan (owners of the San Remo), and a major Hooters franchisee redeveloped the property spending in excess of $130 million converting it into a Hooters. The Hooters Casino Hotel which opened in February, 2006, featured nine bars and restaurants. Developers had hoped to carve out a new niche by portraying a more homey image than is currently offered by the large extravagant resorts that have come to dominate Las Vegas. The revamped hotel/resort attempted to have the same atmosphere as a comfortable sports bar, not unlike Hooters Restaurants. A wood floor was installed in the casino, and as many as 300 scantily clad Hooters Girls roamed the floor! The plan was to have every Hooters Restaurant feature a kiosk for patrons to reserve a spot at the Hooters Casino, and for customers to fly to the new Hooters Casino from select cities on Hooters Air.
 
Photo April 2004: Phil Edwards
 
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