Nostalgia, memories bring locals and tourists back to the oldest Vegas casino

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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Getting the opportunity to stay in the first hotel rooms ever used in Las Vegas. They date back 118 years to 1906.

In a city often known for tearing down its history, one beacon stands alone downtown — The Golden Gate.

It's the old feel that brings people back.

"It is very near and dear to my heart," said Jen Beardsley from Denver.

"Why did you come to the Golden Gate?" Moeller asked.

"Fremont Street is like home to us," she said.

She says it's the first Las Vegas hotel she stayed in, and she always comes back.

"A lot of good memories with a lot of good friends here," she said. "I just like the coziness of it — the smallness of it."

It's Las Vegas' oldest hotel, The Golden Gate turns 118 this year, and the celebration is underway.

Thursday, the owner took us on a trip down memory lane showing us where it all began. You can find the Golden Gate on the corner of Fremont and Main streets.

Derek Stevens is the owner. He knows a thing or two about the hotel's history.

"There are a couple of places at the bar where Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, and Frank Sinatra used to hang out," Stevens said.

Parts of the outside still resemble the original look.

"During the renovations, we found some of these bottles and flasks in the wall," Stevens said. We previously reported on the casino's renovations. Our Isabella Martin explains why the property .

On the inside — history is on display. Stevens also owns downtown's newest hotel Circa Resort & Casino, but his goal with the Golden Gate was to keep the old Vegas feel.

"Las Vegas's very first telephone was installed in the hotel, with the phone number 1," Stevens said.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman joined Stevens on the date of January 18 to celebrate the big 118th birthday.

"What do you think this means to Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas?" KTNV's Joe Moeller asked.

"I think it is important in any city to always look forward but remember the past, and that is what I wanted to provide for Las Vegas," Stevens said.

Maybe the best-kept secret inside the hotel is that guests can still book one of the original 10 hotel rooms that have been there since 1906.

"We actually added a foot and a half of ceiling height," he said.