By Calanit Atia
If you miss the Las Vegas of the past, visit Laughlin, Nevada, to recapture the feeling, service and style of Vegas’ golden era. Laughlin, about 100 miles south of Las Vegas, is known for its beautiful Colorado River with hotels along its Riverwalk.
Aquarius Casino Resort originally opened in August 1990 as Flamingo Hilton Laughlin before being rebranded in 2006 as Aquarius Casino Resort. It is the largest 24-hour gaming resort in Laughlin, providing 1,906 rooms and suites and a 57,000-square-foot casino with more than 1,200 state-of-the-art slot machines, the widest variety of favorite table games in town, and a nonsmoking race and sportsbook. The Aquarius Casino Resort offers a variety of restaurants from fine dining to casual options, including River Rock Pizza & Pasta, The Cove Bar & Lounge, Duet Coffee & Wine, Café Aquarius, River’s Edge and more (the resort has chosen not to reopen its buffet at the present time). Nothing is better than to order a cocktail and appetizer at The Cove Bar & Lounge, the first non-smoking bar in Aquarius. Guests can enjoy the beautiful Colorado River and its surrounding mountain ranges, which reflect the warm and beautiful pink and purple hues of the area’s sunset.
Aquarius also offers the largest convention space in Laughlin, with more than 30,000 square feet of space to facilitate gatherings of all sizes and groups. Aquarius also owns the Laughlin Event center, which has an outdoor amphitheater with seating for up to 12,000 for concerts and other special events. Laughlin has become the stomping ground for big names in entertainment, such as Pitbull and Clint Black.
Sean L. Hammond, Sr., vice [resident and general manager for Aquarius, has been with the property since May 2006 and was promoted to general manager in January 2011. “My leadership is very hands-on, open dialogue and support of all departments that operate the resort,” he says.
As I walked around the hotel with Sean, his hands-on leadership was on full display. He picked up trash, taking pride in his hotel, and as we went up to the rooms, he knew the cleaning crew manager, and the cleaning crew knew him. What was amazing was that they apologized for their mess in the hall. I was amazed by his response, “No need to apologize. We are grateful for you since, without you, there would be no hotel.” So many hotels around the country could not open up their entire room inventory due to lack of staff, and he understands that cleaning crews are crucial to the hospitality industry.
“I believe people love our property because of the team members, cleanliness and overall enjoyment of going to the river in Laughlin and staying with the top resort in town,” explains Sean.
Calanit Atia is an award winning event planner and entrepreneur. Air Force Veteran, Founder and President of A to Z Events, Las Vegas DMC and Entertainment Agency, 2021 MPI Advisory Board Member and Speaker. She can be contacted at 702-212-2500, Info@AtoZevents.com, www.AtoZevents.com, www.twitter.com/CalanitAtia www.facebook.com/calanit, www.linkedin.com/in/calanit, www.instagram.com/calanitatia
