Westward Ho Hotel and Casino was a casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, an unincorporated area of Clark County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The Westward Ho occupied 15 acres, and was the last large motel style property on the Strip. It was a two-story building with parking surrounding the buildings. The casino had many slot machines, and a gaming pit with live dealers. The games included blackjack, roulette, craps, and Let It Ride. A separate building, The Ho, operated at the rear of the property from 2004 to 2005, offering a small casino, a restaurant, and a convenience store.
The Westward Ho opened in 1963. By 1997, it included 777 rooms, a casino, and a 900-seat showroom. The Westward Ho closed on November 17, 2005, and was demolished several months later to make way for redevelopment plans which failed to materialize. A McDonald's opened on a portion of the former Westward Ho property in 2008.
History
The Westward Ho was built by Ron's Construction Company, based in Las Vegas. The Westward Ho opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1963, and was located between the Stardust resort and the future site of the Slots-A-Fun Casino. The rectangular property stretched west from the Las Vegas Strip to South Industrial Road. The Westward Ho's rooms were located in low-rise motel-style buildings surrounding several pools, all located behind the eventual main casino building, which faced the Las Vegas Strip. The Westward Ho was owned and operated by Dean Petersen, along with his siblings, Faye and Murray Petersen. The Westward Ho's name was a reference to 19th century wagon trains heading west.
In 1969, the Westward Ho was advertised as having over 1,000 rooms, including those in the Satellite wing, and 120 rooms in the Executive Suites. The property also included a 24-hour Denny's restaurant, and a slot arcade known as Nikel Nik's. The Westward Ho casino was added in 1971. The Westward Ho advertised itself as "The World's Largest Motel", and was a financial success for decades after its opening. The casino's interior was featured in the 1996 film, Leaving Las Vegas. In 1996, the Westward Ho paid a disputed $25,000 fine after an undercover Nevada Gaming Control Board agent provided $6,000 to the casino's cashier for safekeeping and then received the money in smaller denominations as requested; to avoid money laundering, Nevada regulations required the same denomination of bills to be returned to the player.
Dean Petersen died in November 1997, at the age of 63. The Westward Ho was put on sale that month. Dean Petersen's sister, Faye Johnson, continued to operate the Westward Ho. In February 1998, it was announced that the Westward Ho and its property would be purchased by Manhattan-based American Pastime West LLC. Johnson said, "This was an important and emotional decision after our family's longtime involvement with the growth of the gaming community in Las Vegas." The Westward Ho was one of the few Las Vegas hotel-casinos to be owned and operated by a local family. At the time of the sale, the Westward Ho had 650 employees, 777 rooms, a casino and a 900-seat showroom.
Francis Zarro, the president of American Pastime, had no immediate plans for the Westward Ho, although he planned to eventually acquire or build a Las Vegas golf course that could potentially be integrated into the Westward Ho property. Up to that point, the Westward Ho had gained a repeat clientele of customers from the midwestern United States, and the casino was known for its low-limit table games in comparison to other casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
In 2003, Texas-based developer Tracy Suttles made a failed attempt to purchase the Westward Ho for $78 million. According to the Westward Ho, Suttles could not provide funding to close the deal, and escrow was terminated in September 2003. According to the Westward Ho, Suttles tried again to purchase the property in 2004, depositing $1 million but failing to make an additional payment of $2 million, after which escrow was terminated again following multiple extensions. Suttles said that he did have the $2 million, and that the Westward Ho agreed to loan him the shortfall, a claim to which the Westward Ho owners said there was no evidence.