Gold Key Motel, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Venue History

Opening in 1960, the Gold Key Motel had a modest but memorable presence on the Las Vegas Strip. Known for its distinctive name and accessible charm, the motel catered primarily to budget-conscious travelers, road trippers, and curious tourists exploring the rapidly growing Las Vegas landscape during the 1950s and 1960s. While it lacked the glitz and glamour of the nearby grand resorts, the Gold Key Motel offered clean, comfortable accommodations with a touch of mid-century Americana. Its architecture featured low-slung, single-story buildings typical of the era, and its neon signage—a hallmark of classic Vegas motels—was instantly recognizable with a shining gold key symbol, evoking a promise of security, privacy, and a personal touch. As Las Vegas boomed, motels like the Gold Key provided essential support to the city’s burgeoning tourism industry. Positioned between the Desert Inn and Stardust Hotels, it was ideally located for visitors arriving by car before the age of mega-resorts and high-rise towers. The Gold Key was centrally located on the Strip and about two miles from downtown casinos like the El Cortez and Fremont Street’s neon-soaked entertainment corridor, offering a practical homebase for guests eager to gamble, dine, and see the sights. In later decades, as the Strip evolved into a high-density area of mega-properties, many classic motels—including the Gold Key—fell out of favor. In 1990, the Gold Key closed and was demolished, making way for redevelopment. While it no longer stands, the Gold Key Motel remains a nostalgic emblem of the city’s mid-century hospitality era. For enthusiasts of old school Vegas, the Gold Key Motel lives on through old postcards, signage archives, vintage matchbooks—and, of course, this beautiful t-shirt—providing memories of a time when the city’s magic could be found not only in its palaces of chance but also in its humble roadside inns. Today, the Gold Key’s land at 3053 South Las Vegas Boulevard is home to The Gold Key Shops.