Golf Club Motor Hotel, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Venue History

The Golf Club Motor Hotel was a distinctive mid-century lodging property located at 10 Tropicana Avenue, also listed as 3883 South Las Vegas Boulevard, at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. Operating by 1963, the motel stood directly across from the Tropicana Hotel and beside the Tropicana Country Club, giving it one of the most desirable locations on the rapidly developing Las Vegas Strip. Frequently advertised as the Golf Club Motel, Golf Club Hotel, or Golf Club Motor Hotel, the property catered to tourists seeking convenient Strip accommodations without the scale or expense of the large casino resorts. Its towering roadside sign prominently advertised its connection to the nearby Tropicana golf course, reinforcing a leisure-oriented identity centered on golf, swimming, and relaxation. One of the Golf Club’s most unusual attractions was its collection of private pool suites. Former employee Patrick Moreo recalled that several suites actually contained individual swimming pools—not simply hot tubs—an extraordinary amenity for a motel of the era. Moreo remembered the property as having roughly 100 to 150 rooms during his employment and recalled entertainer Rudy Vallée among its guests. The hotel also housed Bill Hofferd’s 19th Hole Bar, operated by longtime Las Vegas hotel and casino executive William “Bill” Hofferd. The golf-themed lounge complemented the property’s connection to the neighboring country club and gave guests a casual gathering place after a day on the course. The Golf Club even earned a small place in Las Vegas film history when one of its distinctive pool suites was used as a location in the exploitation movie Las Vegas Strangler. Its original identity ended in 1975, when the property became the Baron Hotel. It was renamed the Mariner Hotel in 1977 under Airport Casino Inc., and around 1978 became the Casino Hotel before closing in late 1979. The buildings survived several more years before being demolished and replaced by parking for the neighboring Marina Hotel. Today, the former Golf Club Motor Hotel site forms part of the MGM Grand property, making the little motel an intriguing predecessor to one of the world’s largest casino resorts. Its private pools, golf-club atmosphere, and bold roadside signage remain vivid reminders of the Strip’s more intimate motor-hotel era.