Rainbow Vegas Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Ladies Cotton Tee

Venue History

Rainbow Vegas Hotel was a colorful, independently operated downtown hotel and casino located at 401 South Casino Center Boulevard, several blocks south of Fremont Street. The seven-story property dated to 1977 and was operating under the Rainbow Vegas name by at least 1979. Its bold rainbow graphics and towering roadside sign made the otherwise straightforward hotel an unmistakable landmark in downtown Las Vegas. Unlike the elaborate Strip resorts, Rainbow Vegas concentrated on affordable accommodations, convenient downtown access, and modest casino gaming. A 1979 advertisement promoted rooms for as little as $23 per night and weekly rates beginning around $95, positioning the hotel toward budget-conscious tourists and longer-term visitors. By the early 1980s, the property offered approximately 300 rooms, along with a slot casino, bar, restaurant, and swimming pool. Its most memorable feature was its spectacular rainbow-themed signage. A huge multicolored rainbow swept upward beside the words “Rainbow Vegas,” creating a vivid splash of color visible from Casino Center Boulevard. The roadside marquee advertised amenities including a pool, color television, queen beds, and coffee shop. UNLV’s Neon in Nevada Photograph Collection preserves images of the hotel and its illuminated sign from 1986, documenting an excellent example of the exuberant commercial design that once characterized downtown Las Vegas. The hotel remained geared toward value throughout its later years. A 1993 Nevada lodging guide listed Rainbow Vegas with 280 rooms, including 18 suites, at rates ranging from approximately $30 to $45. Although considerably removed from the glamour of nearby Fremont Street casinos, its small slot casino allowed guests to gamble without leaving the property. Nevada gaming records also document proprietary Rainbow Vegas gaming tokens. Rainbow Vegas continued operating into the late 1990s. In 1998, the property was sold to the City of Las Vegas and subsequently demolished as the surrounding courthouse district underwent major redevelopment. Today, Rainbow Vegas is largely forgotten, but its dramatic rainbow sign remains instantly recognizable in vintage photographs. The hotel represents a disappearing side of old downtown Las Vegas: inexpensive independent lodging, modest casino action, and oversized neon advertising competing for attention just beyond the brighter lights of Fremont Street.