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X : Expanded Sands Hotel Opening Fete December The $9 million building expansion of the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, is ahead of schedule with the Grand Opening set for December, according to the operator and president, Jack Entratter. He outlined the expansion in a recent conference, saying, "In the $9 million development cost is the relocation of two buildings to provide a new recreation and pool area. The inclusion of convention facilities necessitated the purchase of land fronting on Highway 91 directly to the North. Master plans for future expansion include a minimum of inconvenience to operational personnel. A widened and improved highway approach has been developed and an entirely new scheme of landscaping and color coordination of the buildings is included." The expansion will make the Sands a 777-room-and-suite operation with 400 rooms connected to the Casino by an air- conditioned promenade. Sands Tower Entratter pinpointed the Sands Tower, a unique circular structure connected completely into the hotel facilities. The 17 story tower of rooms rises directly skyward from the hotel registration deck, is the heart of the expansion. The rooms connect with two promenades to the Casino, Coffee Shop, Convention Hall, as well as three of the handsomely furnished existing buildings. The new rooms are not the conventional rectangular rooms, but wedge shaped, producing an expansion at the window wall of more than 20 feet. The uppermost stories have private balconies and the top floor features elegant Executive Suites, the living rooms of which are vaulted with arched windows rising upward to a 20-foot-high ceiling. Bathrooms for all of the new rooms have square tubs which, although they are standard size, have enclosed shower facilities of 4' x 4', including a sitting area within the shower. Heating and air-conditioning, individually thermostatically controlled in each room, are included. The circular concept of the building allows access to all the rooms and suites with a minimum of walking distance from the high elevators. The Celebrity Room is a veritable theater in itself, terraced for sight lines, with a capacity for 350 people. The Room features a stage able to move up and down, and revolvable. Te Copa Room, where the Sands Hotel presents such stars as Danny Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Carol Burnett, Jerry Lewis, one after another in consecutive three-week engagements, has not been altered much, according to Entratter. The present construction phase has added about 120 seats with an upper tier of booths and tables. The backstage and dressing rooms area has been enlarged. Elegant apartments for the top stars are right off the stage. The Garden Room is being converted into a lavish gourmet palace, to be called the Regency Room, capacity 85. The Casino area has been doubly expanded, will include additional games and slots, secluded card games. Graceful Approach A small bar for Casino guests permits cocktail waitresses to service the entire Casino. One of the dramatic features in the $9 million expansion is the design of a round colonnade with an interior ceiling, height 35 feet, at the entrance to the Casino with a graceful approach to that area. The architect, Martin Stern, has captured a French innovation in his entrance designs, with a wide sweep of opening into the hotel with cover for eight cars unloading simultaneously. New facilities for conventions and meetings and banquets are being developed to handle over 1200 people. The Exposition Center can be broken down into individual banquet rooms, as well as meeting rooms with soundproof movable divider walls. There will be a Lobby and Lounge area for registration and approach to the Convention area, with a large stand-up bar. A portable stage, a projection booth, and large storeroom are incorporated. Automobiles can be brought into the room and plumbing and electrical facilities are provided throughout the structure to service exhibitors, displays. The design of the Convention Hall is such that the patrons approach the rooms from a large loggia and the entire area is served by a special service corridor from the kitchen, Jack Entratter President Carl Cohen Vice-President James West Manager Joseph Carbone Sales Director Al Freeman Advertising Sands Hotel executives guiding the establishment in a $9 million expansion. wide enough to provide back-up for carts for fast service. Entratter ppinted out the new hotel entrance, which permits entering of the hotel guests separately from the people entering the Casino, eliminates traffic congestion. In addition to the gourmet dining in the Regency Room, there will be an informal Garden Court restaurant. The kitchen will be self-sufficient from the main hotel kitchen and all of the room service will be handled from it, insuring 24- hour-a-day expeditious results. "Although the expansion at the Sands increases the ground floor area by over 300%, the construction is so phased that there is smooth operation and convenience to any hotel guest. All of the warm decor and features of the Sands have been retained. Although there is a new and fashionable look to the Sands Hotel rising skyward, there still is an integrated design with all of the charm of the existing facilities", Entratter said. For 10 years, keeping the decor and furnishings of the Sands in tune with the needs of guests has been the task of The Albert Parvin Co., a subsidiary of Parvin-Dohrmann Co., 120 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles 90048. Jenkins Potman's Salesman of the Year The Annual Patman Achievement Awards Dinner, given by the Urban N. Patman Inc., 2638 E. Vernon Ave., Los Angeles 58, was attended by 70 executives and their wives in the home of Peter Patman, Cheviot Hills recently. Urban N. Patman, president, announced that Donald Jenkins is their "salesman of the year", and awarded him with a $100 certificate. Harriet Swartz and Richard Hayes for their exceptional sales work during the year also received $100 certificates. Special honors went to Theron Farmer, who received recognition in the form of a gold watch for his 30 years continuous service. The Patman Meat Co. founded in 1930 is making a 20,000' addition. CDBA Hears Exotic Explosion The 10th Annual Convention of the California Dining and Beverage Assn. was held at The Thunderbird International Hotel, 525 N. Sepulveda, El Segundo, Calif., recently. With his speech, "The Exotic Explosion," Arthur H. Nelson, western manager for Don Q Imports Inc., dramatized the boom in rum sales. SEPTEMBER, 1965 33