From to , it was the largest hotel in the world. The Westgate is located on a acre 26 ha site on the east side of Paradise Road , approximately 0. The hotel has 2, rooms. The casino has 54, square feet 5, The Westgate has various eateries, including fine dining restaurants, a buffet, and a food court. The Westgate's convention center has , square feet 20, m 2 of event space, including the 70, sq ft 6, m 2 Paradise Event Center formerly the Hilton Center and the 43, sq ft 4, m 2 Pavilion formerly the Hilton Pavilion.
Recreation amenities at the Westgate include a 5-acre 2. The Westgate station of the Las Vegas Monorail is located at the front of the property. The hotel site was previously part of the grounds of Las Vegas Park , a defunct racetrack. Meanwhile, Kirk Kerkorian , the chairman of Trans International Airlines and landlord of Caesars Palace , began formulating plans to build a 1,room casino hotel in Las Vegas.
With planning for the hotel underway, Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo casino, to serve as a training ground for the International's staff. Howard Hughes , the eccentric billionaire who had purchased several Las Vegas casinos, saw Kerkorian as a rival and the International as unwelcome competition. The International Hotel opened on July 2, In keeping with the hotel's name, rooms were furnished with different international decors, with each floor featuring either a Spanish, Italian, or French theme.
On July 31, , immediately following Streisand's engagement, Elvis Presley performed the first show of what would become a seven-year run at the hotel, encompassing consecutive sold-out shows. Many of the performers who worked the International before Presley were upset at their disrupted prospects. The hotel had performed unevenly in its early years as the International, but as the Hilton, it soon came to be regarded as the most successful hotel in Las Vegas.
The general contractor selected to build the expansion was Del E. Webb Corporation. Ground was broken in and it was completed in On the night of February 10, , a major fire occurred at the Hilton.
