In 1972, Harrah broke ground on his $25-million, 18-story, 250-room hotel which opened on November 9, 1973. Each room was furnished with a fully stocked bar, bay windows, 2 bathrooms with TVs and telephones. It earned the first five-star diamond rating in casino history. The 20 story pre-cast concrete sculpted building facade was designed and constructed by Thomas J.Geever. The hotel was later expanded with 290 additional rooms in 1976. The hotel and casino were damaged on August 27, 1980, when a bomb planted by terrorist and extortionist John Birges across the street in Harveys Lake Tahoe exploded, destroying the neighboring casino. Harrah's, which was connected to Harvey's via a tunnel, suffered damage from the explosion, mostly from shattered windows. No one was injured in the explosion and both casinos were empty when the bomb detonated. In 2000, it completed a $26 million renovation to update the casino, hotel rooms and restaurants on the 18th floor including the Forest Buffet and Friday’s Station. On December 3, 2005, a shootout occurred in a private booth near the casino floor. One person was killed and two Douglas County Sheriff's Deputies were injured. Caesars Entertainment began a major effort to remodel and revitalize Harrah's Lake Tahoe beginning in 2005; they remodeled floors 12 to 15 of the hotel and remade the rooms in mini suites with large couches, dry bars and brand new decor and furniture. The remodel was completed in mid-2006. Following the hotel remodel, Caesars completely remodeled the hotel's lobby and added a food court and luxury diamond outlet signature to Caesars called "Park Place Jewelers" in 2007. In 2008, Caesars added an upscale, luxury Chinese/Cantonese restaurant called "Gi Fu Loh" to cater to their Asian customers. On October 6, 2017, ownership of the property was transferred to Vici Properties as part of a corporate spin-off, and it was leased back to Caesars Entertainment. There is access to Harveys via an underground pathway that features an arcade and live acts at Sammy Hagar's CaboWabo. References Mandel, Leon (1981). William Fisk Harrah – The Life And Times Of A Gambling Magnate. Doubleday & Company, Inc. . External links 1955 establishments in Nevada Casino hotels Caesars Entertainment Casinos completed in 1955 Casinos in Stateline, Nevada Harrah's Entertainment Hotel buildings completed in 1955 Hotels established in 1955 Hotels in Stateline, Nevada Resorts in Nevada