Tourists come because the Orleans is close to the strip (about a mile and there’s a shuttle), full featured and much cheaper. The Orleans has identity issues with its market niche, with three equally apparent personalities competing: a local’s casino, a general tourist casino, and an Asian destination casino. The Orleans’ “Mardi Gras” theme is half-hearted, especially compared to the Rio. The building façade gives the appearance of early 20-th century New Orleans and that theme caries to the interior with a faux French Quarter surrounding the main table game pit. It was remodeled twice and currently has 1,885 rooms.
It opened in December, 1996 in the middle of the Las Vegas building boom of the 1990’s. The Orleans Hotel and Casino is owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation.