Westgate Las Vegas commemorates 56th anniversary of Elvis’s transformational residency
Fifty-six years ago today, Elvis Presley stepped onto the stage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, forever changing both his career and the landscape of Las Vegas entertainment. On July 31, 1969, the King of Rock & Roll launched what would become the template for modern Las Vegas residencies.
The night that changed everything
When Elvis took the stage to a sold-out crowd of 2,000 people at the International Hotel (now Westgate Las Vegas), it marked his return to live performance after eight years away from the stage. The venue, which featured the largest showroom in Las Vegas at the time, would become his artistic home for the next seven years.
“When Elvis came out that night, everything shifted,” said David Stanley, Elvis Presley’s stepbrother who worked as his bodyguard and assistant during the Las Vegas years. The initial four-week engagement of 57 shows turned into an unprecedented 636 consecutive sold-out performances.
The residency format that Elvis pioneered – performing two shows a night for 30 nights straight during month-long engagements – established the blueprint that modern superstars like Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Adele, and U2 still follow today.
Historic performance legacy
Elvis performed virtually every show to capacity, drawing celebrities from the Rat Pack to John Wayne. “There was never an empty seat in any place Elvis was playing,” Stanley recalled. The shows typically featured an 8 p.m. dinner show followed by a midnight concert, with Elvis earning $125,000 per week – equivalent to over $1 million in today’s currency.
The residency came less than a year after Elvis’s acclaimed “68 Comeback Special,” and marked a career renaissance for the performer who had spent much of the 1960s making movies rather than touring. Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and The New York Times all praised his dynamic return to the stage.
His final Las Vegas performance was in December 1976, just eight months before his death in August 1977.
Westgate’s continuing tribute
The Westgate Las Vegas (formerly the International Hotel and Las Vegas Hilton) continues to honor Elvis’s legacy throughout the property. The resort features an Elvis statue in its front lobby, multiple photo displays from his residency years, and maintains the Imperial Sky Villa – the same wing where Elvis lived during his Las Vegas stays.
“People from all over the world have contacted us and said we have memorabilia we want to bring in,” said Dawn Rawle, Westgate’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Entertainment. “We have stories we want to share with you.”
Anniversary celebration events
To commemorate the 56th anniversary of Elvis’s opening night, Westgate Las Vegas hosted “1969 Live Concert: The King Returns” on July 31st. The special event featured both ticketed performances and free activities, including a recreation of Elvis’s original opening night setlist with songs like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Love Me Tender,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
In a nostalgic touch, ticket prices returned to 1969 levels for the anniversary show, ranging from $10 for rear orchestra seats to $45 for booth seating – a stark contrast to today’s typical Las Vegas show prices.
“My Brother Elvis” experience
Central to Westgate’s ongoing Elvis celebration is the monthly “My Brother Elvis” experience hosted by David Stanley. The intimate evening includes a backstage tour of Elvis’s former dressing room and a Q&A session where Stanley shares personal stories from his years working with the King.
Stanley, who began working for Elvis at age 16 in 1972 and continued until 1977, offers unique insights into the performer’s Las Vegas years. He still lives at the Westgate today, serving as what the hotel considers “a historical figure who can check what’s real and what’s not” regarding Elvis stories.
“There are times I will be sitting in my suite looking out the window and go, ‘God this is so surreal’,” Stanley reflected. “I was here when it was happening, I lived the history.”
The Imperial Sky Villa
For the ultimate Elvis experience, visitors can book the Imperial Sky Villa – the rebranded 13,200-square-foot penthouse where Elvis actually lived during his residency. Available for around $20,000 per night, the suite maintains much of its original 1969 character, complete with the famous 68,000-crystal chandeliers in the lobby dating to the hotel’s opening year.
This is where Elvis entertained VIP guests after his midnight shows, including regulars like Tom Jones, Jack Lord, and Lee Majors. The suite even bears scars from Elvis’s famous moment of firing shots into the ceiling (since repaired).
Lasting impact on Las Vegas
Elvis’s Las Vegas residency fundamentally transformed the city’s entertainment landscape. Before Elvis, Las Vegas entertainment primarily featured lounge acts and casino floor shows. His success proved that major recording artists could build sustained, lucrative residencies rather than just passing through on tours.
“Elvis changed the entire landscape of this city,” Stanley emphasized. “He had all this magnetism of charisma, but he has something else, a phenomenal talent.”
Today’s Las Vegas entertainment scene – from the Colosseum at Caesars Palace to Dolby Live at Park MGM – directly traces its lineage to what Elvis established at the International Hotel in 1969.
Beyond the anniversary
The Westgate’s Elvis celebration extends throughout 2025 as part of the King’s 90th birthday year. The resort features “The King Comes Home” tribute show in its cabaret theater, maintains extensive Elvis memorabilia displays, and continues the monthly “My Brother Elvis” experiences.
As Stanley puts it, “With everything around us at Westgate Las Vegas, Elvis has truly never left the building.”
From the Golden Knights playing “Viva Las Vegas” after victories to the countless Elvis impersonators along the Strip, the King’s influence on Las Vegas remains as strong as ever. But nowhere is that legacy more tangible than at the Westgate Las Vegas, where visitors can literally walk in Elvis’s footsteps and experience the venue where the modern Las Vegas residency was born.
Category: Culture
Subcategory: Entertainment
Date: 07/25/2025
