Las Vegas: The Golden Gate adds hotel suites

The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 this year, but it’s not the only Golden Gate with a reason to celebrate.

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has unveiled a major expansion -- its first in 50 years -- that adds a five-story luxury tower with 16 suites to the 122-room boutique hotel.

Fourteen suites honor swinging Rat Pack guests such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. They include a 50-inch flat-screen TV, a California king bed and a sectional sofa with a queen-size pull-out. For high rollers, the two penthouse suites on the fifth floor have two bedrooms each and a large outdoor patio with a gas grill and fireplace.

The expanded gaming floor features a new high-limit pit, and the new lobby has displays documenting the hotel’s history.

Sin City’s original casino opened in 1906 at 1 Fremont St. on land that had been acquired for $1,750. Room and board was $1 a day. Original rooms -- with modern improvements -- are still in use, with mid-week rates starting at $35 a night.

Info: Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, 1 Fremont St., Las Vegas; (800) 426-1906. Rates for the new suites range from $109 to $250 a night.