The Quad Closes In On Becoming The Linq Hotel & Casino, New Lobby Bar Revealed

By Scott Roeben, on October 26 2014

4 min read 5 comments

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The Quad Las Vegas is scheduled to become The Linq Hotel & Casino on Oct. 30, 2014. Nearly all traces of The Quad are gone, and construction walls have come down revealing the hotel’s long-awaited lobby bar.

Hotel officials have announced the new bar’s name will be the Living Room, but given that the bar’s centerpiece resembles the hotel’s rooftop “Vortex,” we’re thinking this new offering should be called Vortex Bar. Then again, we thought The Quad was a stupid name and the hotel experts went with it, so this blog clearly doesn’t know what it’s talking about.

Our friends at Vegas Chatter say they hear the bar will be called 3535 Bar, after the hotel’s street address. Still, Vortex Bar!

Here’s the Linq Hotel’s rooftop vortex thingy. See? They’re like long-lost twins.

Now, back inside, closer to the liquor.

The new $2.7 million, 8,800-square-foot Living Room bar has counter top video poker, and seven private booths nearby that look pretty comfy.

Next to the bar is a new casino area with a craps table, two roulette tables and several blackjack and specialty card game tables.

The bar and its adjoining casino area are elevated, situated across from the hotel’s new registration desk (at left in the photo below).

Here’s the fancy new check-in desk.

All the remaining construction walls in the hotel’s casino have finally come down, so gone are the days of our much-beloved security breaches at The Quad.

The shopping promenade is still a work-in-progress, though, so we breached a future tchotchke shop or two for old times’ sake.

Not much progress has been made in the stores at all, so it’s clear finishing the casino was was made a higher priority. See? There’s still hope Las Vegas won’t become one giant shopping mall, although it certainly looks that way sometimes.

Nearby, the Quad/Linq’s infamous hotel tower elevator bank has been given a once-over.

Here’s a photo from a few weeks back, with Linq Hotel & Casino signs on the doors, but leftover design elements from the Imperial Palace up above.

Now, the same elevator bank sports a brick motif, and reminders of the IP and Quad are gone, except “Out of Order” signs with Quad logos. We’re hoping against hope the fact these elevators are out of order means they’re being repaired, improved or replaced in honor of The Quad becoming The Linq Hotel. Hey, one can dream.

Please keep your underwhelm to yourself. The rebranding isn’t done yet! Although the bricks, known in the hotel renovation world as “new look on a budget,” have replaced The Quad’s distinctive branding throughout the hotel.

Check out our exclusive photo gallery below for more photos inside the new Linq Hotel & Casino.

Oh, and please note The Quad Wine & Spirits store has been renamed The Linq Wine & Spirits store.

Heading outside, all the signs for the Quad have been removed, including a massive sign for The Quad in the hotel’s valet area. Here’s what it looked like until recently.

Now, the sign is gone, and all we have left are our memories of an ill-fated hotel name that very soon will be relegated to the footnotes of Las Vegas hotel history.

You can still find traces of The Quad, if you know where to look. This is where the sign once stood.

The exterior of the new Linq Hotel & Casino is distinctive, to say the least.

Exterior painting doesn’t look like it will be completed by Oct. 30, but you never know.

The wacky colors are everywhere, including on freshly-painted posts and walls.

We weren’t able to cajole or bribe our way into a newly-renovated room, but folks on-site say remodeled rooms will be available for public viewing on Oct. 31, 2014. Sorry, Luv Tub lovers.

While we’re happy to see further progress on The Quad (sorry, Linq Hotel), there’s little cohesion throughout the hotel and casino. Tag Lounge is sort of its own thing, the new lobby Vortex Bar (that really is a better name) is its own thing, Catalyst Bar is its own thing, O’Sheas is its own thing.

Tight budgets and a branding misfire have resulted in a hotel without a clear identity or vibe. But as we’ve said before, time will tell. We like a lot of the individual parts of the new Linq Hotel & Casino, so we look forward to seeing what refinements are still to come. Especially if those refinements include lots of go-go dealers and drink specials.