Horizon Casino Resort debuts Elvis renovated hotel suite

Elvis has not left the building.
The Horizon Casino Resort has remodeled its Elvis Presley Suite with a Graceland motif, and hotel administrators hope many more “Elvis weddings” follow the one on Monday, July 14.

In front of 14 friends and family members, Rick O’Connell and Linda Krenek of Fort Myers, Fla., entered the suite’s living room as Elvis impersonator Michael Bartle sang the “Hawaiian Wedding Song.”

Bartle, a newly ordained minister, dressed in a white and turquoise sequined jumpsuit with a giant “TCB” (taking care of business) belt buckle, remained in character as he said the vows.

“Rick, please repeat after me,” the parson Presley started. “Wise men say only fools rush in, but baby I don’t care because I’m all shook up over the wonder of you.”
The couple had the option of saying traditional or Elvis-referenced vows, and Elvis vows was the obvious selection.

“I’m a big Elvis fan,” O’Connell said.

What about the new Mrs. O’Connell?

“I’m getting there,” she said.

The vows included 66 Elvis song titles or references to Elvis songs.

“Please don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true because I’ll be like a hound dog, crying all the time,” Rick said.

“I was the one to end your milk cow blues,” Linda answered.

After Elvis pronounced the O’Connell’s husband and wife, the guests, adorned in Hawaiian leis, cheered and Elvis sang the island song “Ku-U-I-Po.” A heavy mountain storm poured upon Lake Tahoe outside the 14th-floor window, enhancing the wedding’s tropical mood.

The casino, formerly called the Sahara Tahoe, was the only northern Nevada venue where the real Elvis performed. He played there for weeklong runs with two shows a night from 1971-76.

The Graceland-style remodel by South Lake Tahoe’s Bob Williams includes reupholstered, ’70s-style furniture, leather tuck ’n’ roll barstools in front of a granite countertop, grassy-bamboo wallpaper, a pool table, a hot tub, steam room, Wurlitzer jukebox, golden swag drapes and a round bed.

“We call it ‘controlled garish,’ ” said Tom Davis, the director of marketing.
One necessary adjustment will be to raise the living room chandelier, which would be an obstruction for wedding photographers.

Photographs of Presley are mounted throughout the suite, including a rare image of Elvis playing piano, with Liberace laughing and strumming guitar. A vintage telephone sits atop a cartoonish hound dog, and a Elvis-era Sahara restaurant menu is framed with a couple of vinyl records — $16 for filet mignon and $6.75 for a fifth of Paul Masson Cabernet Sauvignon.

“When we walked in, we immediately thought of Graceland,” said Bartle, who fronts an Elvis band in Novato. “They’ve definitely captured the feel.”

The O’Connells had celebrated Rick’s birthday at the Elvis and Priscilla Presley Honeymoon House in Palm Springs.

“This was a natural extension of that,” Rick said.

The couple had planned their Tahoe trip to coincide with the birthday of Linda, while her family was visiting from Chico.

The Horizon donated the room to the first couple to marry in the remodeled suite.
“This is a wonderful venue for a wedding,” Rick said before embracing his bride for another dance.

Elvis sang “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.”

To book a wedding in the Elvis Suite, call (800) 648-3322.

‘The Greatest’ also performed at Sahara

Elvis Presley wasn’t the only superstar to perform at the Sahara Tahoe in the 1970s: Muhammad Ali boxed Bob Foster in a bout Nov. 21, 1972, during the time between Ali’s loss to Joe Frazier and his regaining of the heavyweight title against George Foreman.

Horizon marketing director Tom Davis recalls accompanying Ali and his entourage to the Reno-Tahoe Airport.

“A shoeshine man was buffing a man’s shoes while he sat reading a newspaper,” Davis said.

Ali sneaked over and took the shoeshine cloth and began to work on the man’s shoes, buffing them so violently the guy couldn’t read his newspaper, Davis said. You could see the man was getting angry. Finally, he pulled down the paper and was about to complain to the shoeshiner when he realized he was face-to-face with Muhammad Ali. Everybody in the entourage was laughing.

Ali was in a good mood because he won the fight — but not before some drama.
In the seventh round, Foster, who was the reigning light heavyweight champ, landed a blow above the eye. Ali suffered a cut for the only time in his career. Clearly concerned about his wound, Ali picked up his pace and knocked down Foster eight times before the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round.