Due to a recent comment on an old post of mine about the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, I just learned that the Imperial Palace is no more. Apparently, it is now The Quad Resort and Casino. This is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
It’s been since Labor Day in 2011 that I’ve been to Las Vegas, so I don’t know when this happened. However, I do know that I don’t like it.
The Quad? That isn’t a name for a casino. That’s a green space on a college campus where kids hangout. I know the Imperial Palace was getting a bit run down and maybe the name wasn’t associated with good things anymore, but it was associated with an older, cooler Las Vegas. The Quad is just dumb.
I don’t know if this means that they’re ripped up the old Imperial Palace. Are the Dealertainers still there? Frankly, I don’t know all what this means. I’m suspicious, though. The Imperial Palace might have been a bit trashy, but I loved the place. I loved staying there when I went to Las Vegas. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to stay at the Quad. Maybe if it’s the cheapest, since it is located in a good spot, but I’m not sure if that’s what they were going for here.
This is just another unwelcome change to what I know and love about Las Vegas. The Stardust is gone, many things are gone. Frankly, too much is gone. At some point, I might not want to go to Las Vegas anymore so I don’t have to be sad when I don’t even recognize the place anymore.
(Unrelated note: if it isn’t July 2013 yet and you haven’t voted for story of the month over at Bartleby Snopes, consider popping over and voting for my story “The Des Moines Kabuki Dinner Theatre.” You don’t have to sign up for anything, give any personal information, or install any apps to vote. Spread the word.)
David Atkinson's Blog 
I never stayed at the Imperial Palace, although I always wanted to and either could never get a reservation or always got a deal somewhere else. I did always like their car museum.
I think since I wrote my book about Vegas in 2004, pretty much every casino I’ve mentioned has been renamed, rethemed, or imploded.
Or all three. There was at least one time that you couldn’t get a reservation at the Imperial Palace? Did you try asking? Seriously, I never saw them full.
I don’t remember if it was that they were sold out (I’d always book late for three-day weekends when everyone was going) or that they were just priced more than other places. They weren’t at the top of my rotation for places to check for cheap rates (Boardwalk, Luxor, Stardust, Tropicana) and also weren’t high on the list of desirable places I’d be willing to pay more for a room (Bellagio, Mirage, I know there’s others but I can’t think of one that’s not new)
They were always cheaper than Boardwalk, Luxor, Stardust, or Tropicana whenever I looked. Maybe different times, because I think Stardust was already gone by the time I started staying there. I certainly wouldn’t have paid more for it. The only real advantage of the place was how cheap it was for the location (other than the waitress uniforms pre 2000, which was before I started staying there).