It wasn't long before Siegel's dream was realized (although he died before the hotel blossomed to its full glory) and the nation's elite were flocking to the Flamingo. The hotel first featured 105 guest rooms, and a luxurious array of activities and services, including a casino, health club, gym, steam rooms, horse stable, swimming pool, tennis courts, handball courts, a 9-hole golf course and a trapshooting range. To set the tone, Siegel focused on first-class pampering he decked out every employee - from janitor to dealer - in tuxedos, spared no expense on furnishings and created the VIP section for special guests. When the $6-million Flamingo Hotel and Casino opened in 1946, Siegel billed it as the world's most luxurious and set out to attract the rich and famous. People scoffed when Mobster Bugsy Siegel said he wanted to open a luxury resort in the middle of the Nevada desert, a full 7 miles from downtown Las Vegas.
