Amid Plaza Tower, Inc.’s troubles, it appeared there was hope for the Landmark. On October 23, 1968, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes offered to purchase the property for $17.3 million ⁷⁴ (the equivalent of $120 million today ⁷⁵) through Hughes Tool Company. In the bankruptcy filing, nearly one-hundred twenty creditors sought $5.8 million from Plaza Tower, Inc.; Hughes offered to pay off all of them as part of the deal.⁷⁶ This amount is included in the $17.3 million.

Hughes had moved to Las Vegas in 1966 and taken up residence at the Desert Inn, occupying the entire top floor of suites and the floor below. When management asked him to leave, he bought and stayed at the hotel for $13.25 million.⁷⁷ Over the next two years, he would purchase four additional hotels along the Las Vegas Strip, creating an empire that made the mob nervous. When he attempted to buy the Stardust Hotel for $30.5 million, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that it would give Hughes a monopoly on the gaming business in Las Vegas and prevented the sale.⁷⁸ Regarding the Landmark, the Justice Department stated in January of 1969 that it would not act against Hughes if he proceeded with the sale. Unlike Stardust, Landmark was a new operation and would add to the competition instead of allowing Hughes to acquire another chunk of the existing market.⁷⁹

Due to necessary repairs and unfinished work, Landmark announced it would not open until July 1^st. Some maintenance equipment had yet to be installed, and the tower rooms, having been furnished three years earlier, needed to be refurbished and upgraded.⁸⁰ Hughes took control of every aspect of the hotel’s fitting: swapping out things like curtains and employee uniforms with those of his choosing, ordering the seventy-two-inch beds be replaced with eighty-inch models, and having the older black and white televisions in each room replaced with state of the art color units. It cost Hughes an additional $3 million to modify the Landmark to his liking.⁸¹

To avoid potential issues with anti-trust laws, Hughes created a new subsidiary to run the Landmark casino: Hotel Properties, Inc. He appointed Edward H. Nigro, who ran the casino at the Sands Hotel for Hughes, to handle casino operations. At the same time, Robert Maheu, Hughes’ right-hand man, would oversee the overall operation of the property. Hughes applied for a gaming license on April 4^th, asking for 401 slot machines and 26 gaming tables.⁸² The Nevada Gaming Control Board granted tentative approval to Hughes ten days later⁸³, giving him final approval on April 24^th.⁸⁴

Things got a little complicated in June of 1969 when Sun Realty filed a claim against Plaza Tower, Inc. for $500,000. Sun claimed they were entitled to a commission on selling the property to Hughes. A federal bankruptcy referee had dismissed the bankruptcy of Plaza Tower on June 5^th on the condition that Hughes would satisfy all the claimants. Eleven days later, the referee stayed the order due to the claim filed by Sun Realty. After several hours of arguments in federal court on June 26^th, U.S. District Judge Peirson M. Hall dismissed the bankruptcy so the sale to Hughes could proceed. Hall decided Sun’s claim held up the right of unsecured creditors to receive payment. He did not, however, rule on the validity of Sun’s claim.⁸⁵ Sun filed an appeal, but they would have had to post a bond large enough to cover the $5.8 million claims by creditors. The appeal was dismissed when they could not post the bond by the time Hughes signed the papers transferring ownership.⁸⁶

At the eleventh hour, 4:30 p.m. on June 30^th, at First National Bank the evening before the grand opening, Tower Plaza received its check for $17.3 million, finalizing Hughes’ purchase. The money was split three ways between Plaza Tower ($2.5 million), the unsecured creditors ($5.8 million), and the Teamsters Union ($9 million).⁸⁷