Toni Clark, iconic in Las Vegas lore, offers a bit of historical perspective. Her late husband, Wilbur, who opened the Desert Inn on April 24, 1950, "had a dream of a first-class resort."

From day one, Desert Inn did draw the high rolling set, who found a home away from home in this country club atmosphere. And when the party crowd came out to play, hosts Toni and Wilbur Clark were on hand to make certain that dream continued to come true.

Myram Borders, now head of Las Vegas News Bureau, recalls that VIPs would gather at the pool, coffee shop and the Sky Room "way up" in the three-story tower. "Whether Wilbur was present or not, you had the feeling you had a host."

That phenomenon continued, she says, under Moe Dalitz's reign. An employee from this era remembers even staff members being invited to the festivities. "However, when Howard Hughes took over," Borders notes, you clearly "didn't have the feeling you were going to see the host."

Even so, after five decades and a half-dozen owners, the hotel/casino retains a singular reputation for class, glamour and easy elegance. It shimmers throughout the component parts.

In the ever-upscale casino, well-heeled guests tap into trendy machines, sitting at tables under a handpainted/gold leaf ceiling or one of four baccarat salons. The tucked-away sports book in plush leather and polished woods is like a private den that just happens to have state-of-the-art display boards, upsized TV monitors and betting windows.

Celebs are often playing in the casino, most often in the resort's famed Crystal Room. Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy with Vivian Blaine on opening day were followed through the decades by Jimmy Durante, Maurice Chevalier, Peggy Lee, Ginger Rogers, Anthony Newley, and the star-kissed list goes on.

Desert Inn also features top-notch restaurants with the plaques to prove it -- AAA Four-Diamond and a DiRoNa for the signature Monte Carlo and "Best Italian" honors for the beautiful Portofino. Other amenities count a golf course that has traditionally been host to the highest caliber tours and now has wired golf carts, the European style spa and upscale shops.

But there's an elusive something else that's always transcended this checklist. Toni Clark knows it, too, saying the hotel took on a personality of its own. "Whether it was the engaging personality of Wilbur Clark greeting you at the door or the fascinating shows that brought high rollers and movie stars is a success secret that may never be known. Sometimes you can just walk into a restaurant or hotel and feel its warmth and magnetism. That's what the Desert Inn had and will have again."