In 1986, casino owner Steve Wynn purchased the Castaways and nearby vacant property with plans to build a new resort on the land. Hughes owned it through Hughes Tool Company, and later through his Summa Corporation. Following another closure, it reopened in May 1967, and Jaffe sold the entire property later that year to Howard Hughes, marking his third Las Vegas casino purchase. The casino closed again in December 1964, and was briefly reopened a year later under a new operating group. He served as landlord for the casino portion, which was operated by a separate group. A new signature attraction was a Jain temple replica referred to as the Gateway to Luck.
Investor Ben Jaffe purchased the Sans Souci and reopened it as the Polynesian-themed Castaways on September 1, 1963.
However, the property soon closed due to further financial difficulties. Following a bankruptcy reorganization, the shuttered facilities reopened in May 1960. These facilities closed less than a year later, due to financial problems, although the hotel continued operations. A casino, showroom, and restaurant were eventually opened on October 23, 1957. A hotel addition opened on August 21, 1955, when the property became the Sans Souci Hotel. It became the San Souci in 1939, and underwent several ownership changes in its early years.
It began in the 1930s, as a small motel called Mountain View. The Castaways was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
