Last updated:
Quick answer: Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe, formerly the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, is the 539-room hotel-casino at 50 Highway 50 in Stateline, Nevada. Fertitta Entertainment bought it in August 2023 and renamed it, and a full remodel of the Sunset Tower rooms wrapped up in December 2025. Expect Mastro’s Steakhouse, The Oyster Bar, a seasonal outdoor pool and dog-friendly rooms.
If you remember the giant guitar out front, you remember this place’s earlier life. Fertitta Entertainment, the company behind the Golden Nugget brand, bought the property in August 2023 and renamed it Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe. The guitar was already gone by the time the old sign came down on September 23, 2023.
The building has had a few lives. It went up in the 1960s and ran as the Sahara Tahoe, the High Sierra and the Horizon before its most recent rebrand.
You’ll find it at 50 Highway 50. Heading toward California on Highway 50, it’s the first casino you pass as you drive into Stateline.
The hotel has 539 rooms. In December 2025, Golden Nugget finished a complete renovation of the rooms and suites in Sunset Tower, and some of them look out over Lake Tahoe.
Rooms and Suites
In Sunset Tower, you can choose a king or double queen room, with or without a lake view. You can also book a king room with a balcony, a standard suite, a poolside suite or one of several accessible rooms and suites. The Heavenly Tower has king rooms, double queen rooms and suites.
Great Outdoor Pool
Golden Nugget calls its pool the largest outdoor pool on the South Shore. It’s open in summer, depending on the weather, and it’s meant for hotel guests.
You can rent a private cabana by the pool. Cabanas start at $99 midweek and $149 on weekends. Children under 16 need an adult with them.
Food and Drink
Mastro’s Steakhouse opened here on May 14, 2026. It serves premium steaks, fresh seafood and an award-winning wine list, and local musicians play in the lounge five nights a week. It’s open Thursday through Monday, and it has a strict upscale dress code, so leave the hoodie and the sweatpants in your room.
The Oyster Bar reopened in December 2025 after a renovation. Golden Nugget calls it Lake Tahoe’s first and only seafood bar.
You’ll also find Saltgrass Steak House, Bean & Bread for breakfast, lunch and grab-and-go, Bill’s Sportsbook, Rush Lounge and Bar 46. Park Prime, Alpine Union and the Center Bar from before the 2023 sale aren’t on Golden Nugget’s restaurant list anymore.
The Casino
Golden Nugget says it has more than 500 slots, plus table games. Bill’s Sportsbook is the place to watch the game and place a bet.
The 24K Select Club is the free players club. You earn comp dollars as you play, and you can spend them at Landry’s restaurants, including the Chart House in Lake Tahoe.
Events
Race weekends bring a crowd to Stateline. Read our guides to the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon, which finishes at Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe, and America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride if you’re planning a trip around one of them.
Know Before You Book
Check-in is at 4:00 p.m., and you need to be at least 18 to check in.
Self-parking is free for the first hour, $20 for one to four hours and $25 for four to 24 hours. Hotel guests pay $22 for overnight self-parking, valet is $30 a day, and special events cost more.
Dogs are welcome in designated rooms on the second and third floors of Sunset Tower. They need to weigh less than 60 pounds, and the fee is $75 per dog per night.
Golden Nugget’s website doesn’t list a resort fee, so ask about one when you book.
Website: https://www.goldennugget.com/lake-tahoe/
Contact: 1-844-588-7625 (toll-free) or (775) 588-1010
FAQs
Q: Is Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe the same as the Hard Rock?
A: Yes. It’s the same hotel-casino at 50 Highway 50 in Stateline, Nevada. Fertitta Entertainment bought it in August 2023 and renamed it Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino.
Q: Does Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe allow dogs?
A: Yes, in designated rooms on the second and third floors of Sunset Tower. Dogs must weigh less than 60 pounds, and the fee is $75 per dog per night.
Q: Is the pool at Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe open year-round?
A: No. The outdoor pool is seasonal and depends on the weather. It’s meant for hotel guests, and you can rent a private cabana.
Q: How much is parking at Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe?
A: Self-parking is free for the first hour, $20 for one to four hours and $25 for four to 24 hours. Hotel guests pay $22 for overnight self-parking, valet is $30 a day, and special events cost more.
Q: What restaurants are at Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe?
A: Mastro’s Steakhouse, The Oyster Bar, Saltgrass Steak House, Bean & Bread and Bill’s Sportsbook, plus Rush Lounge and Bar 46.
About the author: Sherry Boyer
Sherry Boyer has lived in the Reno/Tahoe region for seven years, and she and her husband spent decades visiting Lake Tahoe several times a year before they moved here. With extended family around the lake, they spend their free time hiking the trails, boating on Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake, and fishing all over the area. Sherry writes Lake Tahoe Travel Tips to share the places they love with visitors.
