The hotel is located on a parcel of private land surrounded by Lake Mead National Recreation Area, three miles from Hoover Dam.

[2][3][4] The property was originally a patented mining claim owned by Las Vegas real estate developer Patrick Sullivan, who was seeking gold and turquoise.

[7] In 1954, Sullivan's heirs sold the property for $20,000 to Boulder City businessman Don Belding, his business partner, O. L. Raney, and Jack Richardson.

The name was changed to Fort Lucinda and attractions such as llama rides, a wax museum, and a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge[10] railroad were added.

[11] The project was killed by financing and water supply problems, control reverted to Belding, Raney, and Richardson, and the Gold Strike name returned.

A court settlement was eventually reached in 1973, with the government buying 87 undeveloped acres of the property and agreeing not to discuss any further sale unless first approached by the Gold Strike's owners.

[13] After several developers showed interest in buying the property to build a residential neighborhood or high-rise timeshare tower, the owners approached the NPS in 2003 with their willingness to consider an offer.