LAS VEGAS -- For the first time in recent memory, a Las Vegas hotel is closing rooms in December, just before the New Year’s Eve holiday.

A representative for the Sahara Hotel and Casino cited weak room demand as the reason it is closing two of its three towers, but said the closing is not permanent and reservations were still being taken. There was no word on whether staff members would be laid off.

Last week, the resort’s buffet closed due to shrinking sales. A reopening date hasn’t been announced for the buffet or the towers.

The Sahara’s announcement, coming on the heels of Binion’s decision to close its hotel downtown, is another devastating blow for owners of smaller Las Vegas casinos.

With the opening of the 4,004-room ARIA resort Wednesday, the competition may be too much for properties that aren’t tied to massive gaming conglomerates.

The Sahara is owned by Los Angeles-based SBE Entertainment, which purchased the resort in 2007.

When it opened in 1952, the Sahara was among the most famous hotels on the growing Las Vegas Strip, attracting superstars such as Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.

In recent years, it has become the lone casino-resort at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. Although the Las Vegas Monorail extends to the Sahara, its distance from the resort corridor and a lack of development at the intersection has left it in the shadow of other properties.