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NEWS
In Vegas, the hot new game
is rooms and restaurants
Despite consumer caution, casinos are refurbishing to gain market share
While times have not always been
good in Las Vegas of late, and the
economic slowdown has stalled
much new construction, competition
for the consumer dollars that remain
is encouraging casino operators to
invest heavily in revamping their
properties – especially beyond the
gaming floor.
At the MGM Grand, for example, a
$160m remodelling of
accommodation in the main tower
that began a year ago covers 3570
rooms and 642 suites. An in-house
team designed the new-style rooms
with an emphasis on environmental
responsibility leading to the inclusion
of features such as LED lighting,
improved thermostats and solar
shades, and biodegradable bath
supplies.
Luxury hasn’t been ignored either,
however, with the venue now offering
Stay Well rooms and suites with
features such as light therapy and
vitamin-infused shower water. And
next on the calendar for MGM Grand
is the opening next spring of
Hakkasan Las Vegas Restaurant and
Nightclub.
Palms Casino Resort has also
been redesigning its 428 tower
rooms as part of a $50m refurb.
Klai Juba and Seed Design were
brought in to create a new look
described as “sensual and edgy”,
with wall-to-wall 16-foot murals above
guest beds. Technology in each room
includes a 46-inch Samsung HD LED
Perhaps the most
impactful aspect
of the D is right
outside on
Fremont Street:
an interactive
video display
television with a media hub to allow
connections with laptops, cameras,
media players and game systems.
And, as at MGM, plans don’t stop
there. Developments next to come
include a new centre bar on the
casino floor and culinary ventures
such as a sports bar and pan-Asian
restaurant, while the casino resort
has also launched the Ghostbar
Dayclub, a Saturday-afternoon event.
Caesars Entertainment,
meanwhile, is going a step further
with a complete relaunch of its
Imperial Palace property on the Strip.
A transformation programme starting
this month and scheduled for
completion in about a year will see it
become The Quad Resort & Casino.
The same is happening at the
former Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel,
which has been reinvented as the D
Las Vegas.
A new lobby leads guests to a twolevel
casino with current slots and
table games on the first floor
contrasting with a vintage gaming
experience on the second, featuring
coin-operated slots. Food and
beverage offers include two new
bars, one inside the casino and the
other on Fremont Street, as well as
the first non-Michigan location for
Detroit’s American Coney Island
restaurant chain. And in the hotel
accommodation, 624 guest rooms
and 14 suites have been remodelled.
But perhaps the most impactful
aspect of the D is right outside on
the street, where an interactive video
display designed by Cirque du
Soleil’s Roger Parent and called Face
to Face comprises 40 large LED
screens streaming colourful content
throughout the day and night. Next to
this, LEDs on an escalator leading to
the second floor encourage patrons
to head inside.
“We’re incredibly excited to be part
of a new era in downtown Las
Vegas,” said the D’s CEO Derek
Stevens. “The D’s renovations reflect
the high energy and friendly
atmosphere of Fremont Street, and
we want everyone to have a blast
when they stay and play with us.”
And Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is
also undergoing sweeping change.
The very first venue in Vegas, which
opened in 1906, says that a new
five-storey, 35,000-square-foot
addition marks its first major
expansion in five decades.
That new space includes 14 hotel
suites designed as tributes to
notable past guests like Frank
Sinatra and Dean Martin; two
penthouses on a vintage showgirl
Caesars is going
a step further
than many with a
complete
relaunch of its
Imperial Palace
theme; an expanded casino floor with
a 1920s-style high-limit gaming room;
and a new lobby featuring historic
artefacts from the hotel’s early days
and lit by an antique sign.
As at the D, modern technology is
also helping the Golden Gate
celebrate its past, with the restored
original facade complemented by a
digital marquee and LED lights that
the venue says represent 1920sstyle
pinstripes.
“The expansion and renovation of
the Golden Gate preserves and
enhances a Las Vegas legacy – not
only this classic 106-year-old building,
but the Las Vegas spirit and the
mystique it embodies,” said
President and Co-owner Mark
Brandenburg. “Throughout the
renovations, our goal was clear:
remain true to our vintage Vegas
character and deliver an experience
that is original, people-centric and
bursting with energy.”
4 JUNE 2012