Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 5 . WHERE TO STAY
let’s say 2 or 3 years—they might find several surprises awaiting them on the Strip.
And if it’s been more than a decade, well, forget it. All of the classic old hotels are
either gone (Sands, Hacienda) or renovated virtually beyond recognition (Caesars,
The Flamingo). In their place rise bigger and better and trendier resort hotels,
changing the landscape and altering the welcome that Vegas visitors receive.
The new era of Vegas hotels was ushered in by The Mirage, and since then,
everyone has been trying to up the ante. The year 1997 began with the opening
of New York–New York, which set yet another level of stupendous excess that
remained unmatched for, oh, at least 18 months.
The fall of 1998 saw the official beginning of the new era of Vegas luxury
resorts (many with themes), with the opening of the opulent Bellagio, followed
by Mandalay Bay and Four Seasons. And then these took a back seat (sort of)
to The Venetian, which combines the jaw-dropping detail and extravagance of
New York–New York (complete with canals and gondolas) with the luxury of
Bellagio. Could anything top it? Possibly—hot on its heels was Paris, themed as
you can imagine, and just a few months later, the new and improved Aladdin,
with its desert-fantasy decor.
For a change, 2003 seemed rather quiet in terms of new things to see and do.
Sure, Caesars opened its Roman Colosseum replica, built just to house Celine
Dion’s new show, but other than that, no grand new hotels or major expansions
arrived, unless you count (and we sure do) the arrival of a true luxury resort, the
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, over in nearby Henderson.
On the other hand, 2004 will kick off another wave of new construction.
Look for 1,000 new rooms and other new goodies at Mandalay Bay; 1,000 more
rooms at The Venetian, along with several new restaurants, and 900 new rooms
(and restaurants and spa) for the Bellagio. Caesars is gearing up for another 700
rooms themselves. And hotels that aren’t building are changing hands: Look for
the Aladdin to get a cinematic makeover, care of its new owner Planet Hollywood,
and for likely renovations at the Golden Nugget by its new owners. Look
also for the brand-new Westin Spa Resort to open on the totally gutted remains
of the Maxim Hotel, by the end of 2003 or so. It was only beams when we went
to press, but given the reputation of the company, this could finally be the classy
boutique hotel we’ve been hoping someone would open in town. (And, if not,
the local scuttlebutt says that Ocean’s 11 stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney are
in talks to open a boutique hotel on the Strip in partnership with the Venetian.)
And then 2005 will bring the eagerly awaited Wynn Las Vegas, the latest hotel
concept from Steve Wynn, the man behind Mirage Corp., at a mere cost of $2
billion. Wynn Las Vegas (formerly billed as Le Reve after a Picasso painting that
Wynn owns but whose title had zero name recognition—a marketing no-no in
Vegas) is going up on the hallowed grounds once occupied by the Desert Inn.
Look for a new expensive art collection, a 150-foot-tall man-made mountain
that will block the hotel from the Strip, a state-of-the-art $100 million domed
showroom, a new golf course, many fantastic restaurants, and much more. Just
as The Mirage set off an explosion of development, so too may Wynn Las Vegas,
with continued rumors of the New Frontier being replaced by a San Francisco–themed
resort and an $800 million hotel/casino next door, a Londonthemed
resort just north of The Riviera, a boutique hotel (maybe a W?) next to
the Frontier, and possible wrecking balls in store for the Stardust and the Tropicana.
Of course, another economic downturn of even the slightest size could
prevent all of it. Stay tuned.