LAS VEGAS Today won’t be the last time the Las Vegas Strip hosts a gala grand opening celebration, but it may have to wait several years.
The US$3.9 billion, 2,995-key Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas makes its debut tonight, with gaming industry observers calling it the capstone of an era that saw the Strip evolve from kitchsy themed playground into a world-class luxury resort mecca. While other over-the-top luxury Strip projects remain technically in the plans—most prominently the half-finished Fontainebleau Las Vegas, along with a shell of Boyd Gaming Corp.’s Echelon Place and fancy blueprints for ElAd Properties’ Plaza Las Vegas—it is no sure thing when or even if those developments actually debut. When they do, the excess that marked this development period may no longer be in vogue.
But tonight’s celebration is about Deutsche Bank’s purple-hued Cosmopolitan, helmed by former Caesars Palace General Manager John Unwin, who is committed to making Cosmopolitan unlike any other gaming resort anywhere. Cosmopolitan revels in a kind of luxurious quirkiness, summed up by its tagline: “Just the right amount of wrong.” The slogan debuted in October in a somewhat bizarre national television ad featuring scurrying rabbits, kittens and vaguely dominatrix-inspired models.
Wedged into an awkward 8.7-acre plot of land between Bellagio and CityCenter, Cosmopolitan is intended to appeal to the “curious class” of travelers who are creative and enjoy sampling new foods and new experiences, Unwin says. Like neighboring CityCenter, art and design play a major role in Cosmopolitan’s branding—but unlike CityCenter, Cosmopolitan eschews the formal trappings of fine arts in favor of a more accessible art offering, including an art vending machine and a parking garage decorated by renowned graffiti artists.
The 100,000-square-foot gaming floor features an innovative concept known as “casino cabanas,” which allow for semi-private gambling with small groups of friends—high-roller rooms for the masses, without the high-roller limits. The casino also hosts a David Rockwell-designed three-tiered lounge encased by a floor-to-ceiling chandelier consisting of 2 million crystals. F&B offerings at Cosmopolitan include restaurants by celebrity chefs Jose Andres, Costas Spiliadis and Scott Conant.
Guestrooms benefit from Cosmopolitan’s initial design as a condo-hotel. More than 2,200 guestrooms feature 6-ft.-deep terraces spanning the length of the room, and most rooms include kitchenettes. Other amenities include three pools areas, a 150,000-sq.-ft. convention center and a 43,000-sq.-ft. spa. The Tao Group-operated Marquee nightclub will debut on New Year’s Eve, coinciding with an exclusive sold-out performance by headliners Jay-Z and Coldplay.
