Wynn’s latest creation has many hidden gems
The Bellagio, Steve Wynn’s opulent casino that opened in Las Vegas about seven years ago, ingeniously brought its grand sophistication to the masses.
It invited guests to experience its most stunning features in communal ways – watching the now world-famous fountains from the public promenade, strolling through the oft-photographed botanical conservatory. Its welcome was obvious.
Wynn’s latest resort, the Wynn Las Vegas, which debuted in April, is something quite different. Its charms are demurely kept under wraps. If you want to become intimate with this new Wynn beauty, you’ll have to work at it a bit.
“It is a place that you discover,” Wynn Las Vegas president Andrew Pascal says. “It’s not like walking into (the Bellagio) conservatory and being wowed immediately.
“The more you wander through this resort, the more you find places that we know will delight you.”
Wynn, the casino maestro, built Wynn, the resort, after he was forced to sell the Bellagio and other holdings, including the Mirage Hotel-Casino, in 2000 to rival MGM Grand Inc. (now MGM Mirage).
Almost immediately, Wynn purchased the Desert Inn, a Vegas landmark with the only remaining golf course on the Strip, tore down that casino-hotel and built his namesake resort for $2.7 billion – more than a billion over the cost of the Bellagio.
In contrast to the Bellagio’s lake and water show, the immediate distinguishing characteristic of the Wynn is a man-made, pine-tree-covered, 140-foot-tall mountain that shields the property from the Strip.
“The idea of the mountain is to have that much more control of the environment and the experiences we offer to our guests, not to limit access,” Pascal says.
“People know that we’ve done some extra-special things in the past, so they can expect this place to be full of fun, wonderful experiences, and we want them to come in and enjoy it.”
Once inside the Wynn, what visitors will find is indeed a superbly grand resort with a wide range of extravagant restaurants, imaginative entertainment, upscale retail, an expansive swimming area, more than 2,700 tastefully restrained guest rooms and suites, and, naturally, a casino that happens to be reminiscent of its counterpart at the Bellagio.
The hallmark feature is the exhibition Lake of Dreams and its water wall with a light and sound show in the evening that can be viewed from several vantage points.
As Pascal points out, the casino is a place that needs to be discovered. So, here are a few shortcuts:
While the water show can be seen from a pair of double-decker cocktail lounges, Parasol Up and Parasol Down, those two spots can get crowded. But flanking the upstairs bar are balconies with tables and chairs frequently overlooked by folks craning for a good view.
Many of the best views of the resort’s grounds and waterscapes are from one of the pricey restaurants. But an informal dining spot – currently called Sugar and Ice but about to get a new name – offers alfresco dining with great views that can be had for the price of a pastry or sandwich.
The spectacular 18th green of the Wynn Las Vegas’ redesigned golf course features a 37-foot waterfall. Few visitors may be able to afford the $500 greens fee or be able to wager enough at the gaming tables for a comped round, but the Country Club grill, a clubby room with carved wood and plaid carpeting, offers diners a good look at the finishing hole.
In truth, the Wynn may be an acquired taste – and you may need more than a couple of visits to acquire it.
“You can make a loop around Bellagio and experience everything in that place,” Pascal said. “You could make a loop around this place and never find all the wonderful things that are here.”
For those able to afford some of the more expensive of the resort’s approximately 15 dining offerings, the culinary work of Alessandro Stratta, who operated a Mobil five-star restaurant at the Mirage, is now featured at Alex (they like naming things after themselves here).
Having already earned an AAA five-star designation, Alex has fixed-price meals from a three-course dinner for $120 per person to a seven-course feast – including a potato pancake with osetra caviar appetizer and Kobe-style beef entree, along with wines for each course – for $375 per person.
Since its opening, some elements of the resort have hit some rough patches.
The signature show, “Le Reve” (tickets $90-$110), is a Carmen Dragone water production that will certainly remind folks of Dragone’s Cirque du Soleil show, “O,” at the Bellagio. But despite a theater design that has no seat farther than 42 feet from the performance area, “Le Reve” got a tepid response and its schedule was curtailed.
It’s now back to two shows a night, five nights a week, as Dragone continues to fine-tune.
The Broadway musical “Avenue Q” (tickets $80-$90), an irreverent take on twentysomethings depicted by Muppetlike puppets and real actors who struggle to make it in New York, is designed to reel in a younger audience. But the show has been playing to less than full houses as it tries to cultivate its target audience.
And the resort’s initial attempt at a dance club flopped, so the Wynn has engaged club veteran Victor Drai to operate a new nightspot, Tryst, which opened New Year’s Eve.
Despite those bumps, Pascal said the resort’s room bookings have been strong and the company’s third-quarter financial report revealed robust casino revenues.
A check of mid-February room rates showed midweek prices for the standard resort room at $259 and for the weekend, $399. Mid-range suites were $349 to $489. Top-tier salons were $750 to $1,050.
“We’re not overwhelming (visitors) with scale,” Pascal said of the resort’s design. “It’s about making them comfortable. …
“Having said that, we can be better, and we’re going to continue working at getting better. We’re never going to be satisfied.”