Las Vegas Hotel Watch: Four Big Renovations and a New Opening

By Amanda Copkov Jun 28, 2017 9:30am

Four luxury renovations and one brand new luxury hotel have been popping up across the Las Vegas Strip during the past year. Historic hotels have been revitalizing themselves to add new modern charms, while new ones are working hard to incorporate authentic personalities of their own. Here’s a list of five Las Vegas hotels you should keep on your radar:

MGM Grand

Considered one of the largest hotels on earth, this luxury hotel underwent a $160 million grand renovation in 2012 of its 5,000-plus rooms. This month, however, the MGM Grand is undergoing another $130 million renovation once again – but this time, of its Conference Center. Renovations of the Conference Center began on Tuesday, June 20, during the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress 2017.

Once completed, the new space will connect to the existing conference center on all three of its floors and will include a new courtyard that can be made available for private events. More luxe additions as part of this renovation include two new ballrooms, three junior ballrooms and 11 breakout rooms. These new rooms will be added to the existing Marquee Ballroom and Grand Garden Arena.

After the renovation, the entire second floor of the Conference Center will be devoted to MGM Grand’s Stay Well Meetings. Introduced by the MGM Grand in 2014, these meetings are billed as the industry’s first wellness-focused meetings offerings, and are meant to stimulate “healthy, productive and creative work environments” in the midst of what may be stressful business conferences.

Visit www.mgmgrand.com

Planet Hollywood

The construction teams of this hotel just put the finishing touches on a nine-month renovation project this month. The 2,496 redesigned rooms represent a “milestone” for Caesars Entertainment Corp., which has financed the reconstruction of many of its Las Vegas properties’ luxury rooms. This hotel was last remodeled in 2006. The cost of Planet Hollywood’s room reconstruction exceeded $100 million and is the first of Caesars' Las Vegas properties to be completed.

The new rooms are made of brighter and “more fun” interiors, as per the request of many Planet Hollywood clients, with tile mosaic portraits adorning the white walls of the bathrooms for a bit more pop and pizzazz. A night-time photo of a city skyline makes for a realistic image on each of the room’s closet doors, adding to the hotel’s new lively personality.

Visit www.caesars.com/planet-hollywood

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

The famous hotel finished up a $13 million renovation in mid-December. Originally opened in 1995, the money went toward the renewal of Casino Tower’s 575 guest rooms. Suites now have a new contemporary style, accentuated by shades of soft gray, white and plum, with views looking out towards the Las Vegas cityscape. With a brand new design also comes brand new amenities, which include 55-inch HDTVs and USB ports, along with bigger, “spa-like” bathrooms.

In terms of entertainment, the hotel will host several celebrity performances this upcoming July, featuring rappers Puff Daddy and Flo Rida, comedian Kevin Hart, and rock groups such as Third Eye Blind and Taking Back Sunday. For nightlife, the Hard Rock Hotel has several bars and clubs to choose from, such as the alternative Breathe Pool Ultra Lounge and Center Bar.

Visit www.hardrockhotel.com/

Flamingo

Speaking to the heart of the hotel’s name, the Flamingo’s 1,270 renovated rooms will be newly adorned in pops of gold and flamingo pink once renovations are complete in the second quarter of 2018. This long-time Las Vegas Strip hotel celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, thus its new contemporary-meets-retro-chic design is intended to accentuate its history as well.

Another one of Caesars' renovation projects, the renovation of this luxury hotel is worth $90 million. Though the expected completion date is in 2018, guests should be able to arrive in November of this year.

Visit www.caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas

Lucky Dragon

This brand new boutique hotel and casino just opened up last year, and adds a stroke of unique Asian flair to the Las Vegas Strip, making it the first resort to be built from the ground up since the Cosmopolitan in 2010.

The hotel’s casino has the traditional game tables, servicing games like blackjack and baccarat, and is also equipped will 300 slot machines. The real kicker here, however, is the centerpiece of the casino: a thousand-piece, 1.25-ton hand-blown glass dragon that took nearly 800 employees 12 weeks to put together.

Not in the mood for gambling? Guests at the Lucky Dragon can kick back and relax at the adults-only pool area, intended for those ages 21 and over. Pool-goers can sip on their favorite drink while laying on a lily pad or pool-side daybed.

Sticking with its authentic Chinese vibe, the Lucky Dragon also offers a variety of restaurants that serve up some Taipei and Beijing-inspired fare: from street food classics, to dim sum, to Chinese fine dining. The hotel even has its own tea garden.

One thing to bear in mind: don’t be surprised when the hotel doesn’t have a fourth floor, as the number four is considered bad luck in Chinese tradition.

Visit http://luckydragonlv.com/