What’s on in Las Vegas: New Hotels, Restaurants, and More
The latest openings in Sin City aim to draw the next generation of travelers
Words by: Katie Kervin
Ever a city of reinvention, Las Vegas is now fashioning itself as a mecca for sports entertainment, too. The rapidly evolving landscape includes the recent Major League Baseball approval to move the Oakland A’s team to Vegas, where it would join professional NFL, WNBA, and NHL squads.
Last November, Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix made its debut, which attracted approximately 300,000 spectators, leading to gambling revenue of more than $820 million that month, a 23 percent increase year-on-year, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
With the Super Bowl slated to be held at Allegiant Stadium next month and the first sporting event—a UFC fight—coming to the recently opened entertainment destination MSG Sphere later this year, it’s clear that the city is looking to attract the next-generation visitor.
Casino hotels and other venues, on and off the Strip, are doing their part to keep up, with a slew of additions and renovations in the books and on the boards.
The Mandalay Bay Convention Center—site of the upcoming HD Expo + Conference, April 30th–May 2nd—for example, is in the midst of a $100 million remodel expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Further up the Strip, Hard Rock International is moving forward with its rebrand of the former Mirage, which the company acquired in late 2022.
Click through the below gallery for more of Sin City’s top new developments.
What’s on in Las Vegas: New Hotels, Restaurants, and More
The latest openings in Sin City aim to draw the next generation of travelers
Ever a city of reinvention, Las Vegas is now fashioning itself as a mecca for sports entertainment, too. The rapidly evolving landscape includes the recent Major League Baseball approval to move the Oakland A’s team to Vegas, where it would join professional NFL, WNBA, and NHL squads.
Last November, Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix made its debut, which attracted approximately 300,000 spectators, leading to gambling revenue of more than $820 million that month, a 23 percent increase year-on-year, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
With the Super Bowl slated to be held at Allegiant Stadium next month and the first sporting event—a UFC fight—coming to the recently opened entertainment destination MSG Sphere later this year, it’s clear that the city is looking to attract the next-generation visitor.
Casino hotels and other venues, on and off the Strip, are doing their part to keep up, with a slew of additions and renovations in the books and on the boards.
The Mandalay Bay Convention Center—site of the upcoming HD Expo + Conference, April 30th–May 2nd—for example, is in the midst of a $100 million remodel expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Further up the Strip, Hard Rock International is moving forward with its rebrand of the former Mirage, which the company acquired in late 2022.
Click through the below gallery for more of Sin City’s top new developments.
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Fontainebleau Las Vegas
The massive 67-story, 3,644-room resort, in the works for 16 years with a pricetag of upwards of $3.7 billion, finally opened last month. As a nod to its sister property in Miami Beach, the new iteration evolves the brand’s timeless elegance thanks to a who’s who of designers, architects, and restaurateurs, including David Rockwell, Piero Lissoni, David Collins Studio, Jeffrey Beers, and David Grutman, among others.
Photo courtesy of DREX Agency/Mark Mediana
Fontainebleau Las Vegas
The first openings in Las Vegas from Miami-based Grutman’s Groot Hospitality, restaurants Papi Steak and Komodo (shown) join LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau—all designed by Rockwell Group. Dayclub LIV BEACH is expected this spring.
Photo courtesy of Groot Hospitality
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
As part of its $1 billion capital investment project, masterplanned by multidisciplinary firm RIOS, the Venetian is embarking on a $188 million renovation of its convention center and meeting facilities. Also part of the refresh, new cabaret-style nightclub Voltaire boasts immersive interiors by Tony Award-winning production designer Derek McLane; while a newly reimagined arrival and the Sala 118 bar and lounge (shown)—evoking the romance of the 118 Venetian islands—now welcome guests to the property.
Photo courtesy of the Venetian Resort Las Vegas
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Orla, a Mediterranean eatery by chef Michael Mina, has opened at the casino resort (joining the chef’s STRIPSTEAK outpost, recently redesigned by Los Angeles-based interiors studio Bishop Pass). Crafted by New York-based Parts and Labor Design, Orla’s is brought to life through tile mosaics, white marble, dark wood tables, and an ornate tiled floor. A statement bar featuring waxed 3D plaster greets guests on entry, while accent hues of pink, blue, gold, and orange in the dining room reference coastal Mediterranean spice markets. Two large olive trees sit beneath vaulted ceilings, which are brought down to human scale thanks to massive woven chandeliers.
Photo by Anthony Mair
Caesars Palace
Opening this spring from Clique Hospitality, caviar and cocktail bar Caspian’s by New York-based Celano Design Studio (shown) pairs brass accents with onyx and pearl hues in the luxurious bar space. A monochromatic passageway leads to the vibrant, Art Deco-inspired music lounge with oversized sofas, blue velvet curtains, and a dramatic chandelier. Also entering the fold, the new location of Peter Luger Steak House echoes the industrial vibe of its original Brooklyn, New York home. Crafted by Jeffrey Beers International, wooden floors meet classic leather-upholstered chairs and soft pendant lighting in the 8,700-square-foot space.
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Bellagio Hotel & Casino
On the heels of a $110 million transformation of its Spa Tower guestrooms and suites (designed respectively by the Gettys Group and Champalimaud Design with MGM Resorts’ internal team to reflect the beauty of Lake Como), new nightlife options are also upping the stakes. Opened last fall with a design by Toronto’s Studio Munge, sultry and secretive cocktail lounge the Vault showcases an entry vestibule with mohair-upholstered walls and bronze wainscoting that echoes the metallic walls leading guests into the lounge. The sweeping ceiling is finished with a handpainted black-to-bronze gradient as it transitions from 8- to 12-foot heights. And on deck for early this year is a jazz bar dubbed the Pinky Ring, designed and curated by genre-blending singer/performer Bruno Mars.
Rendering courtesy of Champalimaud Design
Durango Casino & Resort
Opened in December within southwest Las Vegas’ Rhodes Ranch community, Station Casinos’ 17th property features architecture by local firm Friedmutter Group. Interior spaces come courtesy of Studio Munge (Mijo restaurant [shown], whose hues and textures nod to the agave plant; and Wax Rabbit, a speakeasy designed around the Mexican folklore tale of 400 divine rabbits—offspring of the goddess of the agave plant and god of pulque); LA-based Avenue Interior Design (signature steakhouse Nicco’s, where walnut burl wood panels and warm brass accents join plush fabrics and ambient lighting); and Dallas-based Looney & Associates, which envisioned a modern desert aesthetic that complements city and mountain views from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Photo courtesy of Studio Munge
Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
The hotel, a luxurious haven for non-gamblers that was reflagged from the Mandarin Oriental in 2018, recently unveiled phase one of a multimillion-dollar transformation that was paused during the pandemic. A new entry has been replanted with desert flora, and the airy hotel reception, relocated from the 23rd floor, is swathed in Calacatta Gold marble that nods to the brand’s iconic Beverly Hills location. As part of phase two, that former check-in area will soon be home to the Rockwell Group-designed Peacock Alley (shown) and a new bar concept.
Rendering courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
LPM at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Launched with a London location in 2007, LPM Restaurant & Bar now counts nine outposts in destinations such as Dubai, Miami, and Hong Kong. The third-floor space inspired by the French Riviera is designed by London-based Sagrada as an escape from the Vegas intensity and includes a terrace overlooking the Strip. A pewter bar is backed by harlequin mirrors, fresh-cut flowers add an elevated touch, and the art-filled dining room features original murals by artist Sanja Kovacevic.
Photo courtesy of Anthony Mair for Maison
Rio Hotel & Casino
Dreamscape Companies’ redevelopment of the property a block off the Strip on Flamingo Boulevard encompasses 2,500 suites, a casino floor, meeting and convention space, and five acres of poolside amenities at the hands of locally based Marnell Architecture and landscape architecture firm Lifescapes International. West Hollywood-based GGID and London and LA firm Fettle are collaborating on the porte-cochère, reception, and Circle Bar, and have reimagined the former Carnival World Buffet space into the vibrant Canteen Food Hall (shown).
Read more about the project; photo by Maxime Lemoine
ICONS Sky Villa at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Once touted as Elvis’ home-away-from-home, the 13,200-square-foot suite on the property’s 30th floor has been renamed the Markus Klinko ICONS Sky Villa and reintroduced as a showcase for a collection of celebrity portraits from the award-winning photographer. More than 50 pieces—including stunning shots of Lady Gaga, David Bowie, and Beyoncé—are on permanent display in the opulent abode.
Photo courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas
The Sundry
UnCommons, a mixed-use development in southwest Las Vegas, has introduced the Sundry, TableOne Hospitality’s 18,000-square-foot food hall crafted by Dallas-based Studio 11 Design. The firm’s first foray into the market, the light-filled space’s industrial bones act as a canvas to showcase the 14 concepts—from sit-down restaurants to more casual spots. Dramatic 40-foot-high ceilings are both leveraged and brought to human scale thanks to innovative seating arrangements, including three central dome-like structures with wooden frames that surround curving upholstered banquettes.
Photo by Angelo Clinton