Wynn Las Vegas

3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas, NV 89109 Toll Free: 888-320-WYNN Local: 702-770-7100

At A Glance

Rooms: 2,716 Opened: April 28, 2005 Owner: Wynn Resorts, Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) Average Daily Rate: $298

About The Property

It took hotelier Steve Wynn five years to conceive and build Wynn Las Vegas on the site of the former Desert Inn hotel and golf club. Since 1989, Wynn has redefined the Las Vegas skyline with The Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio and now Wynn Las Vegas.

Previous creations relied on a Las Vegas Strip-side spectacle (Mirage volcano, TI pirate show, Fountains of Bellagio) designed to entice the customers into the resorts. Wynn Las Vegas breaks from this tradition with what Steve calls 'design from the inside out'. Instead of a fiery volcano, Wynn placed a $120 million mountain between the hotel and the street, giving him complete control over the environment he created for his guests. The result is multiple 'theaters' of design, intended to match emotion with experience.

For example, sitting in the hotel's Japanese restaurant, Okada, you could literally believe you were in Japan itself. These immersive environments continue throughout the hotel, allowing the guest to reset their 'emotional clock' as they move between gaming, dining and shopping.

The Tower Suites portion of Wynn Las Vegas is the only hotel in Las Vegas to achieve the Mobil 5-Star Rating.

Hotel, Amenities and the Pool

Building a first class luxury hotel with nearly 3,000 rooms is quite a challenge. To give guests the kind of service that they expect at a world class resort, Steve Wynn took a different route with Wynn Las Vegas. Having previously designed Bellagio to be the most grand experience in Las Vegas, the focus here is instead on intimacy.

The resort features a separate valet, check-in and elevators for guests staying in suites. Called the 'South Tower Suites', this is truly a hotel within a hotel with a focus on short walking distances. For instances, no room is more than 100 feet from the elevator, compared to distances of up to 400 feet at hotels like Bellagio. Located at the bottom of the suite tower elevators is the restaurant Tableau - a great place to catch a quick cocktail and one of the hidden gems of the resort.

The pool complex features several pools, some interconnected. On one end there are two pools connected via a long waterway, perfect for lap swimming. Above this are two more pools that are reserved for suite tower guests. There is blackjack and a cabana bar located in the center of the pool area and then on the South end is the Sunrise pool, featuring European style topless sunbathing.

Casino

The 110,000 square foot casino includes all the major games such as Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Pai Gow, Three Card Poker, War, Big 6 and a wide variety of slots including a customized Megabucks game called Wynn Megabucks. The slots feature a special bonus round system that is activated when you use your 'Red Card' slot card. There is also a plush poker room located near the Ferrari dealership.

Restaurants

Fine Dining

Wynn Las Vegas includes some of the best restaurants in the city. While many resorts use celebrity chefs to buy a name for their high end restaurants, Wynn decided this time around that he instead wanted to hire the best chefs he could get and make sure they were actually there working in the kitchen 6 nights a week instead of dropping by to visit every few months. Given the accolades the restaurants have received so far, this seems to be working.

  • Alex - This French resaurant has already achieved AAA Five Diamond status after just barely a year of operation, one of only three restaurants in Las Vegas with that distinction. Chef Alessandro Stratta came over from The Mirage and his acclaimed 'Renoir'. Alex is a serious food experience for those looking for stately dining. Offering a prix fixe menu as well as other selections, expect four to five courses and give yourself plenty of time. The room itself is gorgeous, one of the best restaurant designs in the city. The main central staircase was inspired by Elaine Wynn's (Steve's wife) desire to give the guests a sense of arrival and was cloned from the film 'Hello, Dolly!'. The heavy window glass barely arrived in time for the hotel's opening - it was custom made for the hotel.

  • Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare - Another restaurant that is often cited in magazine articles on Las Vegas dining is this Italian spot. Bartolotta features lakeside dining in a multi-level restaurant. Seafood is heavily featured and the fresh fish is flown in from the Mediterranean daily. The focus here is on great tasting ingredients and it shows. The wine list is made up of almost entirely Italian selections. A bit of a rarity in fine dining - this restaurant is open for lunch as well as dinner.

  • Country Club - The only place on the Las Vegas Strip where you can sit back and look out over an expansive golf course and focus on your steak, easily imagining you are in North Carolina about to hit the links. The resort's second steakhouse doesn't disappoint. This is about as American as you can get with prime chops grilled to perfection. Another hidden gem, this restaurant impresses all that take it in. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  • Daniel Boulud Brasserie - The only 'celebrity' chef in the hotel, Steve Wynn had promised Daniel a spot at Bellagio but due to space constraints, that didn't work out. Well, he's got his restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas and it's quite popular. Located across from SW at the base of the spiral escalators, DB features mostly French cuisine. No longer open for lunch, it is now dinner only. Lakeside dining is available and if you're alone, check out the small bar located inside - it can be a good place for a drink and to meet people.

  • Okada - Wynn wanted to create the best and most authentic Japanese restaurant in America. He may have succeeded. Named after his partner, Okada features indoor/outdoor dining alongside a gigantic waterfall. Serving sushi, teppan-yaki and robayayaki styles, the restaurant features a massive saki selection. The sushi is top notch and everything is pristine and fresh.

  • SW Steakhouse - The resort's signature restaurant is no longer helmed by original chef Eric Klein who left to pursue other interests. Instead David Warzog, head chef at the Country Club, has been working the grill here. Traditional Las Vegas steakhouse fare served lakeside. If you're dining solo you can eat at the bar. Try the bacon bread - perhaps the best bread ever created by a human.

  • Tableau - Tableau is located in the Tower Suites lobby and at one time breakfast and lunch were open to those guests only. That policy has since been relaxed and the restaurant now serves all meals to anyone interested. A great spot for breakfast, you can sit in the main dining room or in the extended area overlooking the pool. Most of the staff here came from Aqua at Bellagio and the same excellent service there has been successfully transplanted.

  • Wing Lei - Chinese food served while sitting in Las Vegas' most expensive chairs. The chairs at Wing Lei were custom designed for the restaurant and rumor pegs their cost at almost $2,000 each. The servers wear Armani and the chop sticks are gold (colored). Oh, and the food's good too. Actually, the food is excellent, a combination of several Chinese styles. The outdoor garden features pomegranate trees that survive amazingly well in the desert air. Wing Lei is a high end restaurant that lives up to the expectation.

Casual Dining

  • Corsa - This restaurant serves more casual Italian food in a comfortable space right off the casino. Remodeled shortly after the casino opened, the room is now much more elegant. Less expensive than Bartolotta but still very good, Corsa is a winner.

  • Buffet - Traditional high end Las Vegas buffet in the tradition of Bellagio, Paris and the Aladdin. Multiple food stations refreshed on a regular basis and including everything from custom omelets (breakfast), sushi (lunch and dinner), and some interesting choices from the butcher at dinner.

  • Red 8 - Another restaurant that is just off the casino near the Tower Suites check-in area is Red 8. Red 8 is a noodle kitchen that serves dim sum and a variety of simple asian dishes.

  • Terrace Pointe Cafe - Open 24 hours, the Terrace Pointe Cafe has a huge menu of choices, somewhat similar to what is offered at room service. Prices are bit high for what is basically a hotel coffee shop but the food is consistently good in my experience.

  • Sugar and Ice - Not really a restaurant, Sugar and Ice is in the Esplanade and serves coffee, pastries, ice cream and sandwiches.

  • Zoozacrackers - Located next the to the Race and Sports Book, Zoozacrackers is a New York style deli serving everything from pastrami sandwiches to potato pancakes.

Nightlife

  • Lure (Ultra Lounge) - Right next to Red 8 and off the casino floor is Lure, a mid-sized ultra-lounge that features an outdoor patio. Lure has been somewhat of a disappointment in terms of performance - you can often get in without much of a wait, even on Friday and Saturday night. Since it has been producing just mediocre results, don't be surprised to see a change in this space in the future if things do not improve.

  • Tryst (Nightclub) - Tryst originally opened with the property as La Bete and marked Steve Wynn's first foray into nightclubs. Well, they thought they could run it themselves and they were wrong - La Bete faltered and simply didn't catch on. The club closed and was re-born as Tryst, manned by established operator Victor Drai and several associates. The club is one of the only in Vegas to feature an indoor/outdoor area and is the only one to include a lake and gigantic waterfall. Competing with other clubs like Pure, JET and Light, Tryst is holding its own and seems to be crowded every time I visit. If you like nightclubs, you should have a good night here even if getting in can be a total nightmare sometimes, even for those with table reservations.

Spa and Salon

While maybe a little small, Wynn's spa is full of natural light, which is a nice touch. Pretty much what you would expect - a high quality spa with the traditional trappings - steam, sauna, jacuzzi, etc... Open only to hotel guests, it's a good spot to detox from the previous evening's activities.

Shopping

Replicating what he did with Bellagio's 'Via Bellagio' shops, we have a series of high end boutiques that include Chanel, Brioni, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton, Jo Malone, Judith Leiber and more. The shopping is all high end and that means for most, it is just window shopping. Still, the space is pleasant and is anchored on one end by Sugar and Ice, featuring ice cream and coffee, amongst other treats.

Golf

I am not a golfer but it doesn't take a handicap to know that having the only 18-hole, PGA level course on the Strip is a big deal. Designed by Wynn and Tom Fazio, who previously collaborated on the lauded Shadow Creek, the course has been described as a lot of fun to play. Getting on the course will cost you $500 and is open to guests only at this point. Even with those prices, I constantly see people out there playing. Don't expect the golf course to last forever - inside of ten years it will likely be replaced by a lake, multiple hotels and an ambling boulevard through the property. Wynn plans to be developing this property until he is ready to retire - or dies - whatever comes first.

Entertainment

  • Le Rêve - Created by Franco Dragone, previously of Cirque du Soleil, 'Le Rêve' has been called similar to shows like 'O' and 'Mystere'. Perhaps a bit too similar? Well, ticket sales were not through the roof and since then Wynn Resorts bought the remainder of the rights and plan to re-tool the show significantly, with a stated goal being to differentiate it from other CDS shows on the Strip. These changes will likely be integrated over time.

Interesting Facts

As with any project of this scale, there are all sorts of interesting little details that sometimes don't fit into other parts of the narrative. I'll share a few that I can remember and update this section as time goes on.

  • There are over 22,000 outside light bulbs at Wynn Las Vegas.
  • A primary design goal was to create intimate spaces. That is why you see the mountain with the little individual areas for the restaurants - they are trying to create 'theaters' for the customer.
  • The scored glass in the windows at Alex was custom made for the hotel and didn't arrive until one day before the hotel opened. They had simple, temporary glass on hand in case it did not arrive on time.
  • Guests walk no more than 100 feet from the check-in desk to their suites at Wynn Las Vegas, while the folks in standard room walk about 200 feet. This is compared to walks of 360 feet and more at other hotels like Bellagio - they worked hard to shorten distances at Wynn Las Vegas.
  • Corsa Cucina was originally named the 'Ferrari Cafe'.
  • Wynn Las Vegas was originally to be named "Le Rêve", after Wynn's Picasso of the same name.

RateVegas.com: The Verdict

Wynn Las Vegas is arguably the most high end property on the Strip and certainly one of the most expensive. The debate on Bellagio vs. Wynn LV will rage on endlessly but there can be no doubt that Wynn Las Vegas is a very luxurious place to stay. I have been known to lavish praise on the resort and while I do see a lot of great things about it, it is certainly not perfect.

Wynn Las Vegas has become my property of choice when I am in town and I feel very comfortable recommending it. It is an expensive vacation, no doubt but if you can swing it, you'll almost certainly have a great time.