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There is a market out there who would be interested in gaming or non-gaming niche and boutique concepts . They should be promoted , listed , and made available in multiple online and offline distribution channels , which could further diversify the tourism product Las Vegas offers .
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— Seyhmus Baloglu , UNLV professor and assistant dean of the Harrah ’ s Hotel College
( clockwise from l .) Penthouse at Nobu Hotel ; SLS ’ grand opening ; casino floor at Cromwell ; Four Seasons room at Mandalay Bay
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Karie Hall , the general manager at the Cromwell , says this isn ’ t a property that wants its guests in the casino the entire time .
“ The suites are really built for socializing ,” she says . “ Full-size refrigerators and wet bar areas , and designed with the whole social process in mind , of getting ready , and getting prepared for a nightlife experience . All the details were thought about in those rooms . And then , it ’ s a luxury hotel experience , so we have our own private gym . We have many of the great amenities and surprise elements that you ’ ll find when you check in . And we want it to be an experience where guests always find something new going on in the hotel and the property .”
The property ’ s signature feature is the rooftop Drai ’ s nightclub / dayclub . Victor Drai pioneered the nightclub scene in Las Vegas with a club of the same name , in the same hotel , except when it was the Barbary Coast . Moore says it is the best nightclub in the city .
“ That space is one of the best spaces that ’ s available in this market ,” she says . “ And then to have it on the rooftop and be so expansive … Unlike many other clubs , where only a few private VIP tables have the best view , Victor is truly a visionary and designed this club so that the massive amount of people that will go through it , will all get access to that view and that experience .”
Hall says she has been impressed with Drai ’ s attention to detail and the experience .
“ He thinks about it from the moment you walk in ,” she says . “ What is your first look , what ’ s the first thing you see , how is it visually stimulating if you ’ re not at the property , but maybe you ’ re staying at Caesars , or you ’ re staying down the Strip , and you ’ ll be able to see what ’ s going on there , and want to be a part of that . So he really thinks about it all , and we ’ re very lucky to have him as a partner . And he challenges us , in our space , to do that as well .”
STYLE , LUXURY , SERVICE
A nother nightclub impresario , Sam Nazarian , founder of sbe Entertainment , is part of the next generation after Drai . Through a partnership with MGM , Nazarian operated some of the most successful clubs in Las Vegas ( and Los Angels and Miami , as well ), including the stunning Hyde at Bellagio .
But Nazarian wanted to take it further and expand his burgeoning hotel empire to Las Vegas . In 2007 , Nazarian and his partners purchased the venerable Sahara , with the plan to implode most of it and build from scratch . With the arrival of the Great Recession , however , plans changed . And in 2011 sbe closed down the Sahara , which it had been operating during the planning stages but had learned what worked on the Las Vegas Strip .
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