Here's a look at 10 highly anticipated venues scheduled to open in the coming months.
1. Village Hospitality L.L.C. has selected Dolce Hotels and Resorts to rebrand and manage the former Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas property, which closed in May. Dolce plans to open the new property in the first quarter of 2011. Dolce is retaining many of the location's physical features, and making changes like a more contemporary lobby, an updated dining venue, and a new spa. The focus of the new restaurant will be on cuisine that is low-glycemic, fresh, and local. The restaurant design will allow guests to interact with chefs via an exhibition kitchen. Dolce will also have full-service spa offerings and wellness initiatives for meetings and groups. The 349-room resort sits on 15 acres of the master-planned Lake Las Vegas development, which offers sweeping views, two resort-hotels, two marinas, residences, and a European-style village. It has Mediterranean architecture, with clay tile roofs and arched doorways. There is 32,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space and a 30,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, with multiple dining and lounge areas.
2. The landmark Tropicana Las Vegas is undergoing a $165 million phase-one transformation, expected to be completed in April. The upgrades will include a redesigned facade, all-new rooms and suites, new amenities, restaurants and bars, and entertainment and nightlife options. Expect a total overhaul: “We are changing everything. We are turning great spaces into emotionally engaging environments. This transformation will revitalize our brand while redefining the ultimate resort experience, bringing the best of South Beach to the heart of Las Vegas,” said chairman and C.E.O. Alex Yemenidjian in a release. The first of the new hotel rooms, with bamboo furnishings and white plantation shutters, is expected to open on April 23 in the Paradise Tower.
3-4. Nikki Beach Club, the group with nightclubs and beach clubs around the resort designations of the world, will be coming to the Tropicana in April with two new entertainment experiences: the Nikki Beach Club and Club Nikki. Nikki Beach Club will be on more than four acres of Tropicana’s natural pool landscape, and will offer loungers around the pool so that guests can sun themselves in the middle of the action, as well as beds and cabanas for a more secluded experience. The space will offer premium bottle service and hors d’oeuvres. Nikki Beach Club will include a Las Vegas restaurant, outdoor café and bar, swim-up blackjack, and a private island in the center of the pool.
The new 15,000 square foot Club Nikki will have an all-white color scheme, and European-style service. It will offer an ultralounge space and dance floor, as well as interactive entertainment like champagne muses and well-known DJs dueling on each side of the dance floor.
5. After a quiet, soft opening in December, P.J. Clarke’s expects to ramp up in early 2011 with its first West Coast location at the Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas. The venue has 12,000 square feet, seating 323 people in two dining rooms, 20 stools at the main bar and another dozen at Sidecar. A private dining room, with industrial decor, factory-style accents, and a separate kitchen is available off from the main dining room by French doors and vintage-style pull-down shades. Private events for 200 guests can be accommodated.
6-7. After much ado, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opened in December. But officially opening to the public in January is its nightclub and dayclub, Marquee, which comes from the Tao Group. Designed by Rockwell Group, the club consists of seven bars that transition patrons between three luxe rooms and a variety of musical experiences. Design elements range from chandeliers made from bike chains and sprockets in the Boom Box Room to modern Renaissance-style murals on the ceiling of the women’s lounge. The main room has a 40-foot LED video wall and projection stage with custom DJ booth, surrounded by plush coliseum-style banquette seating and two dance floors.
The dayclub pool is an adults-only lounge by day and an extension of the nightclub in the evening. There are two tiers of cabanas: Eight V.I.P. cabanas have private spas and glass-walled plunge pools, and 10 pool-view cabanas are set in the middle of the pool deck action. The bungalow suites are three-story suites overlooking the club. A shaded gaming area with five blackjack tables and one craps table is near the east pool bar and nightclub. The pool is adjacent to the nightclub, separated by glass panels, on the sixth floor of the resort.
8. Hubert Keller of Top Chef Masters introduced a new restaurant inspired by his travels through Europe, Asia, and South America: Fleur by Hubert Keller. The new restaurant at Mandalay Bay soft-opened in December, with plans for a January grand opening. It offers an array of international small plates, including “In the Shower” mac and cheese (a Top Chef Masters dish), foie gras cappuccino, kushi oysters on the half shell with orange puree and margarita sorbet, and tart flambé with caramelized onions and bacon crème fraîche. The space has a masculine, earth-inspired ambience. Natural tones, wood elements, and a spacious patio round out the look and feel.
9. The meeting space at Bally’s Las Vegas is currently in the midst of a face-lift. All of the meeting rooms will be updated with new carpet, fixtures, and wall coverings. A release describes the new look of the venues as “classic with a modern flair.” The space is expected to be completed by early 2011.
10. Dominick DeMarco Jr., the son of the owner of Di Fara Pizza in New York, will bring a pizza venue to the Las Vegas area in the summer of 2011. It will be at 9785 West Charleston Boulevard.