Wynn's Great, But Still Disappoints

As Steve Wynn spent more than $2.7 billion over the course of five years to acquire the former Desert Inn, tear it down and build a sparkly new mega-resort in its place, he missed no opportunity to trumpet what he was doing, using phrases and terms that tried to get us all to believe that Wynn Las Vegas would be unlike any other hotel in Vegas.

If Wynn was to be believed, it would revolutionize the way we thought of a Las Vegas resort, a masterpiece of form and function that would change everything.

How does something live up to that kind of hype? It can't.

Now that I have officially visited the hotel, in many ways I wish he had just shut up about the whole thing, because once you strip away the carnival barker PR you are left with a beautiful hotel that shouldn't feel like a let down, and yet does a little.

Much has been made about the exclusivity of the place, from the giant manmade mountain and waterfalls that shield the views of the main floors of the hotel from the Strip to the cost of, well, pretty much everything inside. What this has created is a place that the average Joe is not going to feel welcome in, except for maybe at the rows of penny and nickel slots in the casino.

The building itself is a bit bland at first glance, a curving bronze tower that arcs up to dominate the skyline around it -- taller than any other hotel tower on the Strip. But I think there's something to be said for understated, and since it's the one and only time Wynn went in that direction, perhaps that's a bonus.

Inside, the comparisons to Wynn's previous hotel, Bellagio, are long. The color scheme is different -- bold reds and deep chocolate browns here -- but the shopping esplanade, the casino appointments, the restaurants, the shows and even the font type on the signs are all so remarkably similar to Bellagio that you start to wonder when that revolution is going to start.

Changes are reportedly on the way for the check-in area, almost dramatically too small for a hotel of this size. Since there is no single queue, you have to choose one of the many lines leading up to an agent. If you're like me, you will inevitably choose the one with the person ahead of you who has to argue about the $4 phone charge on a $1,000 bill while you're watching all the other lines soldier on faster than yours. The good news is that once you get to the front desk, the staff is very professional and efficient, calmly going the extra mile to find the missing reservation for a very tired and very cranky travel writer.

Many newer hotels have eliminated the casino trek -- you know, that thing where you have to walk what seems like a mile from the front door or parking to the check-in and then to the elevators through a crowded casino. Not at Wynn. Navigating from the garage to the front desk and back to the guest elevators is not fun when you're loaded down with luggage.

A unique feature at Wynn is the multi-use "Red Card," a thing that looks like a standard players' club card but doubles as your room key and gives you access to things all over the resort. It's an interesting feature, but I became very paranoid that I was going to leave it in a slot machine, as I have other players' club cards, and then be minus a room key. Tie it to your wrist, perhaps.

A long, curving hallway done in etched-glass mirrors and a terra cotta color scheme delivers you to the guest rooms, which are quite simply among the nicest and most luxurious in town. Eschewing the formal touches that abound elsewhere in the hotel, these standard rooms are modernist marvels, with terra cotta, green or faux-wood design schemes blending with the high-tech everything (push button drapes, flat-panel televisions, high-speed Internet access, multi-line cordless phones, CD players, etc.) to create a sleek yet warm space to while away a few hours.

The beds are super-plush, facing the windows as opposed to the wall, the towels and robes are ultra-soft, and the bathrooms are enormous, with dual vanities, a separate tub and shower, an enclosed water closet, and plenty of upscale bath amenities.

That's a standard room, but you can get a variety of different upgrades, including a panorama view room, located on the end of the tower with two walls of windows, and a number of up-market suites, including an entire section of the tower with its own private entrance and elevators.

Back downstairs there are more than a dozen moderately expensive to very expensive restaurants, a couple of expensive nightclubs and bars, and a lot of expensive stores (Dior, Tiffany, Ferrari). There are two show rooms, one currently playing the new Cirque du Soleil-style show Le Reve, and one that will show the Tony Award winning "Avenue Q" starting this fall.

There is a free show in the lake that fronts the hotel, but good luck seeing it. The only way you can get a decent view is if you are eating in one of the restaurants or drinking in one of the bars that overlook it. There are no other good viewing points, except from a small balcony near the Parasol Bar or in the lobby, both of which provide limited sightlines at best. The good news is the bubbling, fiery, color-changing water show really isn't worth the time or effort to go out of your way to see. In other words, you aren't missing much.

An indoor garden conservatory evokes more Bellagio comparisons, although this one seems a little larger and more traditional. There's also a gallery of fine art, showcasing some of Mr. Wynn's private collection, with one-of-a-kind original masterpieces by artists with names like Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse.

The pool area is lovingly and lushly landscaped, and while it's a little too formal for my tastes it certainly fits in nicely here. The spa is a huge, Zen wonder offering just about any pampering you can imagine and quite a few that you probably never knew existed. Out back is the all new Wynn Golf Club, a super exclusive, 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Tom Fazio that is restricted to hotel guests only (no guests of guests allowed) and will run you a cool $500 per person for a tee time.

The casino area is simply laid out, basically one big rectangle divided into four smaller ones, with plenty of slots of all denominations (pennies, nickels, quarters, dollars and higher), a surprising number of video poker machines, and lots of table games -- all with very high betting limits. The cheapest blackjack table you're likely to find is going to run you $15 a hand.

That brings us back to the issue of cost. Everything here is crazy expensive, and I'm not just talking about the rooms. Dinner at most of the restaurants will run you at least $75 per person, with some double that. The show is more than $120 per ticket. A drink at the bar is going to be $10 with tax and tip. Even the sundry store charges $7 for a bottle of water and $18 for a small container of lip balm.

Then there are the rooms themselves. Although the hotel is running some summer specials that could net you one of these rooms for under $200 a night during the week, you can usually expect to pay well over that Sunday through Thursday, and more than $300 a night on weekends. In any other city in the world, these rooms would probably cost double that, but here in Las Vegas it still seems crazy to me that anyone would willingly pay that kind of dough.

If you're looking for a luxury experience, you will get your money's worth here, but you better be willing to pay for it.

A couple of other quick notes: This is intended as a grown-up hotel. No one under 18 is allowed inside the building without a parent or guardian, and there are no strollers allowed inside at all. Also, try to avoid the parking garage at busy time periods; think about parking across the street. I tried to leave right as a show was letting out, and the poorly thought-out structure, in combination with lots of foot and street traffic, conspired to create a 30-minute traffic jam just to get to the street.

Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(888) 320-9966
Highs: Luxury appointments, terrific service
Lows: Luxury prices everywhere

Location: 9 - Burgeoning North Strip but still close to Center Strip
Price: 1 - Very, very expensive to stay here
Value: 9 - You get what you pay for
Rooms: 9 - Modern, unique and supremely comfortable
Casino: 9 - A lot going on,but well laid out
Amenities: 10 - Everything in your room you could need
Facilities: 9 - It's all here, but it's all really expensive
Service: 10 - Among the best in town
Fun: 8 - Spending this kind of money diminishes the fun a little
Bonus: 9 - A worthy addition to the city

Vegas4Visitors Rating: 83

The Full Story

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Wynn's Great, But Still Disappoints
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