Delano Las Vegas

Delano Las Vegas (formerly known as THEhotel) is a 43-story 1,117-room luxury suite hotel. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It is located within the Mandalay Bay complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It opened on December 17, 2003, as "THEhotel at Mandalay Bay."

In 2012, owner MGM Resorts International announced a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group to rebrand the hotel as Delano Las Vegas. Construction to rebrand the hotel began in April 2014. Several floors were worked on at a time, allowing much of the hotel to remain open during renovations. The Delano held its grand opening ceremonies in September 2014. The hotel includes an Alain Ducasse restaurant called "Rivea" and a lounge called "Skyfall", both located at the top of the hotel.

History

On May 23, 2002, the Mandalay Resort Group announced plans to build a 1,122-room all-suite hotel tower. The 41-story tower would connect to the company's Mandalay Bay resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The new tower's target clientele was attendees to the resort's Mandalay Convention Center, scheduled to open in January 2003. The tower would cost between $200 million and $225 million, with groundbreaking scheduled for September 2002, and an opening expected for October 2003. The tower's cost was later increased to $250 million.

THEhotel

In September 2003, Mandalay Resort Group announced that the tower's then-scheduled Thanksgiving opening would be delayed to late December 2003. The company also announced that the tower, located northwest of the main resort, would be named "THE hotel at Mandalay Bay". Mandalay Resort Group spokesman John Marz said, "We put some names out in front of the public and tested their response. THE hotel at Mandalay Bay is all about style. It's fresh and new." The tower would be marketed as a separate property from the Mandalay Bay, and would have its own porte-cochère, check-in area, restaurants, employee uniforms, and spa. The tower was topped off on October 17, 2003, and Mandalay Resort Group announced that the tower's name would be spelled "THEhotel at Mandalay Bay".

The hotel hosted more than 100 local reporters for a media preview the night before its official opening on December 17, 2003. The hotel did not have gambling, but provided access to the nearby casino at the Mandalay Bay. Although the gold-paned, 43-story tower had the same exterior appearance as the main resort, its interior design was entirely different. The company stated, "While Mandalay Bay represents an idyllic tropical paradise, THEhotel embraces modern architecture, contemporary design and comfortable surroundings." The new tower employed approximately 700 people. The hotel included original artwork by Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and Arturo Herrera. Included in the hotel's public areas were pieces by Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra, Valérie Belin, and Donald Judd. In January 2005, the hotel was among other establishments to win AAA's Four Diamond Award.

In 2006, the lettering at the top of the tower changed to "THEhotel" to distinguish the property. Formerly, the lettering was identical to the "Mandalay Bay" letters at the top of the original tower.

In 2011, the hotel became one of the few Las Vegas Strip hotel properties to allow dogs. Later that year, Travelocity included the hotel on its list of the top 10 hotels in Las Vegas, based on customer reviews.

Delano Las Vegas

On August 6, 2012, MGM Resorts International announced the rebranding of THEhotel into the Delano Las Vegas as part of a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group. Through the deal, MGM would manage the hotel under a licensing agreement with Morgans Hotel Group, which owned the Delano brand. All of the suites at the hotel were to be redesigned, along with new bars, lounges, restaurants and nightclubs. The renovations and name change were initially expected to be complete by late 2013, which was later changed to spring 2014.

Although THEhotel had been financially successful, the decision to renovate and rename it was part of a transformation at the Mandalay Bay. In addition, there had already been plans to renovate the nine-year-old hotel tower prior to forming a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group, which had been expanding the Delano brand. Morgans Hotel Group previously planned to open a Delano hotel at the cancelled Echelon project on the Las Vegas Strip. Mandalay Bay president and chief operating officer Chuck Bowling said that while people enjoyed THEhotel, it "in many cases, was a tower of Mandalay Bay. What we really want to do at Delano is create its own spirit, its own energy."

Because the design phase took longer than expected, MGM announced in September 2013 that the property's renovation would be delayed several months. It was announced the following month that design plans had been finalized and that construction for the hotel's conversion was expected to begin in March 2014, for an opening in the third quarter of the year. Construction began in April 2014. To avoid major room closures, only a few floors were worked on each week leading up to the eventual completion of renovations, which also included revamping the lobby. Other changes included redesigned hallways and furnishings. The renovations cost $80 million, and largely took place inside the tower, which retained its gold appearance.

THEhotel signs were removed from the tower in June 2014, and were replaced two months later with new signs for the renamed hotel. Delano Las Vegas officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 2, 2014. A grand-opening party was held on September 18, 2014, with Samantha Ronson as DJ and a performance by Magic!. The party was also attended by Charlotte Ronson and actress Jaime King. The hotel's penthouses were the last remaining rooms to undergo renovations, with completion expected for October 2014.

The new property was inspired by the Delano South Beach in Miami, while also having a Mojave Desert theme in addition to an abundance of white coloring. Delano Las Vegas is also an homage to 32nd U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and included the Franklin lounge as well as iceboxes resembling Roosevelt's hat box. On display in the hotel's entrance was a 126,000-pound metaquartzite boulder, divided in half. The boulder, approximately 150 million years old, was nine feet tall and five feet deep. The hotel's designers had discovered the boulder while trekking in the Mojave Desert in Jean, Nevada, and the process to transport it to the hotel included the use of a 240-ton hydraulic crane.

Amenities

The tower, with 1,118 rooms, brought the Mandalay Bay's total room count to 4,762 upon its opening. It offered the largest standard suites in Las Vegas, measuring . The hotel's first floor included a bar, a 24-hour restaurant, and a lobby. Floors 3 through 6 contained 80 business suites as well as conference space. The tower's regular suites were located on floors 7 through 38, while floors 39 through 41 contained VIP suites from to . The 24-hour restaurant, known as The Cafe, had seating for 150 people. A $25 million spa was expected to open in the first quarter of 2004.

Mix, a restaurant and lounge by Alain Ducasse, opened in December 2004 on the 43rd floor. The restaurant included seating for 240 people, and floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a view of the Las Vegas Strip, while the lounge included an outdoor patio area. The restaurant also included a $500,000 chandelier made of 13,000 glass bulbs. The spa, known as The Bathhouse, contained . Men made up 40 percent of the spa's clientele.

The Delano has 1,117 rooms. At 725 square-feet, the Delano rooms remained among the largest standard rooms of any hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Rooms included 28 penthouses, and dog-friendly suites. A new restaurant, the 140-seat Delia's Kitchen, opened along with the Delano in September 2014. A greenhouse was built at the hotel to provide the restaurant with fresh herbs. Also opened in the lobby was a coffee bar, 3940 Coffee + Tea, named after the hotel's address. In April 2015, the hotel opened its Delano Beach Club to guests. The club included 16 cabanas and offered poolside amenities such as free food and drinks, as well as DJs two days a week. The club was also open to non-guests who reserved a cabana. Mix was replaced by Ducasse's Rivea restaurant and Skyfall lounge in October 2015, marking the end of the Delano rebranding process. Rivea served Mediterranean food while Skyfall offered DJs and 180-degree views of Las Vegas. A room previously used by the Mix restaurant to store plates and other items was converted into Rivea+, a private dining room for VIP guests. Delano Las Vegas retained the Bathhouse Spa.

References

External links

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{{MGM Resorts International

2003 establishments in Nevada
Hotel buildings completed in 2003
Skyscraper hotels in Paradise, Nevada
Mandalay Bay