By E.C. Gladstone
Perhaps more than any of the other Las Vegas Hotels, everything about the Hard Rock is focused on attracting the young and gorgeous. That isn’t the type of property where “aging gracefully” is an option, especially since (slow economy or not) many others would love to snag their hot and happening clientele. So their new expansions- Paradise Tower up and running, HRH tower coming first quarter 2010 — almost seem overdue.
Paradise Hotel Courtesy of Erik Kabik/RETNA
In fact, the new towers are actually the capping numbers on an album of hits the HRH has been playing ever since the luxury-leaning Morgans Group took over in 2006.
They built a big 3,000-ish capacity new (Rogue) joint for big shows, while opening Carey Hart’s intimate rock bar Wasted Space; they put sexy go-go dancers right on the casino floor and added a smart-designed Poker Room that gets good marks from novices and pro players alike; they got designer Mark Zeff to test out the new tower’s aesthetic with some gothic suites in the original building, and added 65,000 more square feet of meeting space; they replaced aging AJ’s Steakhouse with the new hip Rare 120, while bringing James Beard Foundation-awarded Italian chef Marco Porceddu in to revive Ago (Nobu remains intact); They even added new retail, including a sprawling John Varvatos boutique.
And the Paradise Tower — spacious standards, funky concept suites and lofts, and one stunning penthouse — may be the best part of it all. New York-based designer Zeff gave the standard rooms exactly the kind of feel you’d expect in a rock ‘n’ roll resort. With guardian angels like Sid Vicious and Iggy Pop adorning the walls amid gothic/tattoo-inspired fluourishes, you expect a little danger in these rooms. What you get is well-designed luxury with a classy but unfussy flourish.
Paradise Tower standard room courtesy Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
A masculine palette of black, grey, gunmetals and more black (even the ironing board!), frame antiqued mirrors, a dramatic high-back easy chair and soft carpeting, all setting the stage for the stark white bed, an island of billowy luxury with some of the softest sheets (less than a month old, mind you) bountiful pillows and thickest pillowtop I’ve crashed on in a long time. Though rooms lack the French doors of the orginal tower, floor-to-ceiling windows give an unobstructed view of the original sandy-bottom pool, which still attracts a voyeur-worthy crowd. A 42-inch plasma screen TV, Sony iPod dock and dimming bedside lamps are among the amenities. The black granite bathroom features double sinks, a magnifying mirror, a roomy glass shower with adjustable rainfall showerhead high enough to accommodate basketball players, and soft Sobel Linen Colombian cotton towels to ease your transition back to bed. There is a menu from the Love Jones lingerie boutique downstairs on the pillow (yes, they do room service). And the DND flags say “Tied Up” with a picture of handcuffs, just in case you can’t take a hint.
At about 3,500 square feet (including all three optional bedrooms), the Paradise Penthouse is the ultimate expression of Zeff’s aesthetic, with 180-degree views of the Strip, a five-flatscreen media lounge, club-worthy sound system, pool table with “obscure digital” interactive projections that follow your balls, a huge platformed silver-tiled party tub and two stripper poles (no waiting!). Bedrooms feature sexy fourposter beds, the master bath has another private spa tub with a view … so if you get invited to a party here, do not miss it.
Don’t think this tower only plays one riff, though. Back on the ground floor, 10 pool-accessible suites (by local designer Mark Tracy), some with second floor lofts (and private elevators), go in an entirely different, bright, funky, fresh direction, with original art, sunken beds, turntables on the walls, pre-broken mirrors … all great atmospheres for fun, with motorized drapes and soaking tubs among the amenities.
T-Rex skeleton to be auctioned, courtesy Bonham & Butterfields.
Perhaps giving us just enough time to absorb all this, when the HRH tower debuts, it is planned to include a new nightclub and restaurant, expanded spa, new pool deck and another 370 impressive suites. Talk about an encore.
Insider Tip: It’s not often you see a full dinosaur skeleton outside of a museum. But between now and October 3, the Venetian will be displaying a 66-million year old completely intact T-Rex in advance of its auction. That’s right, you could actually buy “Sampson.” As they say… only in Vegas!
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Veteran entertainment and travel writer E. C. Gladstone writes regularly for Las Vegas Magazine and the Las Vegas Weekly, also interviewing top Strip entertainers, restauranteurs, moguls and behind-the-scenes players for other local and national publications and websites. Like many Las Vegans, he sleeps only when absolutely necessary.
