Hotel 32 brings Monte Carlo to Vegas heights

By E.C. Gladstone

Loft living area in Hotel 32 at Monte Carlo (Courtesy of MGM/Mirage)

With the opening of the monumental City Center mere weeks away, virtually all of the major Las Vegas hotels on the Strip have been sprucing up to try and keep pace. But none has done more perhaps than City Center neighbor the Monte Carlo. For a long time, this European-styled resort was something of an also-ran in Sin City, but in the last year major changes have given it new life: revamping Andre’s Restaurant, Dragon Noodle, and the Pub; adding Brand Steakhouse and Diablo’s Cantina; introducing comedian Frank Caliendo; bringing back lounge lovers Zowie Bowie; and even revising Lance Burton’s image. But the crowning glory of the Monte Carlo (literally) is their new boutique floor, Hotel 32.

While perhaps not on the level of the highest high-roller Vegas accommodations, Hotel 32 nevertheless represents a significant upgrade in service and style, comparable to many of the nicest rooms in town. The personalized experience begins with a personal driver retrieving you from (and, ultimately, returning you to) Vegas’ McCarran Airport. Upon arrival at the Monte Carlo, your suite assistant will escort you up dedicated elevators to the 32^nd floor lounge, where a concierge will fulfill any request throughout the day. Everything from Voss water and Champagne to gourmet light breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres are all complimentary-even snacks throughout the day.

Penthouse bedroom at Hotel 32 at the Monte Carlo (Courtesy of MGM/Mirage)

No need to wait in long lines at the main desk in the lobby. Registration is completed in the comfort and privacy of your room, where you’ll be issued an iPhone-style device that offers information and contact to all the restaurants, entertainment, spas and other amenities available at all MGM/Mirage properties in town.

Accommodations range from a standard-size studio to the expansive two-bedroom 2,000 square-foot penthouses. My high-ceilinged 700 square-foot suite was an unusual wedge-shaped room beyond a white marble entryway, decorated in a bright modern Miami-feeling palette of orange, blue and white textures and wood grains, with modern art and objects all around and views of the remarkable City Center (to which Monte Carlo will be connected by tram). The bedding, with soft white linens, was utterly seductive, and the bathroom featured a spacious glass-enclosed shower with spa-level multi-jet functions.

Penthouse bathroom in Hotel 32 at the Monte Carlo (Courtesy of MGM/Mirage)

The larger loft and penthouse spaces are the truly impressive, each decorated in varying expressions of contemporary mod-regency aesthetics, with lighting and atmosphere controlled by wireless remote Crestron interface, espresso machines on the wet bars, large flat screen TVs at every turn, huge infinity spa tubs and steam showers with cool chroma key mood lighting. A romantic weekend or bachelor/bachelorette party would be equally well served here-and hipsters would not feel the least bit hapless.

Wi-Fi, newspapers and soft drinks of your choice and access to the Monte Carlo’s active spa and fitness facilities are among the many meaningful amenities; bathroom products are by Kiehl’s, and the Sobel-Westex oversized ribbed towels are some of the nicest I’ve enjoyed anywhere. Turndown service comes with macaroons.

Lounge 32 at Hotel 32 (Courtesy of MGM/Mirage)

While competition remains fierce for Las Vegas hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, the Monte Carlo has managed to make itself a player perhaps more than ever before.

Insider Tip: Andre’s second floor cognac and cigar bar remains one of the Strip’s most elegant hidden secrets. Check it out!

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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.

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