Park MGM, Las Vegas

Taking up residence in what was once the Monte Carlo, MGM Resorts and Sydell Group come together to reimagine a Las Vegas landmark for a new generation. Words: Kristofer Thomas | Photography: © Patrick Micheal Chin. Park MGM, Las Vegas

Few major cities can speak of their relationship with hospitality as Las Vegas does, where the concentration of hotels is higher than anywhere else in the world. From Caesars Palace to The Bellagio to MGM to The Wynn, landmark properties new and old form the spine of the four-mile central strip. Since the early 1940s and the opening of Bugsy Siegel’s Pink Flamingo, the all-American Las Vegas Boulevard has hosted an ensemble cast of the most namedropped, culturally-referenced and ambitiously large projects on the planet, with both branded and independent hotel-casino hybrids jostling to capitalise on the annual 42 million visitors. In 2017 the strip was home to 148,896 guestrooms, and this number is only set to grow with launches including Wynn Paradise Park and the 3,000-key Resorts World Las Vegas both on the horizon. Entrenched in Vegas lore since the opening of the monolithic MGM Grand Las Vegas in 1993, MGM Resorts’ presence has been something of a staple in the city’s modern incarnation. From its early run and extensive Wizard of Oz theming to more recent Art Deco sensibilities, the current largest hotel in the United States is emblematic of the Las Vegas hotel model; changing its tune in line with what’s relevant, but still the same property guests have come to know over the years. Now it’s joined by a sister of sorts, with the newly launched Park MGM taking up residence across the street in what was previously the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, wherein MGM has collaborated with Sydell Group to overhaul the property for a new era whilst simultaneously retaining the inimitable Vegas scale, spirit and style.

“I think we had a hotel in arguably the best location in Las Vegas that was underutilised in its then current condition,” explains Andrew Zobler, founder and CEO of Sydell Group, in reference to the former property. “We touched nearly every space in the building during renovations to make effectively a brand new hotel that addresses the needs of today’s sophisticated traveller. It brings to the strip an appreciation for the values of the lifestyle hotel in terms of attention to detail in design and service.” At 2,605 guestrooms, Park MGM certainly bears the expected size of a strip heavyweight, whilst the inclusion of the 5,200-seat Park Theatre, an expansive gaming floor and three distinct dining venues designed by Martin Brudnizki should satisfy the variety of tastes that will come through its doors. What’s more, the 292-key Jacques Garcia-designed NoMad Las Vegas – set to open later this year – occupies the property’s top floors, introducing Sydell Group’s flagship offer to the Vegas contingent following acclaimed openings in the similarly iconic cities of New York and Los Angeles. Three swimming pools – one lined by private cabanas – 77,000ft2 of event space and a gym and spa level flesh out amenities.

Where this long list of features may seem daunting to most projects, Sydell Group and MGM have collaborated to turn what could have been a disordered catalogue of offers into a coherent experience, tying it all together with a design that brings the outdoors in. However, where the hotel’s surrounding landscape is largely arid desert and neon lights, within Park MGM the focus is on greenery, light and nature. From the introductory white and emerald green marble lobby and its centrepiece tree-root sculpture by Brazilian woodworker Henrique Oliveira, to guestroom palettes reminiscent of desert flowers, the organic world informs the hotel’s aesthetic spine. “The design is largely about parks and gardens in Park MGM,” Zobler explains. “But we did reuse the chandeliers from the Monte Carlo’s casino because they remind us that we are layering on top of an existing building with a history. We never forget the history of a building.”

The natural theming is most visible in Primrose, the hotel’s all-day restaurant, where the dining room is split into two distinct areas: the mid-century inspired interior featuring plush terracotta-shade armchairs and drawing-room inspired details, and an outdoor portion that spills into a leafy cove at the heart of the project, against a backdrop of trees, wicker chairs and wooden tables. Marked rustic wood detailing links the space with Bavette’s Steakhouse; a more seductive affair with red velvet banquettes and maroon leather stools – the hues of both perhaps calling to bottlebrush plants found in the surrounding desert. Cocktail lounge Juniper meanwhile, located just off the gaming floor, channels the sophistication of its high-stakes surroundings through intimate yet ornate Cox London lighting, rich Ulster carpets, dark furnishings contrasted with vibrant paisley-patterned cushions and a marble topped bar to appease high rollers.

Topping the project, NoMad Las Vegas draws influence from its sister properties and New York roots, but channels this through a distinctly Las Vegas lens, bringing together classically styled and residentially influenced guestrooms with a private swimming pool and casino, as well as a restaurant and bar from the returning duo of chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara, solidifying the brand’s origins as a guiding theme. “Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas are quite different, however, there are many connections between the two in terms of sensibility,” Zobler explains. “The most common design characteristic between them is the extensive art programme. Although the art programmes are different between NoMad and Park MGM, they connect with Las Vegas to provide the traveller with a sense of place.”

From a nature-focused lobby to a darkly refined cocktail lounge to an entirely separate hotel, the property is defined by its differences, but has been tied together by the presence of both skilful design and the vein of art Zobler speaks of, curated by Paris-based studio Be-Poles. Flowing throughout the project and its disparate tones, a curated selection of specially commissioned photography, paintings and prints – from surrealist abstraction to playful portraits – sews the myriad together as one coherent character. Whilst the storied hotels of Las Vegas regularly undergo incremental refreshments to keep them in line with contemporary tastes, it is rare that one experiences a complete repositioning or comprehensive, topto- bottom makeover. Though the city is undeniably a hotel hotspot, operators here face the challenge of dealing with modern history, and some of the most instantly recognisable projects committed to film, television, literature, postcards and more. Cultural sensitivity can be a difficult obstacle at the best of times, but here, where guests arrive with a specific image or offer already in mind, altering one of the core hotels becomes a delicate process.

Deftly handled by a Vegas newcomer with fresh and increasingly acclaimed hospitality ideas alongside a strip veteran with intimate knowledge of exactly what its guests have sought since the early 90s, the collaborative Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas embraces the scale and entertainment war chest of classic Vegas hotels, but takes its cues from the more intimate settings of boutiques and lifestyle projects, resulting in a property that offers guests something different in the context of Las Vegas, but still wholly familiar. “I would like guests to feel that the experience reminded them of staying somewhere smaller and more intimate than a large casino hotel,” Zobler concludes. “But also that it still offered everything they wanted from a Vegas experience in terms of excitement and breadth. It is an entirely new offer intended for the lifestyle customer seeking an experience of place and attention to detail, but with all the fun that comes with a large Las Vegas casino resort.”

sources: Sleeper, July-August 2018.

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