Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2008 - (Page 51)

Entertaining Luxury George Maloof is the steady hand behind The Palms he revelry, sin and salaciousness that Las Vegas dishes out daily is manufactured in large dosages at The Palms Casino Resort, an off-the-strip property that opened in 2001, which continues to hold top position as the destination for the hip and jet-setting crowd. The man behind this movement, George Maloof, Jr., has created and shaped a destination that is adored as much by Hollywood’s elite, as it is by Las Vegas denizens who make their home within a few miles of the property. Which all makes the act of entering the resort’s new sibling, Palms Place, a bit unsettling. That’s because the luxury condo hotel, which opened earlier this year, lacks the typical Vegas ostentation and babel. The lobby area is devoid of large crowd swells; the ringing of slot machines is missing, replaced by a piped-in medley of ethereal melodies; and décor is clean, understated and grown-up. If guests are unsettled by the gentle ambiance of Palms Place, well, that’s just fine with Maloof. In fact, he tells Luxury Travel Advisor that he wouldn’t have it any other way. “We wanted to create something that was unique to Las Vegas and unique to The Palms,” he says. “We wanted it to have its own identity by creating a separate space that was its own haven, away from the other things that Vegas has to offer.” The addition of Palms Place to The Palms mix means that Maloof is now drawing two distinctly different crowds. “We have the local crowd that is here every single day; T then, at night, we have this identity we’ve built around our brand, around our nightlife, restaurants and events. It creates special opportunities for everyone.” But to understand The Palms is to first appreciate its location. Like so many other noted Las Vegas hotels, its place is not on The Strip, which was a strategic decision from the get-go. Back up to 1994 when Maloof opened The Fiesta Casino Hotel in North Las Vegas; it catered to that provincial crowd Maloof refers to, offering great customer service and a high-roller atmosphere to ordinary people. “Initially, when I had The Fiesta, I wanted to create a brand and do multiple Fiestas,” he says. “To do that, you can’t be on The Strip; it’s not a brand you put there from an economic standpoint. So, I was looking around town right after I opened the Fiesta for another opportunity. I knew this land existed, but someone already had it under PALMS PLACE HOTEL AND SPA AT THE PALMS LAS VEGAS Owner and CEO: George Maloof, Jr. Address: 4321 West Flamingo Road; Las Vegas, NV 89103 Rooms: 599 Spaces: Rojo Lounge, Drift Spa & Hammam, Sunset Tan, Palms Place Pool, Simon at Palms Place Accommodations: Studios, One-bedroom Suites, Penthouses Website: www.palmsplace.com contract. I had heard they weren’t going to be able to close, so I put a backup contract in, and then I bought three different parcels and put them all together.” The rest is history. Today, The Palms Casino Resort (Maloof says the Palms name was meant to be unconnected with anything—i.e. themeless) is strategically well positioned on what one could call the 50-yard line, with the hotels of The Strip lined up perfectly in front. For the out-of-town vacationer, The Palms is a beacon of inviting, incendiary light—literally—out in the desert. Now, all the components are in place with the arrival of Palms Place. “When I bought the property in 1997,” says Maloof, “it was master-planned to do multiple expansions. About four years ago, this concept of doing a residential condo hotel came about. The idea was to create a building that had its own iconic existence, but still related to the other two buildings. I didn’t want to build a mimic of what I already had, I wanted it to tie in but have its own position.” The result is the perfect composite of luxury amenities and hip and trendy spaces. The hotel features 599 units ranging from smartly crafted studios and one-bedroom suites to sublime penthouses. Because it is a condo hotel, all rooms have amenities expected in a home, from fully equipped kitchens to spacious bathrooms. The hotel is already attracting celebrity clientele: Jessica Simpson recently purchased a one-bedroom suite. What sets the hotel apart is how un-Vegas it is. Besides no casino, the design is rich and seductive; delicate music fills the hallways; BY DAVID EISEN www.luxuryta.com November 2008 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 51 http://www.palmsplace.com http://www.luxuryta.com

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Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Las Vegas Australia Virginia's Northern Neck Posh Penthouses K Club Four Seasons Florence Entertaining Luxury Caribbean Spas The Pulse Jetset Report Luxury Lifestyles Just Back Luxury Travel Expo Sightings Source List Virtuoso Insert

Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2008

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