Travel Agent - September 3, 2007 - (Page LV16)

Las Vegas Hotels Shed Hyper-Themes Many Las Vegas resorts are adopting a more sophisticated, subdued style L as Vegas is constantly changing, shedding its skin in favor of continual reinvention. It’s a tradition that keeps the city alive, fresh and at the forefront of design, cuisine and entertainment. Nothing is static; nothing is sacrosanct. And there certainly aren’t any sacred cows. Now the city is going through its most significant personality change since resort designers tried developing products appealing to the family market in the mid 1990s. Just a few years ago, there were elaborate plans for hyper-themed resorts that would mimic the London skyline, San Francisco, a Chinese city and even the moon. But in today’s environment, guest tastes have generally shifted to desiring a more upscale residential motif and have lost interest in the quasi-theatrical experience of staying in a faux-foreign city or ancient era. Don’t worry, the pyramids of Luxor and the city of Venice won’t be wiped from the desert skyline anytime soon; instead, the insides of these and other mega-structures are being reinvented and a new Sin City design sensibility is emerging. “You cannot ever assume the market will be static for a second; it is constantly evolving and changing,” explained Alan Feldman, SVP of Public Affairs with MGM-Mirage who has seen the city adopt a Sybil-like number of personalities throughout his Las Vegas tenure. “The 18 years I have been around, the city has been improving every year.” Trend Watch Though many believed it was the themed resorts that brought the city to global prominence, what really drew the market during the 1990s was the development of great shopping, dining, entertainment and gambling. The city’s convention business also exploded, so subsequent resorts were built using the same formula. The problem was that while these properties created highly stylized environments that attracted lots of media attention, they actually discouraged multiple visits to the same property because of guests’ proclivity to constantly seek out new experiences. According to Barry Liben, president and CEO of Tzell Travel who has regularly visited Las Vegas for three decades, guests are no longer driven to stay at a property because of a personality it adopts, but for the services and experiences it offers. “Theming worked for a while, but the glitter has worn off. Today’s casino resort guests don’t really care if they ride in a gondola as much as they want a really fabulous spa. They want the best food and rooms for their dollar, so a theme simply doesn’t matter anymore,” said Liben. Another reason over-the-top theming doesn’t work is that it limits the designer’s creativity and ability to allow a property to mature and change. At Boyd Gaming, the company is currently building Echelon, a nearly $5 billion hotel project scheduled to open in summer 2010, that, according to Rob Stillwell, vice president of corporate communications, will be rooted in a more traditional design. The closest Echelon will come to theming is the inclusion of a fivestar Shangri-La hotel, an established Asian hotel brand that’s accented with Oriental architectural and stylistic touches. An exterior rendering of some renovations planned for Mandalay Bay (left); guest rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas (below) were designed to be romantic and dramatic 16 TravelAgent September 3, 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 3, 2007

Contents News You Can Use Agenda: Fam Trips, Calendar of Events, Deal of the Week Cover Story: Hotel Brand Expansion Africa: Egypt’s Newest Destination Hawaii: Hawaii Update Pacific/Asia: Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square Europe: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Caribbean & Bahamas: Marriott Expands Its Caribbean Portfolio El San Juan Hotel & Casino Upgrades San Juan’s New Doubletree by Hilton Mexico: Hotels Offer Post-Hurricane Deals Ski: The Inn at Lost Creek Agent Profile Meet Mame King Advertisers’ Information Classified Marketplace Luxury Travel Expo Update People & Places Special Supplement: Las Vegas Sales Guide

Travel Agent - September 3, 2007

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