The 550-foot-tall High Roller observation wheel may be the most visible change in Las Vegas in the past few years -- especially at night when it's illuminated in shifting colors -- but the real sea change is what it represents: the move to bring people out of the hotels and into the open.
A decade ago that would have been heresy, and you can see it in the design of all but the newest resorts on the Strip. Most are built to funnel guests through the casinos, and few open onto the Strip without a long walk.
"Moving outside is so not Vegas," says Michael Dominguez, MGM Resorts' senior vice president of corporate sales. "But 70 percent of our revenue stream is now non-gaming."
The High Roller anchors the LINQ, Caesars Entertainment's new outdoor dining, nightlife, and entertainment district, which has plazas for outdoor entertainment as well as outdoor cafes spilling onto a New York-inspired streetscape. It is not alone. MGM Resorts International is currently working on The Park, an eight-acre outdoor dining, retail, and entertainment district which includes an open-air plaza with community spaces, dining options, and live entertainment such as musicians, artists, and street performers. It will connect MGM's Monte Carlo and New York-New York properties, as well as the 20,000-seat arena that the company is building.
"I have to applaud Las Vegas, they have reinvented themselves again," says Scott Siewert, divisional vice president, sales, of Atlanta-based USMotivation. "They've changed the whole mindset of 'you've got to be in the casino.' They've got to appeal to a wider audience, to diversify. They want to get everybody there, whether they are a gambler, a shopper, whatever."
Of course, Dominguez points out that this is a process that has been going on for years with the focus on fine dining, shows and headliners, and shopping along the Strip. Moving outside is just what's next, particularly with a younger, more active generation coming into the workforce.
"Planners are trying to get outside without being at the pool," Dominguez says. "The idea is: How do we move people outside?"
Having been to the LINQ twice since it's opened, Siewert says that "it's not the smoky casino atmosphere from 15 to 20 years ago. It's a different vibe, and I think the millennials of the world are really enjoying it. It has become, in my mind, the epicenter of what's going on in Vegas. I was there for IMEX America in October, and it was warm enough that everyone was outside. There was just a really happy feeling -- like it's a Saturday afternoon, you're walking outside, and everybody's having a good time. And it was a Tuesday night."
The LINQ has another space that Caesars is determined to make more use of -- the parking lot behind the High Roller. "We will do fun things to energize the space," says Bob Morse, president of hospitality for Caesars Entertainment. "We had a food truck festival that was very popular."
MGM is putting a lot of effort into The Park as well. It is opening up the entrances of both Monte Carlo and New York-New York, and will bring a real Big Apple feel to its side of the space.
The property's Brooklyn Bridge will be incorporated, and there will be cobblestoned streets. New York restaurateur Danny Meyer's increasingly ubiquitous Shake Shack burger joint will also be an anchor tenant in The Park.
Then there is MGM Resorts Village, a 15-acre entertainment and sports outdoor area that will expand to 33 acres this year, when it plays host to the Rock in Rio festival, which will bring 120 acts to the north end of the Strip in May. Plans call for a capacity of 85,000, six stages, a VIP area with room for 4,000, and a 600-foot zip line in front of the stage.
Leaving Las Vegas
Of course, there's another way to get outside in Las Vegas. Fifteen minutes off the Strip you'll find the JW Marriott Resort & Spa, an oasis where business can get done without distractions, except for the beauty of the stunning and famous Red Rock Canyon. Yet it is still close enough to enjoy the fine dining, exciting shows, nightlife, and casinos on a nightly basis if desired.
The AAA Four Diamond resort is No. 19 on the Cvent "Top 100 Meeting Resorts in North America" list, and features 548 rooms and 79 suites, as well as 100,000 square feet of meeting space. It just finished a renovation of its Spa Tower and 12,000-square-foot, circular Valencia Ballroom, which has daytime views of the Red Rocks and nighttime views of the Strip. Work was also done on the 50,000-square-foot casino, poolside cabanas, and several restaurants. The Palms Tower rooms are scheduled to wrap up their renovations next year.
About a half-hour drive from the Strip in Henderson, NV, the same near-yet-far-enough situation applies to the two resort properties in the Lake Las Vegas planned community. The 493-room Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, No. 16 on the Cvent list, hosted President Barack Obama in 2012, and offers sweeping lake, desert, and mountain views. It also features the Moroccan-inspired Spa Moulay, as well as 45,000 square feet of flexible interior meeting facilities and 50,000 square feet of exterior space set in lush gardens overlooking the lake.
In June 2013, the Ravella was reflagged as the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa. The Mediterranean-influenced property has 349 guest rooms with views of the mountains, lake, and its Florentine Garden. Amenities include a 30,000-square-foot spa with 24 treatment rooms and 92,459 square feet of meeting and event space.