Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Location Paradise, Nevada
Address 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Opening date December 15, 2010 (December 15, 2010)
Number of rooms 2,995
Total gaming space 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2)
Signature attractions The Chelsea
The Chandelier
Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub
Rose. Rabbit. Lie.
The Boulevard Pool
P3 Art Studio
Notable restaurants Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
China Poblano
D.O.C.G.
é
Estiatorio Milos
The Henry
Holsteins
Jaleo
Rose. Rabbit. Lie
Scarpetta
STK
Casino type Land-based
Owner The Blackstone Group
Architect Friedmutter Group (executive architect); Arquitectonica
Coordinates 36°06′36″N 115°10′31″W / 36.1100°N 115.1753°W / 36.1100; -115.1753Coordinates: 36°06′36″N 115°10′31″W / 36.1100°N 115.1753°W / 36.1100; -115.1753
Website www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
[1]

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas[2] (commonly referred to simply as The Cosmopolitan or The Cosmo) is a luxury resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The resort opened on December 15, 2010, and is located just south of the Bellagio on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, and consists of two highrise towers, the Cosmopolitan Casino Spa Tower and the Cosmopolitan Casino Beach Club Tower. Both buildings are 184 meters (603 ft) tall.[3] The $3.9 billion project features 2,995 rooms, a 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2) casino,[4] 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) of retail and restaurant space, a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) spa and fitness facility, a 3,200-seat theater, and 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) of meeting and convention space. In 2013, the hotel was rated "The Best Hotel in the World" by Gogobot.[5] In 2015, the resort was named to the Condé Nast Traveller Gold List as one of the "Top Hotels in the World". [6]

Amenities

Cosmopolitan features 2,995 hotel rooms, many of which feature their own private terrace; a 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2) casino; 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) of retail and restaurant space; a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) spa and fitness facility; a 3,200-seat theater; and 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) of meeting and convention space. The Cosmopolitan's 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) casino features views of the Las Vegas Strip. The Pools at the Cosmopolitan features three different types: a relaxing pool, day club pool and nightclub pool.

The Cosmopolitan is also home to the Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, which was the top grossing nightclub in the United States.[7] In January 2014, the Cosmopolitan added a new nightclub concept, Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

History

Plans for the property were first announced in April 2004.[8] The developer, 3700 Associates, was a joint venture formed by David Friedman (a former Las Vegas Sands executive), Ian Bruce Eichner (a real estate developer), and Soros Fund Management.[8] The developers purchased the site, an 8.5-acre U-shaped parcel surrounding the Jockey Club timeshare building, for $90 million from a company controlled by New Frontier owner Margaret Elardi.[8] Further details about the project, including the Cosmopolitan name, were released in November 2004.[9]

The Cosmopolitan's design team was led by Friedmutter Group as executive architect, with Arquitectonica as the design architect for the building's themed exterior. The building was engineered by DeSimone Consulting Engineers. The interior design team included Digital Kitchen, Prophet, the Friedmutter Group, The Rockwell Group, Jeffrey Beers, Adam Tihany, and Bentel & Bentel.

The resort was built on what used to be the parking lot for the Jockey Club. Because the Cosmopolitan occupies much of the parking lot, it was agreed that the Club residents could use part of the Cosmopolitan's parking garage.

The Cosmopolitan was the second Las Vegas hotel, after The Palazzo, to feature an underground parking garage underneath the hotel. As a result, the parking garage was built first. In December 2007, work finished on the 70-foot (21 m) hole for the parking structure, while other foundation work remained in progress. The hotel was originally planned to open and be operated by Hyatt as the Grand Hyatt Las Vegas.

Original plans called for the casino to be on the second floor, but this was later changed and the casino was built on ground level, like most other Las Vegas hotel-casinos. Planned condo units were cancelled and replaced with studios and other hotel rooms.[10]

In January 2008, it was reported that the $3.9 billion project faced financial complications, as Eichner's company defaulted on a $760 million construction loan from Deutsche Bank when the developer missed a payment after failing to secure refinancing for the project. Construction moved forward as the developers searched for new financing. In late February 2008, Global Hyatt Corporation and New York-based Marathon Asset Management agreed to recapitalize the condominium-hotel project.[11] however, one month later the developer said Deutsche Bank AG would begin foreclosure proceedings.[12] They bought the hotel for $1 billion during the summer and hired The Related Cos., developers of Time Warner Center in New York, to re-position the asset, manage the development process and assist in leasing the retail and restaurant collection.[13][14] Related recommended many revisions, including bringing the casino entrance onto the strip.[15]

In June 2008, Hearst Corp filed a trademark suit against the owners of the casino. Hearst owns the trademark to Cosmopolitan magazine. In March 2010, the suit was settled, and the resort was renamed Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.[2]

In August 2008, it was announced that MGM Mirage, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Hyatt and Hilton were in talks to acquire the property.[16] It was speculated that MGM Mirage would integrate the project into Bellagio and CityCenter; Starwood were to establish its W and St. Regis brands; and Hyatt would have continued with its plans to operate a Grand Hyatt. In April 2009, the Sun reported that the hotel would be managed by Hilton and would become the Hilton's first in their new Denizen hotel line.[17] Later that month, however, those plans changed; Starwood sued Hilton, claiming trade-secret theft and essentially killing the Denizen brand.[14]

In June 2009, 400 homeowners filed a lawsuit against the developers, claiming breach of contract and seeking refunds for their deposits. They believed that the projected finish date of June 2010 was unrealistic and expressed fear that the developers might turn the condo rooms into hotel rooms only or "finish the building as a shell and not do any interior work."[14]

In April 2010, it was announced that the Cosmopolitan would open in stages, beginning in December and ending in July 2011. It was the only hotel-casino to open on the Strip in 2010. The project officially opened on December 15, 2010, and became part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection, a collection of independent hotels with access to Marriott's reservation and rewards system. In January 2014, the Cosmopolitan announced that points through their Identity rewards program could be redeemed at 3,800 of Marriott's properties.[18] Cosmopolitan is also partnered with the Ritz-Carlton, which is Ritz's first presence on the Las Vegas Strip and their second property in the Las Vegas area.

In May 2014, the Cosmopolitan was sold by Deutsche Bank to Blackstone Group for $1.73 billion.[19]

The July 2015 fire at the Cosmopolitan, seen from the rooftop terrace of Marriott's Grand Chateau. The picture was taken twenty minutes after the fire was reported.

On July 25, 2015, a fire broke out on the pool deck of the resort, burning trees and cabanas, and sending plumes of smoke into the air. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the blaze, including one person who was transported to a local hospital.[20] The cause of the fire was not immediately known.[21]

Restaurants

In March 2010, the casino announced several celebrity chefs and restaurants that would open there.[22] Included were Bruce and Eric Bromberg's Blue Ribbon, Costas Spiliadis' Estiatorio Milos, Scott Conant's Scarpetta, and David Myers' Comme Ça.

On May 2, the resort announced that José Andrés would be joining the resort with three restaurants - creating his namesake restaurant, "é by José Andrés", and one based on his tapas restaurant, Jaleo. Another restaurant, China Poblano, is a new concept combining Mexican and Chinese cuisine.

Additional restaurants include: D.O.C.G. a restaurant and wine bar by Scott Conant; Holstein's, a specialty burger restaurant. Also, STK, a steakhouse by Todd Mark Miller; along with The Henry, Va Bene Caffè, and Wicked Spoon.[23]

Controversy

In April 2011, Cosmopolitan security staff allegedly removed a transgender guest named Stephanie from a women's restroom, photographed her, and said that she would be banned for life if she did not leave the premises. Shortly after the incident, the hotel-casino was flooded with complaints on its Facebook page, which prompted the hotel-casino to issue an apology to the transgender community and to Stephanie that they would "welcome her back to the resort anytime." The incident also prompted the hotel-casino to train its staff on awareness initiatives involving the sensitive issue.[24]

See also

List of tallest buildings in Las Vegas

References

  1. ↑ "Deutsche Bank sells Las Vegas casino to Blackstone for $1.7 bln". Reuters. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 Arnold M. Knightly (2010-03-20). "Dispute settled, Strip resort renamed". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  3. ↑ "Las Vegas - The Skyscraper Center". Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ Christopher Palmeri; Beth Jinks (16 April 2014). "Deutsche Bank Said to Seek Sale of Cosmopolitan Resort". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "15 Best Hotels In The World". Huffington Post. November 29, 2012.
  6. ↑ "The Gold List 2016". Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  7. ↑ Domanick, Andrea (February 21, 2013). "Party capital: Seven of 10 top-grossing U.S. nightclubs are in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun.
  8. 1 2 3 "Details on new Las Vegas Strip development unveiled". Las Vegas Sun. April 14, 2004 – via NewsBank.
  9. ↑ "Partnership names planned Strip property". Las Vegas Sun. November 22, 2004 – via NewsBank.
  10. ↑ Stutz, Howard (April 10, 2010). "Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas sees up-high views as draw". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  11. ↑ Knightly, Arnold (February 28, 2008). "DEVELOPMENT: Project saved by pair's aid". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  12. ↑ Forsyth, Jennifer (March 15, 2008). "Foreclosure on Las Vegas Casino to Begin". Wall Street Journal.
  13. ↑ "Buyout keeps Cosmopolitan in play". Las Vegas Sun. 2008-09-04.
  14. 1 2 3 Illia, Tony. "Homebuyers sue Cosmopolitan". Las Vegas Business Press.
  15. ↑ Berzon, Alexandra (November 17, 2010). "Deutsche Bank Doubles Down With a Casino". The Wall Street Journal.
  16. ↑ Miller, Matt. "MGM Mirage, Hilton Hotels in Talks to Acquire Cosmopolitan Casino". Online Casino Advisory.
  17. ↑ Benston, Liz (March 11, 2009). "New Hilton brand expected to replace Cosmopolitan". Las Vegas Sun.
  18. ↑ Trejos, Nancy (January 23, 2014). "Cosmopolitan guests can now use Marriott points". USA Today.
  19. ↑ "Deutsche Bank sells casino to Blackstone for $1.7 billion". Reuters. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "Fire at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas injures 2". BNO News. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Fire on Las Vegas Strip sends heavy smoke into sky". CBS News. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  22. ↑ Archived June 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ "Las Vegas Restaurants & Las Vegas Fine Dining at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas". Cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Cosmopolitan responds to backlash over report on banned transgender guest". Las Vegas Sun. 2011-04-27.
  25. ↑ "The Killers Give Lovers a Chance in 'Shot at the Night'". Rolling Stone. 2013-09-27.
  26. ↑ "'Top Chef Masters' cooked at Cosmopolitan". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2012-07-22.

Sources

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