Rumor has it

By Sarah Feldberg

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | 12:05 a.m.

While they thrive in other major cities, the boutique hotel is on the Vegas endangered species list. In fact, they're very close to extinct.

In a town built on sprawling properties that pack in more amenities than an average city block, the charms of an intimate hotel get lost amid the noisy slots and blackjack tables. More is more in our desert tourist haven, and boutique hotels are far down on the food chain.

But Stephen Siegel sees change on the horizon.

The founder and CEO of The Siegel Group is putting his faith in the power of the personal touch, and he's betting that boutiques — like his local properties, Gold Spike, the new Oasis at Gold Spike, the Artisan, The Resort on Mount Charleston and the upcoming Rumor hotel — can sell right alongside the big Vegas names.

"Las Vegas is not thought of as a boutique hotel city like New York, Miami or San Francisco. For years, the only idea in Las Vegas was to build bigger," Siegel said via release, "but The Siegel Group philosophy is to offer something entirely innovative: something smaller with the personal customer touch."

Siegel's flagship will be Rumor, a 150-suite hotel opening at the former site of the St. Tropez across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Harmon Avenue. Scheduled to open in June, Rumor will pack a potent combination of prime location and stylish design, which starts the minute you enter the hotel's ultra-lounge-inspired lobby. No word yet on whether a go-go dancer will show you to your suite.

While it won't have a slew of celebrity-chef-owned restaurants, Rumor will have another Strip staple — a fabulous pool. Its incarnation features private cabanas, lush landscaping and hammocks for day, a DJ booth for night. But more than any single amenity stealing the focus at Rumor, Siegel's emphasis is on creating a new "state of mind" when it comes to Vegas hotels. Rumor has it that it just might work.

— Originally published on LasVegasWeekly.com