Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Staff putting finishing touches on Cosmopolitan

Las Vegas Strip’s newest hotel-casino set to open Dec. 15

Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Sun

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is set to open on the Las Vegas Strip on Dec. 15.

Cosmopolitan marquee

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas debuts its signature marquee featuring full-bleed videos on Aug. 3, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Workers at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas are busy putting the finishing touches on the resort, with just days left before its debut on the Strip.

Cosmopolitan’s employees were in midst of orientation, restaurant staffs were tasting menus and workers were scrubbing the floors of the valet area on Thursday in anticipation of the hotel-casino’s opening.

At Marquee nightclub/dayclub, which will be the largest in town when it opens New Year’s Eve, workers were finishing the dance floors and testing some of the sound system at the 60,000-square-foot venue.

Situated between the Bellagio and CityCenter, the $3.9 billion, 2,995-room resort will open to the public on Dec. 15, a project that has been more than five years in the making. The Cosmopolitan will celebrate its grand opening on New Year’s Eve with headliners Jay-Z and Coldplay.

Visitors to the Cosmopolitan will find the resort’s signature design elements and pieces from its art collection around every corner, some in plain sight and others tucked away for guests to discover.

Upon entering the resort, guest are greeted by pillars of video boards playing video art by Digital Kitchen and David Rockwell Studio exclusively produced for Cosmopolitan.

They’ll check in at one of Cosmopolitan’s red registration desks, which are seen at the end of the resort’s TV campaign ad. Upstairs, about 2,220 of Cosmopolitan’s 2,995 rooms have 6-foot deep terraces that span the length of the room, a feature that is unique to Strip hotels.

Yards away from the main lobby entrance is Cosmopolitan’s 100,00-square-foot casino floor, where International Game Technology’s server-based games have already been installed.

Blackjack and craps tables sit ready to be played, but one casino amenity gamblers won’t find on opening night is a poker room. Cosmopolitan won’t have one.

In the center of the casino floor sits Cosmopolitan’s literal crown jewel. The Chandelier Bar is a three-tiered bar and lounge encased by 2 million crystals dripping in strands from the ceiling to almost the floor.

A few floors above the casino floor, chefs were training their staffs and workers were uncovering furnishings in some of Cosmopolitan’s 12 restaurants. Most of the resort’s restaurants will sit around a common area, rather than being spread out through the casino like most Strip properties.

In the coming weeks, the resort plans to place furniture and oversized Scrabble boards in the common area between the restaurants, adding to the neighborhood-like feel Cosmopolitan CEO John Unwin has talked about.

And like every neighborhood, there are hideaways that only those in the know are familiar with. Sandwiched between two restaurants and down a corridor covered in old vinyl covers, guests will find an unnamed, unmarked pizza shop.

It’s one the secrets Cosmopolitan has left its guests to uncover when the resort opens in less than two weeks.

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