Travel Destination: City Center, Las Vegas

Merging a world of fashion, art, design and entertainment, Las Vegas has re-invented itself with the renowned City Center by mixing the modern with the traditional. The developers behind the vision have collaborated with clients to achieve a balance of edgy, yet attainable, design, producing interior and exterior landscapes that are both timeless and unexpected. The City Center has become the pinnacle of elite hotels and residences gathered around one watering hole. Making up the assembly are Aria Resort & Casino, Mandarin Oriental of Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel & Spa, and Crystals Retail and Entertainment.

Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas > Aria Resort & Casino represents a clear vision of contemporary towers built with luxury as their primary motive. Every one of the 4,004 rooms, whether it’s a guest room or suite, offers captivating views of either the mountains or city skyline. The collection of fine dining reads like the Who’s Who of the culinary world, including famed chef Michael Mina.

Mina, founder of the San Francisco-based Mina Group, specializes in high-end restaurant concepts, and is the honorary chef behind Aria’s American Fish. Mina’s fifth culinary venture in Vegas, American Fish delivers the best in fresh and seasonal seafood that you can find on the Strip. What makes this gem so distinctive is its four cooking methods, which include salt-baking, wood-grilling, cast-iron griddling, and ocean-water poaching. Regal elegance and sophistication guide the American Fish experience; the environment is at once casual and refined, minimal and opulent. Unexpected food design is fundamental to Mina’s philosophy. Whether crafting modern or traditional options for his menu, Mina offers a full range of seafood, with a strong emphasis on forming a creative collaboration with his team to achieve boundary-pushing culinary excellence for each and every one of his guests. Apart from Michael Mina’s American Fish, guests have an additionally wide variety of choices, with Jean Georges Steakhouse, Sirio Maccioni’s Sirio Ristorante, Julian Serrano, the Michelin three-star chef Masayoshi Takayama’s gem Bar Masa, and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Shawn McClain’s Sage.

Entertainment and nightlife is abundant at Aria. The highly acclaimed Cirque du Soleil delivers a tour de force with “Viva Las Vegas,” moralizing tales of the King of Rock and Roll through their one-of-a-kind ensemble. There is also a bounty of bars and lounges throughout the resort, as well as happening nightclubs such as Haze, Gold Lounge and The Deuce Lounge. If gambling is your forte, the Aria casino offers an elegant poker room for the high roller, slots and plenty of gaming tables throughout.  Guests who travel to
Las Vegas from destinations all around the world must experience an escape to cloud nine with the 80,000 square-foot Spa at Aria. The Spa provides world-class treatment, consisting of facials and body care, massage therapy and a full-service salon to give a full treatment of serenity and relaxation, leaving one thoroughly invigorated.
3730 Las Vegas Blvd, www.arialasvegas.com

The Mandarin Oriental > The Mandarin Oriental is a treat for the non-gambler. It is one of the rare hotels and residences within the City Center devoted purely to luxury accommodations without a casino. The renowned interior designer, Adam D. Tihany, is responsible for the majestic world-class hotel. Each room is designed exclusively for guest’s specific needs, with state-of-the-art amenities throughout. The holistic spa offers therapeutic services dating back to practices from 1932 Shanghai. However, the hotel’s most captivating feature is the 23rd-floor lobby, which showcases stunning 360-degree views of the Vegas Strip. When guests want to dine, they can head over to Twist by Chef Pierre Gagnaire, located on the 23rd floor—the only restaurant in the U.S. where you can experience the extraordinary cuisine of the three-star Michelin chef. Other options to dine include MOzen Bistro, Tea Lounge, Amore Patisserie and the Mandarin Bar.
3752 Las Vegas Blvd South, www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas

Vdara Hotel and Spa > Vdara is an all-suite hotel and spa. With 1,495 suites, Vdara raises the bar for an all-around lavish and sophisticated stay. Not only is it a non-gaming and smoke-free hotel, but it is also a LEED Gold-certified building. The team behind the innovative hotel is RV Architecture, LLC, a critically acclaimed international practice. Led by Rafael Viñoly, RV Architecture, LLC is an international group of influential decision-makers known for their superb taste. Due to the structure’s distinctive, overlapping crescent design, guests are offered some of the most breathtaking views Vegas has to offer. Well-equipped with a full-service wellness salon and spa, pool with world-class DJs and cabanas, and fine dining with Chef Martin Heierling’s innovative and contemporary Silk Road, Vdara makes a distinctive mark.
2600 West Harmon Ave, www.vdara.com

Crystals Retail and Entertainment > Not many cities, or travel destinations, offer a shopping experience quite like Vegas—a dream come true for the happy spender, or the average consumer. With a wide array of luxury goods available to Vegas visitors, it is no wonder the high-end luxury boutiques take in as much money as the casinos do. There is no hotel or resort in Vegas that can offer what the 500,000 square-foot, visually stunning Crystals Retail & Entertainment can.  The concept comes from architects Studio of Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell, bringing a whole new design and concept to the forefront. Not only does Crystals consist of a collection of high-end retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford and Tiffany & Co., but also includes restaurants from Wolfgang Puck, Mastros Ocean Club, and an English pub by the renowned Todd English. There is also a must-see abstract 21st century park and galleries from artists such as Dale Chihuly, allowing for a new way to define the phrase “retail therapy.”
3720 S Las Vegas Blvd, www.crystalsatcitycenter.com

– Natalie Shirian

THE SPRING ISSUE

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