Wynn-ovation
Theming is out; residential style is in. Wynn Las Vegas introduces city chic to the neon jungle.
By Mary Scoviak, Features Editor -- Hotels, 6/30/2005 11:00:00 PM
 Details create a series of differentiated experiences: Sculptural landscaping and balconied cabanas frame a pool...  ...while Picasso and high-contrast colors mix in a master suite.  Paul Bartolotta’s Ristorante di Mare makes a modern statement with chic dark walls and takes a pseudo-Baroque twist with custom chandeliers.  In bath design,“residential” means putting towels within easy reach and amply-sized amenities.  Make hospitality suites memorable with strong colors, chairs that look “comfortable” and a signature touch—like this room’s artfully patterned carpeting.  Small changes make for big impact. Turn the bed toward the windows rather than leaving it “side-on.” Try using an ottoman large enough to double as an extra seat or small table. |
Las Vegas casino and resort impresario Steve Wynn wanted the first hotel to bear his name to be about ideas. No time traveling. No slice-of-Europe rising from the desert. No theme park with rooms. He spent five years and US$2.7 billion to get what he wanted: the 2,716-room Wynn Las Vegas, which opened in April on the Strip. Some of the less cerebral are missing the point. They acknowledge the hotel is beautiful but, they charge, not US$2.7 billion beautiful. They are looking for feathers and rhinestones; Wynn Las Vegas is the “little black dress.”
As with tailoring, design begins from the inside out. “Everything had to come from our own brains. Repli-tecture was not in the arsenal. The last thing we ever wanted a guest to say is, ‘Oh, I saw that before at another hotel’,” says Roger Thomas, who heads Wynn Design & Development, the interior design, architectural, construction and purchasing arm of Wynn Resorts. Thomas was entrusted with conceiving an aesthetic script for the resort, which will be joined by the 1,500-suite Encore at Wynn Las Vegas in 2007.
Fresh Thinking Starts With:
Re-invention. Instead of twin bathrooms, the Spa Suites feature “his and hers” bath experiences—his with a glass-enclosed shower; hers with a soaking tub. Working with Elizabeth Blau, Wynn Resorts’ executive vice president of restaurant marketing and development, the design team rejuvenated the buffet concept. They integrated more cooking equipment to push stations toward becoming working kitchens.
Forget stainless steel and sneeze guards. This kind of volume feeding is about granite countertops, fruit and vegetable topiaries and still lifes with fresh food.
Customization. Concepts for the 19 restaurants not only match the menu; they match the chef’s personalities. For Paul Bartolotta’s Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare that means turning the chandeliers upside down, playing up opposing curves, parodying the guestrooms’ white molding and dark walls with black molding and light walls. Diagonal patterns pump up the energy level. For Alessandro Stratta’s Alex, Thomas and his team use symmetrical, classic lines to achieve a classical balance. Both restaurants cover two levels, but Alex’s stairway is sited in the middle of the space, while Ristorante di Mare’s glides in from the side.
“Evoca-tecture.” Drawn from Thomas’ personal lexicon, this means creating sensual spaces. Do not just paint; use color to make a mood. Play up contrasts: Chocolate walls with ivory moldings in the guestrooms and suites; textured upholstery fabric, from the almost brocaded look of some of the suite chairs to the contemporary woven feel in the Resort rooms.
Change the language of luxury. Marble cladding works within the easy contemporary elegance of the Salon Suites. But, for the restaurants and other spaces, Thomas and his team used art-inspired carpets for one effect; swirls of mosaic tile for another. “We want people to feel more than they do at other hotels,” Thomas says.
Study In Design
Wynn Las Vegas’ long-wearing design starts with the basics. The backbone of design is research.
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More than 20 mattresses were tested. The top three went “home” with the design team. More than a full week was devoted to learning about pillows before the pillow menu was selected.
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Full-scale mock-ups of the guestrooms and suites, including the bathrooms, were tested and tweaked for three years.
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Nothing was bought via a one-click decision. The design team “imagined” light fixtures, pored over shop drawings and labored through the production process.
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Every decision was made from the guest’s point of view: a single faucet, which leaves one hand free to test water temperature; towel racks in convenient places; even the right level of light from the bathroom’s night light.
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Nothing is one size fits all. “A chef’s table can be magnificent, but it is not appropriate everywhere,” says Elizabeth Blau. “Generally, restaurants are moving away from open kitchens. But you would want the energy of a wood-fired oven in an Italian restaurant or the theater of teppanyaki or robata cooking in a Japanese restaurant.”
Source List
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Overall design: Wynn Design & Development
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Architecture: DeRuyter O. Butler, Wynn Design & Development; Concept architect: Jerde Partnership
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Landscape architect: Lifescapes International
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Lake of Dreams design: KO Company; Patrick Woodroffe Lighting; Michael Curry Design; Imaginary Forces
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Restaurant Concept and Development: Wynn Resorts' Elizabeth Blau and Kevin Stuessi, vice president food and beverage
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Tableau, Chocolat; Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare; Alex; Zoozacrackers; Sugar & Ice: Wynn Design & Development Red 8: Todd Avery Lenahan and Wynn Design’s Roger Thomas
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SW Steakhouse: Vicente Wolf Associates
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Wing Lei: Jacques Garcia
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Country Club Grill: Todd Avery Lenahan
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Corsa Cucina: Eddie Soto
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Okada: HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates
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Daniel Boulud Brasserie: Jeffrey Beers International
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