I’ve stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas a couple of times in the past year and a half. It may seem perverse to spend cash dollars on a swanky hotel room when I could just take a comp at some other nice property with a casino. But I was curious! And as we all know, the problem with comps is that pesky feeling of having to give the property in question a certain level of play in exchange for all the freebies.
My first MO stay was just one night during the G2E show (Global Gaming Expo) in late September 2013. I figured I’d be too busy playing with fake convention-bucks at the Sands Expo Hall to justify myself comp-wise at my usual Cosmo home base. So why not take this opportunity to treat myself to a new and different hotel experience?
MO Las Vegas is located in the CityCenter complex, just south of the Crystals shopping center and just east of Aria. There’s no self-parking, only valet (though if you like, you can self-park at the Aria lot next door). The building is not quite rectangular, but vaguely wedge-shaped, and it has an odd setup: The top half is all condos, and the hotel is on floors 4 through 23.
Instead of walking into the ground floor entrance and boom, there’s registration, you have to take an elevator up to the “Sky Lobby” on the 23rd floor to check in. Then — and this is where it gets weird — you go around a corner to a different elevator bank and go DOWN to whatever floor you’re on. Even after you’ve checked in, you can’t just take an elevator from the entrance to your room floor; you always have to transfer. This could potentially be very confusing for guests who have enjoyed one too many delicious beverages out on the town and are returning late to their rooms.
The foyer of the hotel provides a good preview of the “holy crap, we’re in luxuryland” feeling that pervades the entire property. It practically hums with stillness and serenity, and there’s a beautiful, delicate scent throughout the public areas — I think it's a mixture of jasmine, orange blossom, and white tea. (The MO toiletries echo this scent.) In the elevator up to reception level there’s a little velvet bench, which I suppose is there in case you are too weary or fragile to remain standing for the few seconds it takes to get there.
The elevator doors whoosh open silently at Floor 23, and you find yourself in a large, minimal, exquisitely designed space. I didn’t take photos, but there’s one here.
The vibe reminds me of the scene in the movie Blade Runner where the owl flies across the room at Tyrell Corporation headquarters.
Rachel: Do you like our owl?
Deckard: It’s artificial?
Rachel: Of course it is.
Deckard: Must be expensive.
Rachel: Very.
In addition to reception, this level includes other public areas such as the tearoom, one of the restaurants (Pierre Gagnaire’s Twist), and the bar. The reception staff is ever so polite. If you’ve stayed there before, they hand you a cream-colored envelope containing a handwritten note thanking you for your return visit.
You get your room key, take the second elevator down to your floor, and walk down the hall to your room on ultra-thick carpet that completely muffles your footsteps.
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On both visits I stayed in a Cityscape room, which is the second-to-bottom room tier. These are located on floors 9-22, and overlook the pool area and Aria and/or Monte Carlo. My room rate was $205 plus resort fee and tax, for a one-night total of $257.33.
The view of the pool was kind of nice. And the room was DEAD silent. It was as though all the noise and bustle right outside on the Strip simply didn’t exist.
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Immediately to one side when you first enter the room, there’s a dark wood-paneled dressing area with mirrors, drawers, a wardrobe, and a marble countertop where you can put your suitcase. The room safe is tucked away in one of the drawers. Right inside the door is a discreetly labeled cabinet that says “VALET CLOSET.” (There’s an access hatch outside in the hallway, at right angles with the room door.) We’ll return to this later, because to me it’s one of the most magical features of MO rooms.
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Continuing into the room, you see that the bathroom has one semi-sheer wall. There’s a sliding panel that you can close for more privacy from the main bedroom area, if desired.
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The bed, corner sofa, desk, and TV area are all very attractively designed. Furniture is actual wood and stone and metal, not laminate or veneer. The bed is an extremely comfortable high-end pillow-top, with linens that rival Wynn’s and Encore’s (high praise). The textured panel above the headboard is made of iridescent spangles that shimmer and catch the light.
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Back to the bathroom. Instead of tossing a pile of mini-soaps and hand lotion tubes onto the countertop, MO presents its toiletries in a little chest with drawers containing all the different items. All their bath and body products smell heavenly.
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Double sinks, plush robes and towels, and all other essentials.
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The bathtub is amazing. It’s so long and deep, it’s more like a sarcophagus. Next to this tubcophagus is a little pot of scented bath salts. I’m not much of a tub person, but given this extraordinary presentation, I had to take at least one bath. I was glad I did.
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Tucked away in drawers next to the minibar (discreetly hidden in a dark wood cabinet by the TV), there's a selection of teas, an electric kettle, and porcelain teacups.
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Even the bedroom slippers come in a special presentation bag:
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Like the bathroom toiletries, the in-room guides (room service menu, etc.) are housed in a little case with a thick red tassel.
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I wallowed in the comfort of my room for a while before going out. I wanted to check out the Mandarin Bar. I’d stopped by briefly once before, and thought it was really pretty, with a unique view. Rather than being a broad panorama like you get from, say, the Cosmopolitan terraces, it's a really urban-feeling, high-rise vista. Especially when you look to the north, the view is sliced and diced by the surrounding CityCenter buildings into an abstract mosaic of glass and reflected light.
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The bar décor is cool and elegant, with little tables and chairs around the edges of the room in addition to the actual bar, which is made of semi-translucent stone, illuminated from beneath. The back bar is all glass and chrome and wood.
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Complimentary bar snacks include seriously yummy wasabi-covered nuts, a rice cracker mix, and smoked almonds. Best bar nibbles I’ve encountered in Vegas, other than the Encore Lobby Bar’s insanely good house-made BBQ potato chips!
I ordered a Negroni variant (they called it an “Un-Usual Negroni”). At $18 before tax and tip, it needed to be pretty damn good — and it was. Here’s the recipe for my reverse-engineered version at home:
2 oz Hendrick’s gin
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz Aperol
Orange peel
Ice
Cut a long, thin strip of orange peel and curl it into a spiral above a cocktail (martini) glass, so the orange oil sprays into the glass and around the rim. Tuck the spiral over the side of the glass. Stir the liquid ingredients together with ice in a cocktail tin until well chilled, then strain into the glass and enjoy.
Note: If you have an aversion to bitter flavors in your boozy treats, don't try this one.
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When I returned to my room, turndown service had already been done. The sheets were beautifully turned back, there was a cold bottle of Fiji water on the bedside table, and the bedside lighting was nice and dim.
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The TV was playing the Mandarin Oriental house video, which featured soothing music and some interesting fantasy images — for example, a woman with a red swim cap swimming through a pool filled with red apples, and their signature Mandarin princess on a swing.
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In the morning, I was excited to try out the one feature that had really sold me on staying at MO. Thanks to the magic of the valet closet, I could order room-service breakfast and have it delivered invisibly, without ever having to interact with an actual human! Apologies for my antisocial attitude, but before I’ve had my morning coffee the last thing I want to do is exchange pleasantries with a room-service delivery person. Clearly MO understands this!
I made my selection — the poached egg mason jar with toast rectangles — phoned in my order, and waited.
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A short time later, I heard a discreet thunk from the direction of the doorway. I approached the valet closet with great anticipation.
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When I opened it, BEHOLD! There was my gorgeous breakfast, coffee and all, ready and waiting for me.
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Breakfast was delicious, if expensive. For those who don’t want to spend almost $40 on a carafe of coffee and an exquisite (but tiny) egg dish, there’s a Starbucks immediately outside the MO front entrance.
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I enjoyed my Mandarin Oriental stay a lot. I will almost certainly visit again at some point. If you’re particular about details and appreciate high-quality amenities, you might like it too.
As mentioned, I haven’t yet made it to any of the restaurants. Or to the pool, fitness center, or spa, all of which are supposed to be wonderful. If anyone else has explored MO further and wants to add onto this report, please do so! I’ll also try to take some more photos of the public areas or other room types if I get back there anytime soon.
- boots -
Twitter: b007s
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Originally Posted by boots
