The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas: Identity & Marquee

IDENTITY: THE COSMOPOLITAN LOYALTY PROGRAM

(photo: ThomasHawk/flickr)

Identity Desk in the Cosmopolitan Casino. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The Cosmopolitan offers a reward program called Identity where visitors and guests can earn points by gambling, dining and staying at the resort. However the hotel also participates in Marriott Rewards so members of this program will have to make a choice in which program to earn points. The Cosmopolitan is discreetly branded under Marriott's Autograph Collection. My suggestion is if your focus is returning regularly to Las Vegas and the Cosmopolitan, go with the Identity. If you're looking for reward stays at Marriott properties, go with Marriott Rewards.

Marriott categorizes all of its properties from category 1 to 8 with 8 being their most desired properties and most expensive. The Cosmopolitan is placed under category 7. A hotel reward for one night is 35,000 points. If a guest redeems four nights, the fifth night is free. So stays of four and five nights require 140,000 points. Marriott Reward members earn 10 points for every dollar spent at any hotel under each of the Marriott brands. This includes the room but includes things charged to the room such as room service and dining on on-site restaurants. Those members holding a reward Visa credit card earns one point for every dollar on all other purchases.

Those who join Identity receives points depending on where they spend at the Cosmopolitan:

• Hotel, Spa, Dining & Shopping - $5 Resort Credit for every $100 spent (in non-gaming venues, for every $1 of spend, Members earn 5 points)
• Tables – 1 Identity Point for every $20 wagered
• Reel Slots – 1 Identity Point for every $1.50 wagered
• Video Poker – 1 Identity Point for every $7.50 wagered

Identity points can be redeemed for room upgrades, dinners and spa treatments at the Cosmopolitan. Inquire at the Identity desk for a menu of rewards.

Both programs offer elite levels based on earning in a one-year period: Identity is based on earning Identity Points and Marriott Rewards is based on the number of paid nights.

Click HERE for more information and to join Identity.
Click HERE for more information and to join Marriott Rewards.


MARQUEE DAYCLUB & NIGHTCLUB

Casino floor entrance to Marquee Nightclub (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Cosmopolitan Dayclub Pool (photo: Marriott)

Marquee adds an extra level of experience at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas offering dayclub and nightclub options for those wanting to party day or night.

Marquee Dayclub Details

• Hours of operation: 
  Open daily, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Cover price: 
  $10 - $40.
• Payment information: 
  Cash and all major credit cards accepted.
• Music: 
  House, hip-hop, Top 40, mash-ups.
• Resident DJs: 
  Captains of Industry.
• Clientele/Age Group: 
  21 and older.
• Attire: 
  Trendy pool attire.
• Parking: 
  Self-park and valet available at the Cosmopolitan.
• Reservations: 
  Recommended.
• Seating: 
  Lounge chairs, daybeds or cabanas.
• Handicapped accessible: 
  Yes.
• ATM: 
  Inside the Cosmopolitan.
• Special events: Click HERE for the event calendar.

Marquee Nightclub Details

• Hours of operation: 
  Friday 9:30 p.m.-5 a.m., Saturday 9 p.m.-5 a.m. Monday and Thursday 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
• Cover price: 
  Front of the Line admission from $20.00.
• Payment information: 
  Cash and all major credit cards.
• Location: 
  Inside The Cosmopolitan.
• Resident DJs: 
  DJ Chuckie, Erick Morrillo, Eric D-Lux, Roger Sanchez, Lisa Pittman, Jordan Stevens, DJ Vice and DJ Redfoo from LMFAO.
• Clientele/Age Group: 
  21 and older.
• Attire: 
  Upscale and trendy. Men must wear button-up, collared shirts.
• Parking: 
  Valet and garage parking available at The Cosmopolitan.
• Reservations: 
  Recommended for bottle service and VIP.
• Seating: 
  Booths available with bottle service.
• Handicapped accessible: 
  Yes.
• ATM: 
  Located inside The Cosmopolitan.
• Special events: Click HERE for the event calendar.

Visit marqueelasvegas.com for more information. Above information from vegas.com.

The Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

"The Chandelier" sign inviting guests to to its third level bar.

Main view offered to visitors entering the Cosmopolitan from the
second level pedestrian entrance.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

Destined to become an icon of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the Chandelier Bar's 10,000 square feet rises three stories and is encased in a shimmering beaded curtain of two million crystals.

The bottom of the Chandelier bar becomes one of the casino bars open to the gaming floor. A winding staircase wraps the interior leading to the second level which is completely inside the chandelier and is the only molecular mixology bar in Vegas. This leads to the third level which can also be accessed via the hotel's retail space which is at level two.

It's one of the elements of the Cosmopolitan that I read so much press about and it is indeed an awesome sight to see and immediately commands to be photographed by guests as they enter the hotel. The Chandelier has become one of the latest hot spots in the city and was proclaimed as one the best bars in America in 2011 by Esquire magazine in its annual survey. The magazine proclaims:

"Whereas many casino bars feel like sad, removed half-empty afterthoughts lined with hookers tapping at video-poker machines, the brand-new Cosmopolitan has erected its entire structure around the bar. The three-level Chandelier bar serves as the hotel's beating heart -- or like the glimmering power-generating chest device that keeps Iron Man alive...It's not like any bar you go to back home, and that's the point. But it does pour a serious drink -- an not just for Vegas, and not just of the hard-to-screw-up variety. There is where you drink in Vegas."

Two million crystal strands envelops the bar.

Like a glass curtain, onlookers can get a peak at the second level
which is completely encased in the chandelier.

Get a sense of the true height of the bar from a view from the
casino floor.

From one of the hotel's escalators many onlookers can't help but
reach out touch the crystals that are within arm's reach.

No real lights are suspended along the crystal bead strands. But the
chandelier glow by reflecting lights inside and outside of the bar.

The second level of the chandelier is proclaimed to be the only
molecular mixology bar in the Vegas.

Just inside the hotel's main casino entrance along Las Vegas Boulevard,
one can see all three levels of the Chandelier bar.

The Chandelier's third level bar.

The Chandelier bar on its first level is open to the casino floor.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

The Chandelier bar's curving staircase wraps around a ice-like glass core.
(photo: James Medcraft)

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas On the Strip: Facade

The Eastside Tower at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas towers over
Las Vegas Boulevard. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Both West End Tower (left) and Eastside Tower have an element
not common at most mega Las Vegas hotels: Terraces.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The pedestrian bridge that crosses Las Vegas Boulevard leads to the
Cosmopolitan's retail level. Notice the blue lights on each tower to
create the sense of stars in motion. (photo: Don Pacho)

Unlike the in-your-face themes of most mega resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, the designers of the Cosmopolitan went for a sleek, minimalist exterior fitting its modern towers that still makes it stand out despite occupying less than ten acres on a slender strip of land along this famous boulevard.

The vertical urban feel of the hotel's two hotel towers rests on a base that includes a glass curtain along the Las Vegas Boulevard making it one of the few casinos where windows are evident. The glass is meant to resemble streamers draped from above separating the art-insfused world of the Cosmopolitan from the outside.

To keep the look of the hotel dramatic at night, designers wanted to create a sense of motion like a starburst moving across the sky. This is achieved with different lengths of blue lights installed horizontally and staggered up and down the vertical expanse of the buildings. The lights gently pulse on and off from bottom to top suggesting a wave.

(continued below)

The glass curtain soars three levels above the Las Vegas Strip. The feature
makes the Cosmopolitan's casino one of the only casinos to have windows.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Artful posters surround a video screen above one of the hotel entrances
along Las Vegas Blvd. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Best of all entering and exiting the Cosmopolitan along Las Vegas Boulevard has been made convenient. As much as the hotel owner's want you to stay and spend, visitors do not feel like prisoners trapped trying to find an exit. There is a confidence in the design and amenities that visitors will want to stay.

Two ground entrances along the Strip beckons visitors to gamble, shop or dine. A pedestrian bridge that connects to Planet Hollywood and City Center leads guests to enter the Cosmopolitan's retail floor on the hotel's second level where many have to pause and admire the glittering crystals of the Chandelier bar if not to stop to have a drink.

Those driving to the resort will have to take vehicle entrance along Harmon Ave. But even after visitors leave their car at the valet, guests will be struck by the video artwork dominating the reception lobby. Even the parking is hidden from view as it is completely underground.

Visit cosmopolitanlasvegas.com for more information.

Just some of the Cosmopolitan's dining choices calling hungry visitors.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Cabanas at the Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Pool can be scene above
the hotel's glass curtain. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The Cosmopolitan as viewed from the Bellagio/Bally's pedestrian bridge.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The north side of the Cosmopolitan. One can imagine the dramatic
views offered via rooms with terraces. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Intersection of Harmon Avenue & Las Vegas Blvd

The shimmering blue tower of the Harmon and the Cosmopolitan.
The Vdara can be seen in the distance on the left.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Stand at an intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and you can get a clear view of the places you could visit with a short walk (as well as those that may require a bit more effort to get there). Due to the flat land of Las Vegas and the size of boulevard's massive hotels, distance can be deceiving and therefore places seem much closer than they actually appear.

I'm staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel which stands at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Harmon Ave. This explains where the ill-fated Harmon hotel project got its name. Harmon is the street that runs between the Cosmopolitan and the Harmon on the west side of Las Vegas Blvd. To the south of the Cosmopolitan is rest of City Center and the Monte Carlo, the latter can be reached with a short ride of the tram that connects the Bellagio, City Center's The Crystals shopping center and the Monte Carlo.

Looking north from the pedestrian bridge crossing Harmon Ave on the
west side of the strip. Paris Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood are seen
across the Strip. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The pedestrian bridge at the corner of Harmon and the Strip, the shorthand name for the 4.2 mile resort segment of Las Vegas Blvd, offers guests easy access from the Cosmopolitan and City Center on the west side of the strip to Planet Hollywood across the street

The north entrance/exit to Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shops.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The big visitor attraction at Planet Hollywood which was once the Aladdin Hotel is the Miracle Mile Shops featuring over 140 stores along 475,000 square feet of retail space. Walk through this shopping arcade and you can still see architectural hints of the Arabian theme Aladdin. The above photo is of the north entrance/exit to the shops. A few steps from this point is the Paris Las Vegas and the adjacent Bellagio across the street.

Planet Hollywood has 2,600 rooms and suites. Above is portion of the
resort that sites at the corner of Harmon Ave and Las Vegas Blvd.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood have more affordable retail and dining options than the Crystals at City Center which is filled with luxury stores. If you're staying at any of the hotels at this intersection of the strip, the Miracle Mile Shops also hold convenient stores: two ABC Stores and a Walgreens. These shops have basics such as water and soda which cost far less than the three dollars that is charged at any of the sundry stores located in each resort.

Marriott's Grand Chateau dominates this segment of the strip even
though it is not located on Las Vegas Blvd. Should a mega resort rise
at the southeast corner of Harmon/Las Vegas Blvd, the hotel would
become obscured. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Seeming like a reject tower of the Paris Las Vegas, Marriott's Grand Chateau (a non-gaming vacation club) dominates a segment of Harmon Ave standing 38 stories with 1,534 suites. Another pedestrian bridge crosses from Planet Hollywood on the east side of the Strip that leads visitors down to a Harley Davidson Cafe. At the top left corner is the upper floors of the Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Hotel.

The emerald glass covered MGM Grand seen looking south on the Strip.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Looking south on the segment of the strip south of Planet Hollywood, the MGM Grand can be seen in the distance and is approximately one-mile from the corner of Harmon and Las Vegas Blvd. If you plan to walk, bring walking shoes though I would hardly recommend it if the Vegas temperature is on the rise.

City Center Las Vegas: Halo and Glacia by WET

WET, the water feature and fountain design firm, responsible for the Mirage Volcano and the Fountains of Bellagio, have created five installations for City Center. Lumia, Focus and Latisse are within the Aria Resort & Casino. This post covers Glacia and Halo, both located in Crystals, which I encountered again as I returned to the Cosmopolitan after touring City Center taking a route through the retail complex. There's always something interesting about water in a controlled environment manipulated in unusual ways.

Visit wetdesign.com for more information about the firm and to learn more about their water featrues.

HALO

Halo materializes as a series of water vortices held captive within clear cylinders that thrust up through the floor. Swirling water appears caught in constant motion. These colorful swirls of water is set as focal point of the Crystals atrium. Guest are free to walk through and touch the maze of spinning water while staying completely dry.

GLACIA
Near ground level entrance to the Crystals, Glacia is meant to cool guests with large pillars of carved ice that rise as tall as 15 feet. And "rise" is the operative word, as these columns emerge silently from a pristine pool, ascending slowly upward as immense monoliths of frozen water. Colored lighting combines with the varied clarity of the ice (sometimes crystal clear, sometimes frosty white) to produce a visual experience that never repeats itself.

City Center Las Vegas: A Resort & Casino, A Hotel & Spa, A Mandarin Oriental, Two Leaning Towers and One "Blue" White Elephant (Just The Facts At A Glance)

The City Center complex (photo: MGM)

This post covers City Center's various buildings at a glance.

• The glittering mega block that is City Centers sits on 67 acres between the Monte Carlo and Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
• Construction broke ground on April 3, 2006 and opened on December 3, 2009.
• 78,000 tons of steel used for City Center, enough to build 10 Eiffel Towers; and enough concrete to build a 4-foot sidewalk from Las Vegas to New York and back. The 2.7 million square feet of glass used is enough to enclose 12 Luxor Hotels.
• Occupies 1,200 feet along the Las Vegas Strip.
• Approximately 2,400 residences in total between Veer Towers, Vdara and Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.
• Employs 12,000 permanent employees.
• The only resort property on the Strip to feature its own fire station.

Visiting City Center today, I learned there are no public areas at the Veer Towers as it should be since this is strictly a residential tower. Though non-guests can stroll through the lobby of the Vdara, there really isn't much to see there. Like the Mandarin Oriental, public areas are very limited. Non-guests to City Center should make the complex's restaurants, Crystals shopping center, the Aria casino and showroom as their primary destinations. Valet and self-parking is free. The Aria Express connects visitors and guests to the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. A pedestrian bridge connects City Center with the Cosmopolitan and Planet Hollywood.

Click on the following links for more information:
The Crystals (overview of City Center's shopping attraction)
City Center, Las Vegas: A City Within Itself (overview of the complex)

ARIA RESORT & CASINO

The 61-story Aria viewed from the Las Vegas Strip.

The hotel's porte cochere
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

• Opened December 16, 2009
• 61-story gaming resort with 4,004 rooms, including 568 suites, ranging from 520 to 2,000 square feet.
• Two curved towers joined make up the four wings of the hotel.
• Features 16 restaurants and 10 bars and lounges.
• Mainstay show is 'Viva Elvis by Cirque due Soleil' (opened February 19, 2010 & closing August 31, 2012) to replaced by 'Zarakana by Cirque du Soleil' (opening Nov 1, 2012).
• Features 150,000 square foot casino.
• Pool deck measures 215,000 square feet featuring three primary pools and Liquid (an adults-only pool).
• Two-level 80,000 square feet spa with 620 treatment rooms and the country's first Japanese Ganbanyoku Stone Beds.
• Fun facts: The concierge staff offers assistance in 16 languages including Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Serbian, Armenian, Dutch and Albanian. Construction workers added one floor to Aria every seven days from September 2007 to the topping out in September 2008. There are approximately 21,000 pillows in the hotel tower.
• Slot machine bases in the casino were specifically designed for the Aria to serve as air-conditioning units cooling guests from the ground up.
• Visit arialasvegas.com for more information.

From the Aria entrance guests get a view of all of City Center's
buildings including the Harmon (left) and Vdara (right).

The back view of the Aria as seen from Vdara.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

THE HARMON

The Harmon: the most expensive billboard on Las Vegas Boulevard.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Original plans for the building included 400 hotel rooms and 207 condominium residences on 49 floors. Due to construction defects, the height was reduced to 26 stories. The exterior is complete but the interior remains unfinished. MGM Mirage which owns City Center is seeking court permission to demolish the structure. Click HERE for the post "A White Elephant in Las Vegas is Blue" to learn more about the ill-fated project.

The south face of the Harmon as viewed from the pedestrian bridge
to Crystals.

The Veer Towers (left) and Cosmopolitan tower of the 26 stories
of the Harmon.

The side of the Harmon facing Las Vegas Boulevard.

(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

VDARA HOTEL & SPA

The curved Vdara tower faces south.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

• Click HERE to read a previous post about the infamous "Vdara Death Ray".
• Opened December 1, 2009.
• 57-stories offering 1,495 condo-hotel units and suites ranging from 500 to 1,650 square feet.
• Spa & Salon Vdara is an 18,000 square-foot, two level spa.
• Lobby lounge called the Bar Vdara.
• Pool features 19 cabanas, one primary pool, semi-secluded plunge pools and a high-energy bar and lounge.
• Visit vdara.com for more information.

VEER TOWERS

The Veer's twin leaning towers.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

• Opened July 14, 2010
• Comprised of two 37-story glass towers inclined at five-degree angles.
• Each tower houses approximately 335 modern condominium residences ranging from 500 to 3,300 square feet.
• Amenities include an infinity-edge pool, sun deck, recreations rooms, media rooms, fitness center and business center.
• Visit citycenteronsale.com for more information about all residences at City Center.

Veer Towers surrounded by the Mandarin Oriental (left), Aria and Harmon
(right) and Crystals (forefront). View from Planet Hollywood.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LAS VEGAS

The north side of the Mandarin Oriental.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

• Opened December 4, 2009.
• The first Mandarin Oriental to ever open in Las Vegas.
• 47-story, non-gaming hotel and residences.
• Features the restaurant Twist by three-star Michelin Chef Pierre Gagnaire.
• Accommodations include 392 rooms and suites
• Spa at Mandarin Oriental inspired by 1930s Shanghai and reflecting the glamour and fusion of the era.
• Pool facility features 20 cabanas, two lap pools and the Pool Cafe.
• The top floors of the hotel are occupied by 225 luxury condominiums.
• Visit mandarinoriental.com for more information.

The Mandarin Oriental and Veer Towers occupy one corner
of City Center. The Crystals fronts the Veer.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)