Las Vegas Update: Sin City's Newest Hotels, Eateries and Sports Teams

There is always plenty going on in Las Vegas — it’s almost impossible to keep up with it all. 

To bring you up to speed, the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino is being completely renovated to create two higher-end properties, the Park MGM and the NoMad Las Vegas. Every inch of the Monte Carlo is being redesigned as part of the $450 million transformation, including the 2,700 guestrooms of Park MGM, the 290 rooms of NoMad Las Vegas, the food & beverage options and the public spaces. 

We hear that MGM Resorts opted to renovate the Monte Carlo to bring in a younger, affluent and well-traveled demographic that is more social, connected and culturally aware than its current demographic. When guests walk into the new Park MGM, they will find a European-inspired lobby with twisting tree roots escaping from the ceiling; soon an art installation by British pop artist David Hockney will also be found. Guestrooms are designed in a sleek manner, with clean lines and artwork hung on the walls to make the space feel more like someone’s bedroom than a hotel room. 

What’s more: there isn’t a slot machine in sight when you walk into the lobby. (Although that isn’t to say the hotel won’t have a casino — it will. It just isn’t the focal point.)

What we’re most excited about, however, is the full-scale Eataly marketplace that will be located in the hotel, becoming the sixth U.S. location of the popular eatery. The two-story marketplace will have cafés, to-go counters, sit-down restaurants and even food carts dotting the perimeter for hotel guests in a hurry. 

Another popular dining option will be Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar, which is based off the Chicago original and is touted as one of the best steaks in the city.

Rooms are currently available for booking at Park MGM for a “preview rate” (since it’s still technically the Monte Carlo) as the renovations continue through the beginning of 2018.

Located on the upper floors of Park MGM will be NoMad Las Vegas. The self-contained hotel, which is expected to be completed by October, will have its own reception, pool, lounge, casino and upscale NoMad restaurant and bar operated by chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara. Good to know: Humm and Guidara are responsible for the original NoMad restaurant and bar, as well as the world’s No. 1 restaurant in 2017, Eleven Madison Park, both of which are located in New York City. 

Jacques Garcia, who led the design of the original NoMad, will also do the interiors for Las Vegas, meaning it will likely offer the same modern take on grand Beaux Arts hotels in Europe. In New York, guestrooms include freestanding clawfoot bath tubs, down comforters and pillows, mahogany writing desks, vintage Heriz rugs unique to each room, and LCD HDTV and iHome docking station. For more information or bookings, contact Lindsey Lucero ([email protected]), director of global sales.

The hotels come as part of MGM Resorts’ neighborhood redesign, which included the recent openings of The Park, an outdoor dining and entertainment area, and the T-Mobile Arena, home to the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, who are in their first season. MGM Resorts is also planning to renovate Excalibur and Luxor but it won’t be an upscale rebrand like the Monte Carlo. 

In addition to the Golden Knights, Vegas will be receiving two other professional sports teams in the coming years. MGM Resorts has also announced that the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA — formerly the San Antonio Stars — will begin play at the Mandalay Bay Events Center starting in 2018. Per the schedule, there will be 17 home games played at the resort. 

The big sports news regarding Las Vegas is the relocation of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, who recently broke ground on a $1.9 billion stadium on a 62-acre plot of land across from the Mandalay Bay Resort. The team is expected to make the move for the 2020 season. In attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place November 13, 2017, were Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Raiders owner Mark Davis. 

This is important as the 65,000-seat stadium will also play host to numerous musical and entertainment acts, which have not yet been scheduled.  

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