Well ... sorta. You'd think a billion dollars might buy a decent press kit but M Resort's didn't arrive at LVA HQ until the day after the opening. To add to the farce, most of the pictures aren't bonafide photos but extremely obvious computer-generated renderings. As a PR effort goes, this was a real face-plant. You know what they say about first impressions and second chances.

Anyway ...

M's overall vibe is one I'd describe as "understated elegance." If the message of Encore is that nothing succeeds like ripe excess, M aims for a decidedly un-Vegas image -- Southwestern simplicity and a moderately upscale position, and oh yes, we do have gambling here.

The foyer of the spa, which wasn't quite finished on opening night. There are, among many other amenities, two heated pools. One is 101 degrees, the other 104 Fahrenheit. I neglected to ask why the three-degree discrepancy was so important.

You wouldn't guess it from this rendering but the Ravello lounge has excellent sightlines and is an intimate -- but not claustrophobic -- venue for live music.

M Resort's eponymous bar. We skipped this one, I think.

Rooftop restaurant Veloce Cibo was closed for a Marnell family event (it's a big family, I hear). The only way you could get that view out the window -- practically atop Wynn Las Vegas -- would be if Veloce Cibo was in the belly of the M Resort blimp.

The foyer of Marinelli's. In terms of decor, this is the fanciest of the M restaurants. Gastronomically, we were too maxed-out to sample the fare.

The Studio B kitchen, just off the buffet. Try as I might, all I could think of was the council chamber in Babylon 5 ("Delicacies by Delenn"? "Noshing with the Narn"? "Lunch at Londo Mollari's"?) We overdid it at the buffet proper but the cooking staff really put its best foot forward for the opening-night crowd.

A standard room. You can't really see it at this size, but the "view" out the window makes the Strip look several miles closer than it actually is.

A flat suite, with another incredible (as in "not to be believed") view.

Partial view of a "Classic" one-bedroom suite.

The lobby of the conference area. Overall, it's almost as swanky as Encore, if not as breathtaking as Red Rock Resort.

Does the billion bucks show up in the final product? Yes. Is it worth the (not inconsiderable) drive? Yes. Hopefully it will stand up to wear, tear and cigarette smoke, as M made a powerful first impression of "affordable luxury," offering a higher-than-average number of amenities in a soothing atmosphere. We'll see how that imprint is sustained once the slot machines start chiming en masse and the players light up in similar numbers ... and let's not kid ourselves: In this economy, large numbers of anything (except foreclosures) tend to be welcome.