That's an interesting question and one which, up until a few years ago when the city was still booming, might have taken us a long time to answer. As it is, the longer answer could be, which projects that were in the pipeline the last time you visited failed to make it to fruition?
Looking back over the past three year's-worth of the annual Report Card that we run in every January issue of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, the latter list includes: the long-promised but yet-to-materialize new water park that we've been craving since Wet 'n' Wild closed down; the "Ultimate Sports"-themed resort-casino; the rumored Elvis hotel-casino; the giant Ferris wheel that's had proposed homes all over town for several years now; the abandoned plans for a Durango Station property; the Chinese-themed resort-casino planned for Chinatown; the 57-story World Jewelry Center slated for downtown; and a new sports arena, to name a few projects that have yet to make it off the drawing board. Of course, you can add to that mix with all the half- (or less) built hotels and condo-towers around town, the most notable of those being Fontainebleau and Echelon, although there's a prominent skeleton of an abandoned Wyndham hotel right next to the LVA offices.
However, aside from a landscape littered with half-finished projects and vacant lots, which will definitely be a new sight for you after a three-year visiting hiatus, what else can you expect to see that's new? Actually, a lot more than the constant reports of doom and gloom might have you think.
Most notable, of course, is the $9+-billion, 68-acre CityCenter project, located on the site of the former Boardwalk property center Strip, which bucked the trend to actually open in December, 2009. Comprising a number of architecturally interesting buildings and a massive art collection, not to mention numerous world-class restaurants and a designer shopping mall, you can definitely kill a few hours wandering around Las Vegas' first genuine "metaresort."
If your next visit falls after December 15, then CityCenter's Las Vegas Cosmopolitan neighbor should be open for business. A resort-casino with an already checkered history financially, Cosmo's marketing campaign is aiming to set it apart from the crowd as a modern, urban, funky, and yet sophisticated addition to the Las Vegas Strip. We're intrigued to get a look...
Depending on when exactly you were last here, Planet Hollywood was likely still the Aladdin and probably in a fairly sorry state. Since the takeover first by Planet Hollywood, and now Harrah's (Caesars) Entertainment, Planet Ho has transformed somewhat and is perhaps finally finding its feet, with an interior "de-Aladdining" and the addition of a new tower.
Further north on the Strip, Palazzo is almost certainly a new fixture on the skyline since you last visited. The casino is small, but Anthony Curtis' is a vocal fan of the Lagasse Sports Stadium and this Venetian extension added some great new dining options to the Las Vegas menu.
Off the Strip over at the Hard Rock, ambitious plans for condo units were abandoned, but a major pool makeover and the addition of a new hotel tower and casino were not. And across the street, check out the new Rumor resort -- one of Las Vegas' new breed of genuine "boutique" hotels that's definitely worth checking out for a cocktail.
Condo-wise, the center-Strip luxury Panorama tower was one of the few such projects to make it to completion; we have a friend who actually lives there and loves roller-blading to his favorite destinations on the Strip.
Although this, like so many shopping malls in Las Vegas, is currently in bankruptcy, Town Square -- the south-Strip retail destination that opened in 2007 -- gives the impression of thriving. Some retailers and restaurateurs proved short-lived, but this place has both local and visitor appeal, with plenty of great dining options and happy hours, not to mention the shopping.
If we're not mistaken, other additions since your last trip include: Encore -- Wynn Las Vegas' not-so-little sister and currently home to Garth Brooks' stage show; Palms Place, the third tower and home to Simon restaurant, among other things; Allure, a north-Strip residential tower; the new "Rush Tower" at the Golden Nugget downtown; the transformation of the Harley Davidson Cafe into a new Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip; a facelift for the Mirage volcano; the resurgence of downtown, especially the Fremont East district, which features lots of new venues and street art, plus more of those new boutique hotel options.
We hope this has given you a good overview. Why don't you drop us a line after your next trip -- we'd love to hear your take on how things have changed, and for better or worse.
