According to a Nov. 9 announcement from Caesars Entertainment, only 183 Planet Hollywood rooms are to be renovated, along with 148 at Paris and 672 at dowdy Harrah’s (essentially the entire Carnaval Tower). "The customers that are coming to Las Vegas are absolutely willing to spend the dollars per night in a renovated room," said Caesars CFO Eric Hession, alluding to the higher price you will have to pay to stay in a revamped room. (Right now, higher room revenues at Caesars can essentially be attributed to resort fees, which also recently were raised, as opposed to greater patronage.) The Planet Hollywood renovations are concentrated on the top three floors of the hotel.
Part of the remake involves taking the "Hollywood" out of Planet Hollywood. A customer reported on Trip Advisor that the movie memorabilia was gone from the revised rooms, replaced by "nice and bright [décor] now. All new furniture and fixtures and painted white[,] not so dark and gloomy anymore." Gone, too, are the Arabian-styled faucets, a hangover from the hotel's previous (second), short-lived incarnation as the Aladdin.
Although the new look is sleek, sharply angled, and minimalist, VegasTripping.com still felt movie magic in the "sleek, shimmery" design with its "silver metallic veneers": "Modern, elegant, a touch gaudy, yet evoking classic Hollywood style of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Wow." As we first saw explained by VegasBright.com, the renovated rooms are now designated as Ultra Hip and standard in-room amenities now include mini-fridges and coffee makers (previously available only by request).
In many respects, particularly with regard to amenities, the "Ultra Hip" rooms will be the same as the merely "Hip" ones. It is their "bright, bold" look (and feel) that will be more cutting-edge. "Strip" or "fountain" views and "luxury bedding" are some of the other inducements. As to when the remodeling of the three floors in question will be completed we can't say, since our inquiries received no official response, but it looks like the revamp is already well underway.
Planet Hollywood's nine-table poker room, incidentally, has also been relocated to between the sports book and the Earl of Sandwich (did you know that the sandwich was invented by the eponymous earl so that he could eat without leaving the gaming tables?). Tournament play, however, will still be conducted in rooms on the mezzanine level. The pool deck and other aspects of the casino, including the race and sports book, are apparently also likely to receive upgrades in the not-too-distant future.
