Directly on the heels of the announcement of MGM Mirage's ProjectCityCenter, details have been released by the "urban village's" next-door neighbor to the north. A hotel-condo-casino is planned for an 8-acre parcel between Bellagio and the Boardwalk on the center Strip surrounding the Jockey Club time-share building.
The megaresort, which will be called the Cosmopolitan, will cost $1.5 billion to build, with 2,400 hotel and condo-hotel rooms, a 70,000-square-foot casino, an 1,800-seat theater, and 300,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and entertainment space. Ground is scheduled to be broken for Cosmopolitan in early 2005, with an estimated completion date of late 2007.
Because it's not backed by one of the major casino companies, this project is likely more speculative than others that have been announced recently.
Caesars 1-2: A two-nightclub complex will open in two stages at Caesars Palace beginning this month. The two-story Pure will consist of three bars, "oversized bed seating," a raised VIP area that overlooks the dance floor, and an outdoor entertainment venue. The second club, opening in time for Valentine's Day, will be the Pussycat Dolls Lounge, which will showcase the Pussycat Dolls, a cabaret-style dance troupe.
Mermaid show: The Silverton Casino has opened a 117,000-gallon saltwater aquarium with 3,000 tropical fish in connection with a new restaurant called Mermaid. The tank also hosts a live "mermaid-mermen" show performed by Olympic-medalist synchronized swimmers. The five-to 10-minute shows are performed on the hour Wednesday-Friday 6-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 4-10 p.m.
QUESTION: In last week's roundup of the AAA Five Diamond restaurant ratings, you said that one of the winners, the Mirage's Renoir, had closed. Why would a Five Diamond restaurant close the same year that it wins the award?
ANSWER: Renoir's celebrity chef, Alex Stratta, declined to renew his contract with the Mirage. Along with some of Las Vegas' other top chefs, Stratta gave notice so he could take a job at what most expect will be the most opulent resort in the world, Wynn Las Vegas, scheduled to open in late April.
From Anthony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor monthly newsletter. To order, call (800) 244-2224 or visit www.lasvegasadvisor.com.
