Call it the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae six years in the making.
Later this year, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas plans to put the finishing touches on 21 penthouse suites, offering a new level of luxury at the resort and casino centrally located on the Strip.
The Boulevard Penthouses will offer special amenities and eye-catching Strip views. Rather than take a cookie-cutter approach to designing the penthouses, the Cosmopolitan hired three designers for the suites, which crown the resort's Boulevard Tower. The approximately 63,000-square-foot space was previously undeveloped and has been unused since the resort and casino opened in December 2010. There are seven designs from each team, and no two penthouses are alike.
"Our idea in partnering with these three outstanding designers was not to have 21 penthouses painted with the same brush, but to find creative partners who would bring the touches of residential high design to the hospitality space," said Bill McBeath, president and CEO of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. "We can't be more excited to show them to the world."
Daun Curry, a New York-based designer, had worked on residential and commercial spaces previously, but this was her first hospitality project.
"I feel like residential clients often say they want a space to look like a hotel, while conversely the hotel wanted the space to feel more like a residential space," Curry said. "Normally I get close with my residential clients to understand how they live and how they function in their space. Here, it is across the board, the space has to function for many different people."
The other teams are Tihany Design, led by Adam Tihany, who designed Wolfgang Puck's Spago in the Forum Shops at Caesars, and Richmond International, a London-based firm that, like Curry, is making its first entry into Las Vegas.
A rendering of the Villa living room, designed by Tihany Design for the Cosmopolitan. Photo Credit: Illustration by Tihany Design
Plush digs
The penthouses allow the Cosmopolitan to compete with other resorts offering similarly plush quarters. The 2,300-square-foot gaming salon, exclusively for penthouse guests, was designed by Tihany in an art deco style and includes an outdoor terrace and panoramic Strip views.
For the penthouses, Tihany said he imagined two different guests — one from New York and one from Beverly Hills, Calif. — and used that as inspiration to flesh out his designs. The Beverly Hills penthouses feature curved shapes and limestone accents, while the New York-inspired suites are marked by straight lines and dark wood.
Richmond International, working with contemporary furniture and details — including 24-karat gold handcrafted resin and gilded glass panels — strove to highlight the vistas. The penthouses it designed feature two color palettes, one based on teal and jewel tones and the other incorporating a vibrant cobalt blue.
Curry, too, added luxurious touches, such as large grotto bathtubs, to spaces designed to function well while also pleasing the senses. Working from a color palette focused on ochre, coriander and blush tones, Curry commissioned some custom furniture and lighting fixtures for the penthouses and turned to open layouts to highlight the views.
"When I think about Vegas, I think about adventure. I think about curiosity," Curry said. "I think people travel there to get these different experiences, and I thought about that in the design. I wanted it to feel classic while having a twist, without being pigeonholed into a stereotype of what Vegas is. It's defining a new kind of luxury there."
When she signed on to the project, Curry pulled some inspiration from the "Cowboy Kate" series from photographer Sam Haskins and even included some of the images when she presented her concept to the Cosmopolitan.
"It was a jumping-off point," Curry said. "They have that seductive, playful and adventurous tone."
A rendering of Richmond International’s Villa 5 Elevations 1 penthouse design. Photo Credit: Illustration by Richmond International
The Boulevard Penthouses will range in size from 2,000 to 5,000 square feet, and the largest suites will be approximately 1,300 square feet larger than what was previously available at the resort. The Cosmopolitan expects work to wrap up at the end of 2016 and in early 2017.
"The Boulevard Penthouses at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas are going to set a new bar for luxury on the Las Vegas Strip; they are beautifully spacious, tastefully done and have a highly residential feel which we don't believe currently exists in the market," McBeath said.
Pricing has not yet been established for the Boulevard Penthouse suites, but similar accommodations at luxury Strip properties go for approximately $25,000 per night.