At most Strip hotels, the television service provided guests barely qualifies as an amenity.
The sets are nice enough, of course, and the remote-control units invariably come complete with fresh batteries. Outside of the pay-per-view options, though, the station line-up wouldn’t draw flies to a trailer park in Bakersfield.
Casino owners would much prefer that their customers obsess over slot machines than the travails of the characters in “ER” and “Friends.”
So, it comes as some surprise to find no fewer than four Arab-language stations while surfing the otherwise basic cable service allowed guests at the newly resurrected Aladdin. Unfortunately, none of them are HBO.
Not that any further reminder of the mega-resort’s overall theme was necessary.
Minus the pulsating slots and vast selection of inebriants, the Aladdin wouldn’t seem out of place in any northern Africa seaside destination that caters to American and European tourists. Its architecture is right out of a contemporary adaptation of “1,001 Arabian Nights,” with the sultan and his grand vizier cast in the mold of Elvis Presley and Bugsy Siegel.
Not that there’s anything remotely old-Vegas about this 2,500-room palace, which replaces the outdated property imploded in April 1998. Longtime observers of the scene will remember that Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu here in 1967, and Johnny Carson and Wayne Newton engaged in a rather nasty duel for ownership in the early ’80s, with Newton coming out on top.
Of course, nostalgia will only get you as far as the nearest bus stop–yes, they exist–along Las Vegas Boulevard these days. And, while the Aladdin’s marketing department can still get away with promoting memories of the Presley nuptials, management has its collective eye focused firmly on the future.
Naturally, gambling is a key part of that future, as evidenced by the decision to add an elegant, European-style casino-within-a-casino–the London Club–to the 100,000 square feet of space already budgeted for gaming. But, far more visible than that posh asset is the Desert Passage shopping experience, which wraps around the Aladdin’s base and features 130 retail outlets, 21 restaurants and the 7,000-seat Theater for the Performing Arts.
Desert Passage is home to dozens of high-end shops and boutiques (including Betsey Johnson, Jhane Barnes and the delightful Build-a-Bear Workshop), a terrific Blue Note Jazz Club franchise, and outposts of such world-class restaurants as Commander’s Palace, Bice, Anasazi, Lombardi’s and Parma. Still, no demographic group should feel uncomfortable here.
Designed to simulate a meandering casbah feel–and the distinct desert rhythms of Cairo, Tangiers and Casablanca–Desert Passage also contains plenty of lower-priced retail and dining options. This, in addition to the many street performers, kiosks and an indoor rain shower every 30-minutes in the mall’s misty port.
Desert Passage was developed by TrizecHahn Development Corp. as a “shopping adventure” on a par with the Forum Shops at Caesars. It is the same company that’s constructing the Hollywood & Highland project–which includes Kodak Theatre, the new home of the Academy Awards ceremony–and owns and manages Chicago’s Sears Tower. The combined Desert Passage and Aladdin property cost something north of $1.3 billion to build.
While some people were betting big money that the huge complex wouldn’t open on time in August–and, thus, not be able to meet some of its financial obligations–there actually was a delay of only a few hours. The casino and shopping mall were immediate hits, but, through no fault of their own, some of the restaurants (including Commander’s Palace) needed to delay their openings.
The Blue Note Jazz Club, which already has brought in such high-end talent as Cassandra Wilson and Pat Metheny, likewise is suffering a visibility problem, as roadwork continues right outside its doors. Music lovers would do well to ignore the construction and check it out.
One of the forward-looking amenities provided in each hotel room is accessibility to a high-speed Internet connection, via Sprint Guest Online. Soon, built-in 15-inch flat-screen computer monitors also will be standard.
Kitsch-lovers will enjoy surveying the three-story atrium lobby and the casino’s many sculpted reminders of Scheherazade’s wondrous tales. Along with a fanciful Enchanted Garden display, the walls of the casino are lined with Ebony Horses, Roc’s nests and genie lamps.
As such, the Aladdin is a highly compatible neighbor to such eye-popping extravaganzas as Paris Las Vegas, Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand and Caesars Palace. While gigantic, the more traditional Bally’s and Flamingo Hilton look almost quaint by comparison.
The guest rooms are comparable to any of these other properties as well. One big selling point can be found in the bathrooms–for many visitors, the most important room in any hotel–which feature marble floors, soaking tubs, glassed-in showers and private water closets.
As with any new Las Vegas property, it’s recommended that guests call ahead to determine if all the promised amenities are available. As of publication, the Aladdin’s grand spa has yet to be completed, while Commander’s Palace and a couple of other fine restaurants expect November debuts.
Down the road, a separate Aladdin Music Project will create another 1,000-room hotel, casino and nightclub on the 34-acre property.
While not exclusive, the 35,000-square-foot London Club imposes a dress code at night. It isn’t stringent or formal, but guests will feel more comfortable if they leave their fanny packs and “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts back in their rooms.
For reservations and other information, call 877-333-9474 or find www.aladdincasino.com on the Web. Prices are competitive with other mid-Strip properties, and vary dramatically by day of the week and season.
For more information about the mall’s many shops and restaurants–all of which are wheelchair accessible–see www.desertpassage.com.
