Resorts World Las Vegas More Than the Sum of its Parts

The opening of Genting Group’s $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas project in mid-2021 marked the culmination of a long and often arduous development process, while simultaneously kick-starting a revitalization of the then-moribund North Strip area.  Now that the minimally Asian-themed resort has two-plus years of experience, it’s a good time to take stock of the property’s current offerings and assess its place within the Las Vegas hospitality landscape.

Hilton’s largest multi-brand deal in company history
Since the Malaysia-based gaming giant lacked name recognition in the U.S. market, Genting opted to partner with Hilton for hotel operations and marketing, opening three Hilton-branded hotels under the Resorts World umbrella.  Hilton, Conrad, and LXR’s Crockfords, each with its own entrance, aesthetic, and price range, comprise the property’s 3,506 rooms in a single, 59-story tower on the site of the former Stardust.  Standard King rooms in all three hotels are sized roughly alike, with notable differences in decor, furniture, fixtures, and amenities.

The Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World features 1,774 units with a room product that skews slightly more upscale than Hilton’s typical standard.  Pops of purple gold and marble finishes define the in-room decor, while the large bathroom features an oversized stall shower with a bench.

Hilton’s luxury lifestyle brand, Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, is the flag’s largest hotel with 1,496 rooms that feature a similar footprint as the Hilton rooms, but with a slightly richer feel, brighter colors, and a convenient bench at the end of the bed.  Bathrooms here are also generously sized and feature a twin-sink vanity and separate WC.

LXR’s Crockfords Las Vegas is the luxury, boutique-stay option, showcasing 236 rooms and suites via a stunning entrance lobby and lounge area highlighted by a bejeweled elephant sculpture created by Celine Dion.   Decor and fabrics in the accommodations further ratchet up the quality scale with luxe options like a fainting couch and bench.  As an added wellness touch, all Crockford rooms and suites are equipped with a Theragun-brand massage gun for guests’ use.

At its opening, Resorts World introduced what was the only fully cashless casino floor in the city. While that concept may seem daunting to the uninitiated, the betting process is actually fairly straightforward.  The Resorts World Las Vegas app with a Play+ account easily stores – and, of course, just as easily dispenses – funds for use at machines or table games via a quick QR code scan.  However, if a player puts cash on the table, money plays. 

Resident headliners are a big draw for the property’s entertainment department, with Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan alternately filling the 5,000-seat Resorts World Theater, while celebrity DJs like Tiesto, Zedd, Calvin Harris, and others essentially moved Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Dayclub into the upper echelon of the city’s nightclub/dayclub scene almost immediately after opening.

Appropriately scaled up for the massive Resorts World campus, the property offers 250,000 square feet of meetings and convention space, along with a 220,000-square-foot pool complex featuring seven unique pool experiences.

Food and beverage options abound – from casual to fine dining
With over 50 food-and-beverage outlets on the 88-acre campus, guests have a wide and eclectic choice of casual and fine dining venues to choose from.

In the realm of recently trendy food halls popping up in Las Vegas, Famous Foods Street Eats is certainly the most exotic.  Inspired by the street markets of Southeast Asia, Famous Foods is a multi-ethnic, upscale food hall version of a deep dive into Asian cuisine, with 16 outlets (11 Asian-themed) cooking up a plethora of interesting dishes.  I gravitated towards the authentic Roasted Hainan Chicken (at Boon Tong Kee), but could have easily grazed for hours on the other options, including delicious Peking Duck Tacos.

At the other end of the scale, Genting Palace is the elegant and beautiful tribute to elevated Cantonese cuisine, with chef Billy Cheng’s 5-course tasting menu ($168) a perfect match of gorgeous presentation and gourmet tastes.  And the adjacent Golden Monkey Tiki Lounge is a kitschy, fun outpost that pays homage to classic Tiki bars. Meanwhile, Kusa Nori’s modern take on Japanese classics – especially the crab-based, “3000 LVBLVD” sushi roll  – is impressive.

The property’s best-kept secret, Alle Lounge, offers incredible Strip views from its 66th-floor perch, while Here Kitty Kitty Vice Den is a cleverly named and designed speakeasy with an entrance behind a nondescript bookshelf. (Hint: look for the blue bookshelf in the “convenience” store at the center of Famous Foods Street Eats.)

Recent openings at Resorts World include NYC-import Junior’s, featuring the deli’s famous cheesecake; The Co-op, dispensing multiple flavors of the frozen, slushy Fro-se treat; and soon-to-open Lady M, purveyor of Mille Crepes.

The property also has a full-service spa, but the fitness center, which features a full line of modern equipment, felt somewhat neglected during a recent visit, with an unstaffed front desk and empty fruit bowl at the entrance. Meanwhile, Convention Center attendees may blissfully avoid the city’s infamous traffic jams now that Resorts World is the first Strip resort on the underground Vegas Loop transportation system – powered by human-driven Teslas, for now.

Featuring three distinct hotel choices that range from entry-level luxury all the way to high-touch pampering, and a plethora of quality, food-and-beverage outlets, Resorts World Las Vegas has settled into its niche as a versatile casino resort with an upscale vibe, well-positioned to satisfy a wide range of clientele – conveniently under one roof.