Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

I can hardly wait to try it out when EBC opens! Those initial drawings disappointed me a little, but the real thing is looking much better! I guess we can scored another "Mission: Accomplished" for Wynn & Thomas. :-)

Posted by Hunter

I'm still a little weirded out by the Surrender photos I've seen but I will reserve judgment until I see it in person.

I don't understand why they didn't put Surrender over where that bar/mini ultra lounge thing with the dome over it is... I would have just made the atrium into an egress for the beach club, or keep the egress where they have put it now in the former high limit area, and just have a wall of clear glass where the former porte cochere doors were.

Does anyone else agree that (so far) Surrender does NOT look like a worthy replacement for the atrium?

Nice!!! I'm glad they added some color (not all earth tones) to the pool. I want one of those lily pads.

I Agree, Surrender should have been on the strip side where the new pool bar is located to provide a sound and commotion barrier from the casino. However, I am sure that Surrender will actually look pretty cool when opened.

Beautiful indeed, but one word keeps coming on my mind: noise. Is it only me or does anyone else think Encore will become the noisiest resort/casino on the strip? The only way to escape from the noise is to get a room on the upper floors of the Encore tower facing north, or on the upper floors of the Wynn tower suites facing the golf course. Every single night (with the exception of Tuesdays) there will be at least one night club open till early morning. What was once an exclusive resort has become a night club. What a shame...

This Friday, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas becomes, "Wynn Hardcore"! Book your suite with direct access to Encore Beach Club at the "Wynn Hardcore Power Suites", your very own "Tower of Power!"

Bring on the DJs and the good music! Bring it!

Hunter, I look forward to your observations. If you have a chance, please note whether the blackjack tables within the gaming area use continious shuffler machines or if they deal from standard shoes. Also, can you get into the gaming area without paying the cover charge, and what amenities do you receive if you pay the cover charge to get into the pool area during the day? Have a great time!

charlie-

"This Friday, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas becomes, "Wynn Hardcore"! Book your suite with direct access to Encore Beach Club at the "Wynn Hardcore Power Suites", your very own "Tower of Power!"

Bring on the DJs and the good music! Bring it!"

YEAH! Put your hands in the air like you just don't care! Whoo-hoo! :-D

Leo-

"The only way to escape from the noise is to get a room on the upper floors of the Encore tower facing north, or on the upper floors of the Wynn tower suites facing the golf course."

That's already been the situation. XS has been open since the beginning.

"What was once an exclusive resort has become a night club."

But it's still a very exclusive resort... But now, with another very exclusive nightclub AND very exclusive pool day club. Encore is now becoming "the sexier side of Wynn", but it's still 100% Wynn.

Hunter-

"I'm still a little weirded out by the Surrender photos I've seen but I will reserve judgment until I see it in person."

So your grand tour will include Surrender as well? YAY! I can hardly wait for that report. I so want to climb onto one of those poles and start swinging around and dancing. It's been too long since the last time I did a good round of pole dancing. ;-)

BJ uses continuous shuffler with hand cut.

Wynn never gives up:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37392344

YES, poolside craps! Beach club looks great. Surrender, not so much.

Excellent photo updates! Overall it looks great especially the bar and gaming areas, but I still have some reservations on whether the decor in Surrender is up to snuff. Also, it looks like Switch's decor has changed a bit.

It will be interesting over the summer to see how the beach club does relative to expectations. IMO there are too many pool clubs and there will need to be some shakeout. With the Wynn quality, I'm sure this will do well but they may quickly need to reduce the cabana prices ($3k is just too much and it will certainly take customers from the main Wynn and Encore pools). The DJ lineup is also a concern. I'm not sure all-day hip-hop is going to work. Personally, I would prefer either a contemporary soft-rock, Jimmy Buffet or Sinatra vibe.

I like the idea of the relaxed vibe sometimes, parchedearth. The fact that the design of Surrender has been 'toned down' from the renderings is good (it doesn't come close to the atrium though), but what I don't get is that it is being marketed like XS when it is the size of Blush. That a lot of people are gonna show up for Surrender and not gonna be able to get in and it will overcrowd the area between the club and the casino. I also don't like the yellow on the outside and the sun on the floor (while I think it would work at Encore Macau). That part looks like it was just 'placed' there. The glass wall around Surrender works I think.
I AM IN LOVE with the new Strip entrance. The palm trees and the stairs and the courtyard/terrace with the statue...

BUT.... I get that Wynn knows the demand is changing, but as it has been stated on here before, I think there has been too much emphasis on clubs. The Beach Club is outstanding in design and colour and horticulture, and I wish Encore's main pool was a bit more like it, but if you ask me it seems luxurious amenities are taking the back seat. Rather than looking for what can be done to heighten the luxury of the property, they are looking at what can be done to turn the place into one giant party. That's great for rich young kids, but walking into Encore from almost every entrance and seeing a long line up of young kids dressed in nothing doesn't scream luxury for most people (it pretty much says disruptive) and luxury is what they're expecting from a Wynn Resort. It would work sooo much better if Encore was larger had more of the 'explore' factor Mr Wynn went for with Wynn.

Posted by mike_ch

There's a certain whimsy to the Beach Club, but that indoor club is still the gaudiest thing I have ever seen. They couldn't figure out how to fit a solid gold Cadillac in there, too?

I'm sorta optimistic, but I just got back into town from the Mouse House and need to have my soul re-crushed by this town again. I'm sure once the whole enchilada is filled with wealthy mostly single people doing stupid things because they aren't thinking clearly, I'll commence disliking it. ;b

wynn resorts put a video of the beach club on their youtube account.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LwZfT6Eryw

Mike C-

"I'm sorta optimistic, but I just got back into town from the Mouse House and need to have my soul re-crushed by this town again."

Again, we're polar opposites here. I came here to ESCAPE The Mouse House! I don't need cute and cuddly... I like me some outrageous and sexy! :-D

parched & socal-

"I still have some reservations on whether the decor in Surrender is up to snuff"

"Beach club looks great. Surrender, not so much."

I agree with you on the Beach Club, but I have to stick up for Surrender here. So far, it looks AWESOME from Hunter's pics! It looks outrageous and fabulous and sexy enough for moi. And since Encore now is "The Sexier Side of Wynn", I think something like this fits perfectly into the new Encore setup.

Posted by mike_ch

Outrageous? Sure. Sexy? Maybe, different tastes. But nobody could say "elegant" or "sophisticated." Which is what people go to Wynn for.

re: all ages vs 21+, hey, it's your choice. I get tired of gingerbread and saccharine eventually too, but I'm a square in how I spend my time. I don't begrudge people going to bars, but I don't, which cuts significant parts of Encore off from me. I never throw or attend parties. I'm socially inhibited.

You and I disagree enough to have a point-counterpoint column or podcast all on our own, but I will say that there are two things I enjoyed on my vacation that I don't see on most my time at the strip: workers making an effort before they've been paid instead of after, and a wider range of backgrounds and incomes and even maybe races. I'm not saying the Strip is unflexible to people from different cultures, but it's little wonder that the town and projects like the Pool Party concept is pitched as a fantasy for men, and usually a few certain profiles thereof, as those profiles hold most of the wealth.

I will bring this one all the way back around on topic, by saying that if I was a wealthy straight single dude attempting to flirt and generally communicate modern mating calls, the Encore Beach Club is the most aesthetically pleasing option of the many, many products that now offer me such a service.

Posted by mike_ch

By the way, just so that above post doesn't create a controversy and risk annihilating any chance of talking about Beach Club in a reasonable light, I want to make sure that I've stressed enough that my problem isn't that these concepts exist, but that there's so many of them and the Big Players are all just copycatting each other.

Clear? Okay, good.

I'm still stuck on the light show, on the wall....I want to know more....

"It was, um, an interesting crowd and, um, will be interesting to see how it pans out."

What's that supposed to mean?

http://tinyurl.com/2g4wzvh

Lightshow-
http://twitpic.com/1rqbi5/full

This press release has links to B-roll coverage of opening day. If those are typical clientele, they're surprisingly sedate.
http://www.investorcalendar.com/includes/PRNPressRelease.asp?ID=1705236

"The four main bungalows have to be the nicest of their type on The Strip - complete with fully decked out bathrooms w/ showers. The balconies over the street are a trip."

so there are 4 larger and 4 smaller bungalows?

i presume they are on one side while the 26 cabanas are on the other side - two levels of single story?

There are four bungalows and the rest are cabanas.

Mike C-

"But nobody could say "elegant" or "sophisticated.""

Then I will. Just to disabuse you from that notion. You're welcome. ;-)

"I never throw or attend parties."

So if I throw you a party at EBC, you won't attend?

"workers making an effort before they've been paid instead of after"

Well, it helps at all of Disneyland Resort is all union (paying good wages and great benefits). Just sayin'...

"and a wider range of backgrounds and incomes and even maybe races"

OK, I have to object here. Especially when one includes Downtown, the Las Vegas tourist zone is quite diverse. Sure, Wynncore is more for the moneyed fabulous set... But you can always go to Fremont Street and get those $1.99 shrimp cocktails and $9.99 footlong margaritas. Again, just sayin'...

"my problem isn't that these concepts exist, but that there's so many of them and the Big Players are all just copycatting each other"

Well, I wouldn't say EBC is "copycatting" the other pool day clubs... But again, these clubs make money! And since all the casinos want to make money, they'll open pool day clubs. And since the young, moneyed, and fabulous are out and looking to spend BIG, the casinos want to take advantage of it.

And I'm looking forward to visiting EBC soon. However, I will just say this. Mike C does have a good point on these clubs mostly marketing to straight guys. IMHO they need to broaden their horizons. Luxor found success last year with its Sunday gay pool parties, and I bet Encore Beach Club would find even more success in doing a more glammed up, upscale weekly gay pool party. And if they're not interested, someone else should take advantage of it.

Posted by mike_ch

Actually, Luxor is doing the gay parties on Sunday again. VegasChatter got some virtual flyer with a photo of gym rats staring at each other.

As for whether I attend parties, it really depends on the party. But given that I'm socially quiet and don't like loud scenes (sensitive ears), probably not. The whole "extremely good hearing that is quickly overwhelmed with loud noises" thing pretty much puts the kibosh on me attending nightclubs, pool parties, or the entire quadrant of a Best Buy that contains car stereos the moment someone cranks the volume and shakes the rafters. I even watched the action scenes of Iron Man 2 with my hands over my ears.

Mike C-

Yes, I know Luxor is resuming it's gay pool parties this summer. I just think there's also room for Encore Beach Club to do its own "queer beach day" to give us a more glamorous North Strip option.

But even without a formal "gay day", EBC looks like the kind of place where my friends & I can rent a cabana and create our own wild party. :-)

odd, all the releases have said 8 and 26

http://www.google.com/search?q=encore+beach+club+eight+bungalows&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

only 4 would make the $20K figure in one article less insane

just noticed 350ft2 in one article - approx 13x13 x 2 stories

The press release I got says eight too.

I thought I heard four yesterday so either I got it wrong or the guide was making some other distinction that I missed.

If you haven't seen all the CNBC videos from Friday, they're worth watching. This link takes you to the non-Steve Wynn ones, and then you can go on to the interviews with Steve. Regardless of politics, he is one fascinating, bright guy.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37403502

and as usual, i forget to mention the pics are great in my original posts. :)

This may be really obvious, but can anyone come to the Beach Club? As in, is this not just for Wynncore guests?

Atdleft, so long as Surrender finds a steady clientele, I'm okay with whatever decor Wynn chooses. =)

I am definitely looking forward to a return trip to Switch; I love the glass wall and patio dining additions.

socal-

I really need to revisit Switch soon. I know Rene Lenger has worked on redoing the menu, and it seems he'll have a much nicer venue now to show off his mighty kitchen talent.

Andy-

Yes, anyone can go to EBC... So long as that anyone is willing to pay at least $20-$40 for admission.

detroit-

I try not to focus too much on Steve Wynn's politics these days, as I'd rather not be enraged. As long as he's talking casino goodies, I'm happy. :-)

Posted by mike_ch

Is EBC just a straight up admission charge?

One of the things I don't like about the social scene in this town is that there's so many palms to grease. The LV Sun had a great, timely article today that service in Vegas' casino resorts is far below world class brands like Mandarin Oriental, and even standard hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott. In case you weren't keeping up, I just came back from a week in SoCal at a Hilton "Homewood" to go to Disneyland and both Hilton and Disney staffs were way more attentive and friendly than what you encounter in Vegas. Heck, on most pedestrian Disney rides (like the train circling the property), the people working on it actually provide most of the entertainment value themselves. I thanked one or two people just for making it fun.

By contrast, Vegas is plauged with an entitlement complex whereupon it seems like nobody is willing to do anything for you until you tip them, and then what you get will depend upon how big your tip is compared to the other guests they've seen that day (or week, or month...) I have never considered nightclubs my scene, but given that all the bands I like are skipping Vegas for concerts, I haven't been to a good show since November 2008 and thought about going to a club as an alternative, but I gave up when I found out how many people I would have to pay unadvertised, unmentioned admission fees to just in order to get anything.

I know it seems like I gripe a lot about Vegas these days, and no hotel company can do anything about overloaded roads or hot weather, but one thing these managers have it in their power to fix the huge number of unwritten rules and "if you know, then you know, and you have no problem" scenarios that trip people up.

Those of us from wherever who never went to clubs wherever we came from are often unaware of "the process" or whatever you want to call it, get fleeced, and furthermore have a bad night because we feel we got ripped off.

Posted by Hunter

Straight up charge but so are nightclubs before they reach capacity. You get into tipping for access when there's a line to jump or if the place is full.

EBC is pretty big so it may not be an issue most of the time.

Posted by mike_ch

Hunter, I thought there was tipping for all kinds of things, including simply using the bathroom?

Posted by Hunter

Some of the clubs do have a bathroom attendant who probably does expect a tip if you accept their offer of service (towels, sometimes mouthwash, etc...)

EBC wasn't open during my tour so I don't know if they have attendants - I did not see any and we did check out the restrooms. They looked more like traditional bathrooms you'd see in the casino.

While club drinks are more expensive and obviously there is a cover, most of the extra fees and tips you're talking about come into play if you want to skip lines, get extra service above and beyond, bend the admissions rules, etc...

Anyone can experience these places with a standard cover if they don't care about waiting in line, etc...

Mike C-

"The LV Sun had a great, timely article today that service in Vegas' casino resorts is far below world class brands like Mandarin Oriental, and even standard hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott. "

Well, I don't think the person interviewed for that story was being fair. Of course, one will get more personalized service at a smaller 300 room hotel over a giant 3000 room hotel!

And with a number of the tourists, it's like they expect Mandarin Oriental service and amenities at Luxor, just because there's a casino and they expect comps. Frankly, they need to be more realistic. Most often, you get what you pay for... And for a $50 room, don't expect top-of-the-line luxury.

"it seems like nobody is willing to do anything for you until you tip them,"

Well, most of the people here survive on the tips. It's the least we can do. By contrast in most of the Disneyland complex, workers are forbidden from asking for tips. And it probably wouldn't be nice to try to ask for tips from 8- year-olds.

"I know it seems like I gripe a lot about Vegas these days"

Yes, you do... But we still love you. ;-)

Hunter-

"Some of the clubs do have a bathroom attendant who probably does expect a tip if you accept their offer of service (towels, sometimes mouthwash, etc...)"

Yep, yep, yep. This is standard practice at Blush, Tryst, and XS. I'm sure there will be restroom attendants at Surrender, but I don't know about EBC.

"You get into tipping for access when there's a line to jump or if the place is full."

So Wynn & Encore hotel guests can't even get line passes? Typically, they offer line passes to guests for the nightclubs. And for guests who do the Le Reve "VIP Indulgence Package", that also includes comped admission to Blush or XS... So they won't be expanding this to at least Surrender as well?

Posted by Hunter

The management team is the same folks that do Blush so I'd expect line pass policy to eventually be about the same.

Nothing is promised in the standard room night but it's not a hard comp to get, if you can even call it that.

re: Tipping in Vegas... We always tip whenever possible when in town, bell man, waiters, bartenders, etc.. but I don't think it's required all the time. Once at TI about 2 years ago or so, we had a pushy guy at valet pretty much demand a tip from me while my fiance was inside checking in. He kept obnoxiously saying "Is there anything else I can help you with?" in which I would reply "Nope, that's it", and he literally put out his hand out for his tip with an annoyed grunt. Excuse me, but since when did the guy that just takes the bags 20 feet to the bell desk get a tip? We always tip the bellman who brings our bags to our room about a dollar a bag (we usually have about 12 pieces of luggage or so) and then an extra $5 on that if we had good service and nothing was smashed to hell (it's happened).. I just could not believe this guy and I don't know how he kept his job as we saw him out there on other trips. It makes me wonder if I was in the wrong and should have tipped both of them, which would been close to $40 for a "free" service.

I've had plenty of customer service jobs where tipping applied, but I cannot imagine expecting something for doing almost nothing.

Posted by mike_ch

atd-
It's not about personalized service, it's about giving a crap. I know that you need to go to Tower Suites or what have you if you want the same five people always working for you, but what I want is someone who simply treats me well period, as well as everyone else. People in the non-casino portions of the hotel industry seem to be much more willing to assist people than those who work in the hotels with some exceptions.

I've had the occasional good experience here, but I've had lots and lots of bad ones. And to me, service means so much.

"And for a $50 room, don't expect top-of-the-line luxury."

I don't expect top of the line luxury, but for a resort job in this economy (and a couple people here know how hard it is to find a job at the hotels like I do), I'd expect at least a slight more gratefulness.

"Well, most of the people here survive on the tips."

Yes, but they feel ENTITLED here. That's what I mean. The typical front-line service is here is somewhere between horrendous and a shakedown and I'm not sure how you can be an apologist for it. It's YOUR experience that is made worse by all this.

I figured by now you would have run into waiters who just don't seem to care, and take FOOOORRRREEEEEEVEERRRR to bring the check after you're done eating. Most all my bad service stories here seem to involve waiters and food service (front desk people, who deal with the most customers I'd argue, have the least) and since you're such a restaurant-goer I'd figure you would have noticed by now.

Complain all you like about the Disneys, but they have people banging down their doors, too. WDW sit-down restaurants, all of them that aren't fast-food counters, are often booked solid all day and night, often reserved four months ago[!] to Orlando Commandos since hotel guests are allowed to reserve so far in advance. And yet I can think of three or four people there who were way way way more attentive and personable than the majority of Vegas dining staff that I have met. I've actually given people larger tips and a "Y'know, I'm from Vegas, and this is SO much better than what I get at home..." speech, and many of them are genuinely shocked.

Now, I don't often dine above the $40 an entree level so maybe all the good service is being stocked up at Sage, Serrano, MiX, Bartolotta, etc. But at some level there's the exact same facility and company involved. Maybe the problem is managers?

Posted by mike_ch

Steve: Heh. I've had an experience like that.

If you look up any guides on tipping while travelling, the rule for tipping people storing your luggage is that you tip the person who brings your bags back from the backroom, not the person who puts them there. This rule exists for a number of reasons, probably the least of which is that so a Tipping War doesn't begin with people having to tip to NOT get their bag crushed and forgotten.

The rule has served me well in Seattle, San Diego, and Orlando twice. But they did not hear about the rule at Treasure Island.

I tried to put my bags up for the day and the guy kept repeating over and over again that someone else would be the one to bring my bags back because he was soon off duty. I said "Uh-huh." He kept repeating it over and over ("It's not going to be me, it'll be someone else") and I eventually caught on. Not wanting to get into an argument about when it's appropriate in front of a Canadian friend who I was showing the town to, I just gave in and paid up.

mike_ch, stick with mandarin. four seasons and skylofts are mixed. wynncore tower is mostly negative.

A different review of EBC. Take it for what it's worth.
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2010/6/1/162516/8652/vegas-travel/Your_Opinion_Of_EBC_Will_Depend_On_Your_Penchant_For_Fist_Pumping

Looking through the flickr account linked, and its surprising how interesting fabrics are chosen in the hotels. They are so colorful and interesting. What are some of the locations of the carpet? Are they mostly on the gambling floor? Or is it in the hallway outside the rooms?

Posted by Hunter

Though the above comment may have been left just for Google juice (too bad - rel='nofollow' in effect here). These carpets are usually on the casino floor.