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Palms Casino Opens Tomorrow in Las Vegas

With the Palms Casino Resort opening on November 15, the decade of mile-long, mega-resorts with mostly city themes has begun seeing a shift, and the smart money is on giving the gaming public what they crave most: an intimate environment with hip, happening venues that is long on service and value, with a sense that it's a grown-up place.

``This is the kind of place my brothers and I definitely would want to visit,'' said George Maloof, President Palms Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Maloof family's sports and entertainment empire.

``Today's twenty- and thirty-something Las Vegas traveler is becoming increasingly sophisticated,'' added Maloof. ``They want an entertainment experience to rival what can be found in New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, as well as personalized, individual attention and first-rate service. I am that demographic, and what we have created with the Palms is a destination that will meet those expectations through great restaurants, hot nightlife, luxurious hotel rooms and an inviting gaming environment.''

The Palms will certainly fit the bill. As Las Vegas' first boutique hotel, it will definitely draw the in crowd to its sparsely chic 455 deluxe, oversized rooms, complete with Egyptian cotton bed linens and duvet covers, and rigged with high-speed Internet ports. The Palms eclectic restaurants created by award-winning chefs and noted restaurateurs from Europe and the U.S., and its nightlife venues, matching anything either Coast has to offer, will be favorites of locals and visitors alike.

``We designed the Palms as a destination resort, with all the excitement and amenities visitors expect from a Las Vegas Strip property, and complemented with the charm and attention to detail of an independent, family-run hotel,'' said Maloof. ``People are looking for comfort, value, service, friendliness and fun, rather than a theme,'' continued Maloof, ``and the Palms will be the place to find it all.''

Palms is located on Flamingo Road, a half-mile west of the Strip and across the street from the Rio. ``Creating a vibrant, hip resort is the draw for our target market, and the old adage of `if you build it they will come' holds true in Las Vegas,'' said Maloof. ``The Rio and the Hard Rock certainly did not suffer from their off-Strip locations, and perhaps benefited by being set apart from the crowd both physically and in concept,'' continued Maloof. ``We expect the same to hold true for the Palms.''

Designed by internationally acclaimed Jon Adams Jerde and Jerde Partnership International, the Palms classic exterior leads to a spacious yet intimate interior highlighted by luxurious fabrics, rich wooden floors and dramatic yet flattering lighting. The main casino floor's high ceilings with curved, bleached pine beams and oversized, palm-frond fans and palapa-leaf inspired canopies create a sense of airiness, and contribute to the actual comfort of the gaming guests.

Known as a casino operator who provides honest games and generous slots, Maloof will up the ante for a good gaming experience with the Palms. The casino's 95,000 square feet is filled with the latest in gaming technology as well as the classics, and will offer non-stop excitement for both the amateur and experienced gamer.

Palms players will test their luck with 2,200 slot and video poker machines, numerous roulette, blackjack and craps tables, a classic poker room, a keno lounge, two cutting-edge high limit areas including an exclusive high limit lounge, and the most comprehensive Race & Sports Book in Las Vegas, complete with the ``Sports Express'' drive-up window to place your bets (coming in Summer 2002).

Unique to the Palms is the Roller Lounge, specifically designed for high rollers and guests who appreciate the diversity of fine cigars and cigarettes. Patrons will have the opportunity to have their cigars hand-rolled by aficionados, most notably by the master cigar roller, Lorenzo Lambert. Lambert, a 53-year old aficionado who has been rolling cigars since the age of 13, will hand-cut and roll cigars with aged tobacco leaves for each guest upon request.

The lounge also offers its guests a private dining area catered by each of the different restaurants on the property. Aficionados will also bring cigar and cigarette rolling machines to tables within the casino's gaming area and roll them for gamers on the spot. Gamers can choose from traditional choices, or try popular flavor-cured tobacco leaves including cherry, vanilla, watermelon, chocolate, mango and mint.

Those taking a break from the tables will find a different kind of action close by at the Palm's Island Bar, one of the trendiest locations to check out the action. Located in the middle of the casino floor, the bar's hardwood floors, irregular cut-glass overhead, funky white lamps illuminating comfortable tables, stools and black leather couches, silver bar with zebra wood inlay, make the Island Bar a perfect place to hook up with friends. If it's entertainment that's needed, the nearby Palapa Lounge offers an open, comfortable place to take in live acts, or try enhancing your luck with a professional Palm or Tarot Card reading.

Every appetite can be satisfied at the Palms, with some of the best-known names in dining and entertainment as partners. The property will include seven restaurants, a hip and hot nightspot, a 25,000-square-foot multi-use contemporary nightclub and concert venue and Brenden Theatres, a 14-screen plush theater Cineplex, complete with couple's loveseats.

The unique blend of signature restaurants combines inviting atmospheres, excellent service and good value to create spectacular dining destinations, many with outdoor, poolside dining. Transplanted from the renowned Buddha Bar in Paris, the Little Buddha Cafe makes its U.S. debut at the Palms. Its towering 22-foot, mahogany doors grand entrance leads patrons to the eight-columned, domed main dining room highlighted by two 10-foot tall Buddha statues. The restaurant's traditional Asian fusion cuisine, with a touch of French influence, as well as a full sushi bar can be enjoyed in the airy, high-ceilinged, brocade-paneled back room. Buddha Bar's popular musical compilations will also be produced and offered at Little Buddha at the Palms.

The Morton family is known for their innovative, original restaurants and Michael Morton, together with partner Scott DeGraff, bring their wildly popular Chicago-based restaurant, Nine, to the Palms. A sizzling, contemporary American steakhouse, Nine offers a compelling menu of Chicago-style steaks and chops, seafood and contemporary American fare amid a dazzling, ultra-chic setting. The dramatic 12,500 square foot dining room, bar, lounges and private rooms are appointed in rich earth tones, limestone, mirrored mosaics, dark walnut wood, stainless steel and luxurious leather and suede furniture. Beneath a silver-leafed domed ceiling, a central Champagne and Caviar Bar with a fiber-optically lit drink rail beckons diners with tiered seafood platters.

Alize, atop the Palms 56th floor, features fine dining in the French Riviera style and is the creation of award-winning restaurateur Andre Rochat. Named after the gentle trade winds of the French Mediterranean, Alize's glass atrium-structured dining room offers a spectacular view of Las Vegas through its aquamarine glass walls, and positions its VIP table in front of the windows, secluded from the main dining room by a curved glass partition. Nearly 1,000 fine French wines and cognacs from Rochat's personal collection are highlighted in the 12-foot tall glass wine cellar centered in the middle of the room.

Other dining options include Gardunos Mexican Restaurant, known for fresh and flavorful New Mexican-style spices and ingredients, served within the multi-level and poolside dining areas; the Blue Agave Oyster and Chile Bar, famous for their wide selection of more than 350 margaritas and 150 tequilas; the Sunrise Cafe for 24-hour dining; and the Festival Market, created by Silver Plate Award winner Dennis Berkowitz, creator of Max's in San Francisco.

Las Vegas is party-central, and Palms is the place to be for nightlife. The hottest spot in town is likely to be Ghostbar, a sultry and sophisticated indoor-outdoor lounge and sky deck on the 55th floor of the Palms Casino Resort. Accessed by a high-speed lobby elevator, the sleek, chic Ghostbar offers lounging luxury amid an ethereal color scheme of silver, white, greens and grays. Twelve-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows offer a dramatic view of Las Vegas and, outdoors, the airy sky deck provides a 275-degree view of the glittering skyline. Guests can lounge on the custom, ultra-contemporary furniture, seek privacy in the intimate seating arrangements or VIP lounge, order from Ghostbar's special menu, or dance to the deejay's eclectic music mix under a 30-foot ghost-shaped ceiling soffit that changes colors with the music.

And the party only gets bigger as guests choose to visit Rain in the Desert, a multi-level, multi-environment contemporary nightclub and concert venue. Located on the Casino level, Rain will combine performances by international headliners, an electrifying dance club, a private event facility and intimate enclaves in one, dynamic, multi-sensory destination. Entering through a gold-mirrored mosaic tunnel, patrons can choose to dance on the elevated bamboo dance floor surrounded by a computer-programmed river of water, or luxuriate in the private and VIP environments that include cabanas, private booths with water sofas or sky boxes with private balconies. Rain's private kitchen will cater to guest's appetites, and its six bars and VIP concierge will take care of any needs.

Palms also takes heed of its guest's needs for rest and relaxation, and offers Spa at the Palms, an oasis environment that treats well-being with a fun and playful spin. The European-style, indoor-outdoor, three-story spa overlooks the Palms' sparkling tropical pool, with its bamboo cabana and sapphire and amethyst color scheme.

The Spa's spacious 20,000 square feet houses state-of-the-art changing rooms, spa treatment rooms, an aromatherapy bar and guest lounges, and a fitness center and exercise studio, as well as candle-light Yoga classes and Botox and Collagen parties. Decadent body therapies like ``Margarita Madness'' (a delectable body slush that is a cocktail for your skin) and ``Days of Wine and Roses'' (a hydrotherapy bath with fresh rose petals) are only a sampling of the more than 20 different types of fun and fruity body treatments that leave you feeling like the pampered royalty you deserve to be. Amp, a full-service salon founded by colorist-to-the-stars Michael Boychuck will keep you in the competition for today's see-and-be-seen scene.

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