The Cromwell holds bragging rights to a claim that is hard to make on the Las Vegas Strip. With only 188 rooms and suites, it is one of the few boutique hotels set among a pantheon of megaresorts. "Boutique" is a term taken seriously at this hotel-casino located, ironically, at one of the city’s busiest intersections — the crossroads of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, where more than 20 million people pass by each year.
Bespoke charm echoes through its Parisian-inspired décor and in a few key places, there are subtle homages to its former existence as the Barbary Coast, and later, Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon.
The Cromwell’s new life is one of sophistication: well-curated accommodations, superstar food and beverage offerings and a nightlife ethos that extends from an expansive roof deck, home to Drai’s Beachclub-Nightclub, to its subterranean level, occupied by the legendary Drai’s Afterhours.
The lady of the house is Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis, who chose The Cromwell as the spot for her first namesake restaurant. Open for three meals a day, Giada also is responsible for the resort’s room service (look out for the special Giada burger, available only via in-room dining), as well as the bites offered at the lobby bar, Bound.
Nightlife impresario Victor Drai conceived the 65,000-square-foot rooftop party complex known as Drai’s Beachclub-Nightclub, with a stunning view of the Bellagio fountains and live concert series. Keep the madness going into the early morning at Drai’s Afterhours, located beneath the casino level.
Slide into Bound, one of the only places this side of the Atlantic where you can have a drink conceived by master cocktailian Salvatore Calabrese, famous for making the world’s oldest martini and other gimmicks such as espresso brewed using Red Bull (to be added to vodka, of course).
The casino has 56 table games, 400-plus slot machines, and a high-limit room. If the occasion calls for watching the big game or celebrating a big send-off, the Abbey, a reserved gaming salon, is an ideal spot to gather.
Checking in at The Cromwell is like having your own personal pied-à-terre at one of the city’s best access points. Arrive at the dramatic porte-cochère and crossover into an experience that challenges all preconceived notions about the intimacy of Las Vegas.
Inside there are no traces of the standard, transactional check-in process. Every associate behind the illuminated granite front desk, set against an opulent reading-parlor motif replete with books, is also a concierge who can help plan a tailored stay.
The Cromwell eliminates the hassle associated with a lost room key, as it is the first Las Vegas hotel to offer eKey technology. Download an app on your smartphone, which enables the device as a key.
Want to pick up a vinyl record, a cool watch or a funky piece of home décor as a souvenir? Curios is a gift shop like no other, filled with products that appeal to the traveler who loves well-crafted accessories with a bit of whimsy.
In 2014, The Cromwell, owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment, underwent a $185 million transformation by architecture firm Leo A Daly.
Only a handful of things remain from its former identity: the red wall at the front of the casino, which was once a service elevator, the black elevator leading to Drai’s Afterhours and most impressively, the string of nine vintage chandeliers that dot the long barrel-shaped casino ceiling.
Inside, Las Vegas-based design studio Tandem used a palette of purple and charcoal throughout the rooms. Even the elevators get in on the action with leather panels strung up in a corseted motif.
Expect tufted beds, dark hardwood floors, Crosley Bluetooth stereos, vintage luggage-inspired furniture, lighted vanities with flatirons and a host of other sleekly packaged beauty products available for purchase.