First principle: The Wynn is the best hotel in Las Vegas.  I am not saying it is arguably the best, I am saying it is the best.  Sure, the Bellagio is nice.  The Four Seasons does the Four Seasons thing very well.  The Venetian and everything else on down do not come close to the combination of facility, staff, service, and in-general ambiance of the Wynn.  So it’s the best.  And now comes the Encore.  It’s even better.

I was reading Steve Wynn’s biography and noticed that he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963 with a BA in English Literature, took over his family’s Bingo Parlor business, and in 1967 became part owner of the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.  Now that means he was, what, 26 years old?  And by the time he was about 31 he had bought a controlling interest in the Golden Nugget.  Obviously, he is not your ordinary kind of person.

Mr. Wynn moved rapidly to renovate the hotel, sell it for $440 million, use that money to build The Mirage, and in the process change the whole face of Las Vegas (see outdoor volcano).  Next comes Treasure Island and Cirque de Soleil, then the Bellagio (yes, it’s a wonderful hotel but…see the Wynn).  He sold off all of that, bought the old Desert Inn, demolished that, and by building the Wynn, once again raised the bar for everyone else.  And now comes Encore.  The bar goes higher once again.

Let me digress for a moment.  I don’t know Mr. Wynn, so I don’t know if he is a good guy or a bad guy.  I do know that after speaking with lots of people at all levels in Las Vegas, everyone wants to work for him.  So he must be doing something right (except maybe for that elbow through the Picasso thing).

This was my third visit to the Wynn and my first to Encore.  What always impresses me is how light and airy the Wynn seems compared to the other casino properties, and although it is often busy, it never strikes me as crowded.  And here’s something else completely subjective; Las Vegas casino hotels, in general, seem to be filled with the oddest cross-section of humanity imaginable.  All wonderful, kind-hearted souls I’m sure, but not always possessing, shall we say a certain fashion sense, nor sense of decorum in public places.  Those casinos, in general, seem dark, noisy, and designed to cater to the king of advertising slogans, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

The Wynn always strikes me as something different.  It feels lighter, the people walking through carry themselves differently, seem better dressed, and in general more like the people you see in other deluxe resort hotels.  And there are a lot less people dressed like they are vacationing on the Gulf Coast, walking through in large family groups gawking and taking pictures.  I mean it’s definitely Las Vegas, no doubt about that.  But it’s a kinder and gentler Las Vegas.  So sue me, I’m a hotel snob.

OK- back to our fam trip.  And I’ll make this quick.  Welcome reception in a Tower Suite with floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall windows looking out over the Strip.  As an aside, The “Tower Suites at Wynn” is the only Mobil Five-Star rated property in Las Vegas (the Wynn itself is four stars).  Our suite, by the way, had it’s own massage room and it’s master bathroom is bigger than my living room at home.  We enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast the next morning in the Terrace Café served by a diminutive waitress (sorry, I forget her name), who was one of the best and happiest servers I have ever encountered.  After our tour of the Encore (more later), we had lunch in the Country Club, had a free afternoon to enjoy a massage in the Spa, and then met for dinner in a private room of their Japanese restaurant, Okada.  Next morning we were at leisure to enjoy the brunch buffet.  It was kind of wasted on me because I was so full from the day before, but I was very impressed by the fortitude and determination of most of the diners in the restaurant to sample every type of food known to man for breakfast.

Couple of things to note: First, you see I really do have a fantastic job, and second, it is a challenge to not eat to the point of catatonia.  In case you were wondering, the sushi at Okada is the best I have ever had outside Japan.

And finally, Encore.  Getting a tour of the Encore ten days before it officially opened was an eye-opening experience in what it takes to open a mega-hotel and casino to the highest standards. It was like being in a beehive organized by NASA. From an outsiders point of view it was hard to know exactly what was going on as workers streamed in all directions, but everyone seemed to have a mission, and they all seemed excited about what was soon to be their collective masterpiece (at least until Mr. Wynn opens another hotel).  As we were guided down wide, bright hallways filled with museum quality artwork, we would pass state-of-the-art meeting and banquet rooms filled with rows and rows of tables lined with laptop computers as if the entire project was being prepared to be launched into space as soon as it was complete.  Come to think of it, maybe that will be Mr. Wynn’s next project.

The 60,000 or so square feet of meeting space at Encore has natural light and all of the high-tech capability one would expect from a new luxury property.  The group market for Encore will focus on what passes for smaller groups in Las Vegas, up to about 400 attendees.  The Wynn has 223,000 square feet and the two properties are connected so a large group could be housed at the Wynn, have their meetings there, and have their executives at Encore, or a smaller VIP group or incentive could be at Encore and feel like they are a bigger fish in a smaller pond.  It’s a pretty big small pond, but you get the idea.

The guest rooms at Encore are light and airy- what I kept hearing described as the Wynn’s stylish younger sister.  I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I liked them.  And the way both hotels are designed, there are a limited number of rooms on each floor so it has a more intimate feeling than some of the mega-monster properties where you feel like you need to catch a bus from the elevator to your room.  And one more thing about the rooms; The Tower at Encore has 20 two-level suites that are kind of indescribable.  I suggest that you book a really big group there and ask for an upgrade.  You’ll be impressed.

The Encore will have 5,000 employees (the Wynn has 8,000) and many of them seemed to be in serious training as we walked around.  They all smiled and waved at us as we walked through.  The training seems to be working.  Add to that a roomful of models preparing for a photo shoot, lots of guys driving back and forth in little electric carts, craftsmen putting finishing touches on bits of tile, florists who seemed to be figuring out where to place an entire nursery of plants, an army of security making sure we didn’t stray from our appointed rounds, and all sorts of people communicating via walkie-talkie or in our age of blue-tooth technology, just to themselves.  And did I mention the roomful of models?

For those interested in statistics, here you go…

Wynn (opened April, 2005)

·         2716 guest rooms and suites

·         223,000 square feet of meeting space

·         22 signature food and beverage outlets

·         111,000 square foot casino

·         76,000 square feet of retail space

·         World class spa, full service salon, fitness center

·         A Ferrari and Maserati dealership

Encore (opened December, 2008)

• 2,034 suites
• 60,000 square feet of meeting space
• 13 signature food and beverage outlets
• 74,000 square foot casino
• 27,000 square feet of retail space
• World class spa, full service salon and fitness center

They both share a Championship Tom Fazio designed 18 hole golf course and two Las Vegas showrooms featuring La Reve and starting in February 09, Danny Gans.