Encore - Las Vegas

Unveiled in December 2008 next door to the flagship Wynn, the all-suite Encore has set the bar in the Las Vegas marketplace with luminous interior and exterior spaces that house an array of first-class facilities. Costing US$2.3 billion, the 48-storey, curved bronze tower perfectly matches its sister property from the outside. “We had the premier resort in Las Vegas when we opened Wynn in 2005 but we didn’t want Encore to be perceived as second-class,” says Executive Vice President of Architecture DeRuyter Butler. “We set out to position it higher, make it more intimate and give it a more contemporary edge.”

Liaising with Steve Wynn to develop the architectural footprint and layout, Butler and the in-house team moved strongly away from old-world perceptions of casino-hotels. “There is this antiquated view that people leave casinos when it gets light,” Butler points out. “Well, Encore is all about integrating the interior with the exterior, decreasing separation of inside from outside and inviting in natural light.” This has been achieved through the installation of a large indoor flower-filled atrium by the main entrance; views of the beautifully landscaped pools from most arrival points into the resort; direct lines of sight to the outdoors through bold, directional avenues in the casino and the addition of terraces or sliding floor-to-ceiling windows in meeting and dining venues.

To ensure this connectivity to the exterior was never interrupted, Wynn challenged his team to come up with a glass that wouldn’t cause too much reflection when dark. “We had to fight physics but after six months of experimenting, we settled on a special glass coating from Germany that would reduce reflection, allowing guests to see outside clearly during night as well as day,” adds Butler.

Taking on lessons it had learnt from Wynn Macau, the team also compartmentalised the casino floor rather than having a vast open-ended area. “We created the impression of compartments – through fabric draping, changes in flooring material and typically the addition of a chandelier – because this is a friendlier approach,” explains Butler. “We plan resorts around people and how they like to feel.”
Picking up on this theme, Roger Thomas, Executive Vice President of Design, adds: “The casino is a series of rooms enclosed by backlit louvres and an extravagant use of Italian damask in a contemporary design, which I believe is luxurious and evokes a certain mystery as one passes from space to space.”

Such clever planning means that navigation around the hotel does indeed feel instinctive, with convenient access from registration to guestroom elevators, the placement of wining and dining around the periphery of the casino, and easy-to-view pool decks representing a social hub.

For those guests wanting a high-end boutique experience within Encore, the Tower Suites have their own porte cochère and check-in area and are vertically stacked on one side of the tower. Not only is this advantageous in terms of engineering but it means this class of guest is catered for with their own elevators, carefully positioned near to high-end gaming and fine dining.

The interior design itself is based on a study of contrast and subtlety and the interplay of textures while lighting features, sculptures and objets d’art differentiate the resort. A vibrant butterfly motif, Venetian glass mosaic floors and mother-of-pearl inlaid wasabi marble from Asia are recurring themes. The element of surprise, however, is also important. “Part of my definition of luxury is something unique and never experienced,” says Thomas. “For example, the abaca textured walls of the registration lobby are materials usually reserved for adventurous floor covering but with this application, we created luxurious depth of scale. The same is true of the Rubino red chandeliers throughout the casino. Rubino red glass can only be achieved through a costly mouth-blown technique when clear crystal glass is infused with 24-carat gold, raised to a specific temperature, cooled slightly and then heated again to reveal the distinctive red. The extravagance with which we appointed the chandeliers connotes luxury, and their asymmetric twist inspired by a woman’s pleated skirt adds surprise.”

Many of these bespoke designs are the work of custom lighting firm Alger International who collaborated on dozens of designs and fabricated hundreds of fixtures in a variety of materials to achieve the ambitions of Wynn’s design team.

Thomas also scoured markets in Asia and Europe to find vintage pieces for Encore, including a pair of Sicilian crystal obelisks and the 1920s ship chandelier in Sinatra restaurant. Sinatra also boasts innovative chandeliers made of ship’s rope dyed olive-green and strung with huge, faceted green-acrylic pendants.

Other Encore artwork has been specifically commissioned, sometimes demanding breakthrough design techniques. Inspired by James Whistler’s Peacock Room, now housed at the Freer Gallery in Washington, two glass peacocks accented by hundreds of Swarovski crystals grace the entrance to high-limit baccarat. Further examples include red, lacquered chrysanthemums adorning walls and the stunning 27ft crystal dragon found in Wazuzu restaurant. Mythology and ancient history too have played their parts with a sculpted interpretation of the goddess Daphne forming the centrepiece of the Lobby Bar.

The Todd-Avery Lenahan-designed rooms, measuring up to 700ft2 in the resort, and 5,800ft2 in the Tower Suites, provide supreme comfort in fashionable yet timeless surroundings of lacquered ebony, polished white sycamore millwork and houndstooth wall coverings. Lenahan, Principal of ABA Design Studio, also worked his magic on the 61,000ft2 spa, which welcomes visitors with a beautifully detailed, vaulted glass-enclosed courtyard. Champagne-coloured Venetian glass chandeliers, intricate sparkling walls of bronze mirror, and potted palms and orchid beds define this area as another of the resort’s many must-see spaces.

ENCORE
3131 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, USA
Tel +1 702 770 8000
www.encorelasvegas.com

Rooms    2,034 guestrooms
Dining    Sinatra, Switch, Botero Steak, Society, Wazuzu, Lobby Bar and Café
Drinking    Botero Bar, Cabana Bar, Eastside Lounge, High Limit Bar, Island Bar, Southside Bar, Switch Bar
Leisure    Casino, 27,000ft2 shopping Esplanade, Encore Theatre, 61,000ft2 Spa at Encore including salon and fitness centre
Facilities    60,000ft2 of flexible meeting space, 12 meeting rooms including one column-free ballroom