The Las Vegas scene has been in a nonstop roar of late with a flurry of significant openings from the Sydell Group’s NoMad Las Vegas to high-end, design-driven restaurants by esteemed chefs Roy Choi, Daniel Humm, and Bobby Flay. This new wave of playful and immersive experiences means more transformative environments and, in some cases, a return to thematic design in the city’s interiors. “It is all part of discovery and surprise,” says Palms Casino Resort creative director Tal Cooperman. Here’s a look at a few of the latest must-see spots in Las Vegas.

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
A reflag of the longstanding Hard Rock right off the Strip, the upcoming Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, brings together an all-star cast of talent, with New York’s Rockwell Group, locally based Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors, and Los Angeles firm Studio Collective collaborating on the design. Aside from its 60,000-square-foot casino, the reimagining—set to debut in March of 2021—will include more than 1,500 guestrooms and suites, five acres of poolside spaces and event venues, and restaurant options from the likes of Todd English and chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

The NoMad Las Vegas
For the third entry in the NoMad portfolio, and the third collaboration with Jacques Garcia, the French designer bestowed the site with a handsome European influence. Spread across the top four floors of the Park MGM, 293 guestrooms and suites are endowed with custom furnishings and eclectic artwork, while 179 of them have freestanding bedside bathtubs, a NoMad signature. Inspired by the surrounding desert scenery, refined warmth permeates the hotel’s dedicated public spaces. “[We took] what we had done in New York and adapted it for Vegas,” says Sydell Group founder Andrew Zobler. 

Palms Casino Resort
The hotel has undergone a $690 million remodel that touched every part of the 1,400-room Palms, including the decadent 9,000-square-foot Damien Hirst Empathy Suite, the world’s most expensive hotel accommodation at $200,000 for a two-night stay, and two Rockwell Group-designed suites, Hardwood (complete with an indoor basketball court) and Kingpin, which boasts two regulation-sized bowling alleys. In addition, Clique Hospitality, which also operates rooftop bar Apex Social Club (by Toronto’s Studio Munge), unveiled Greene St. Kitchen. “It has this great urban, hip vibe to it,” says founder and CEO Andy Masi.

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
As part of an ongoing property enhancement, the Venetian revealed a handful of new venues, including Electra cocktail club, and restaurants Factory Kitchen and Mott 32. In the latter, Hong Kong-based Joyce Wang Studio was inspired by 32 Mott Street in New York, where the city’s first Chinese convenience store opened in 1891.Here, she blended playful and sexy New York industrialism with classic Chinese elements. Neon signage throughout references Asian street markets and the iconic lights of Las Vegas. “We pushed for its application into a more architectural and unexpected manner, poised to surprise and impress guests,” Wang notes.