The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

With all the restaurants and entertainment at the Cosmopolitan, you may feel like there’s no time to sleep. If you don’t check in to one of the resort’s rooms, however, you’ll be missing one of its best features. From the City Rooms and Studios to the Penthouse Suites, all have bold design touches, marble floors, and amenities like Japanese soaking tubs. The Cosmopolitan is the only hotel in the heart of the strip with accommodations that feel like luxe residences that combine indoor and outdoor living with private terraces. As is true of the Cosmopolitan generally, there is nothing standard about any of the guest rooms at the resort and each one feels like your own distinctive Vegas pied-à-terre.

With an intuition for what travelers need after a trip to the Strip, you’ll find lounge spaces all around The Cosmopolitan designed to allow guests simply to relax. Free from pressure to order a drink or pop coins into a slot machine, you’re welcome to sit down, catch up with friends, check-in on your social media accounts, or just take a moment to yourself. On every floor The Cosmopolitan draws travelers in with its sophisticated style and keen cultural sense. On the first floor, look for cushioned seats near the lobby and throughout the casino bars. On the second floor, there is ample seating around the Chandelier Bar. The third floor, which houses the vast majority of The Cosmopolitan’s restaurants, has a large open community meeting space with a pool table, table top games, and, you guessed it, comfy seating. In a city where the mantra is, “go, go, go,” slowing down can be very welcome respite, indeed.

While there are sure bets every time you visit The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas—the Chandelier Bar will always serve delicious cocktails, and people will always be swimming or ice skating at the Boulevard Pool—the resort also keeps visitors on their toes. Pop-up shops and galleries make an appearance at this property on a regular basis so, if your last visit to The Cosmopolitan was a year, six months, or even three months ago, it’s time for another visit. At the moment, there is a free-to-the-public Liberace exhibit on display, complete with costumes, a piano, and a car. For awhile, The Cosmopolitan had a pop-up wedding chapel where anyone could celebrate a real or faux wedding. What’s more, their art galleries run on a rotation so what was in the third-floor gallery space will likely be renewed when you make it back to The Cosmopolitan for your next visit.

The Cosmopolitan is a little young and brash for my tastes (then again I AM middle-aged and it IS Las Vegas) but it’s now my go-to Las Vegas hotel since I’ve stayed in the swanky Wraparound Terrace Suite. It was only $139/night, however, that was a convention rate and I was upgraded because of my Platinum status. What I loved: - Gigantic entryway - No outside noise - Cool artwork, art books, decor and furnishings (Eileen Grey, Jonathan Adler, etc.) - Massive flat screen tv - Kitchen with 2 freezers, refrigerator, binoculors, wine fridge, etc... - Two extremely large bathrooms, both with beautiful, tiled walk-in showers - High-end bath products - High quality fixtures - Sensitive temperature control - Crazy good views - And -- best of all -- an insanely wide and long terrace that spanned at least 80 feet I was also impressed with the conference/meeting services: (spotless) nice cutlery and embroidered linens, top-notch glassware, prompt service and above-average food. Sane and Serene Las Vegas: http://bit.ly/VpEuDx

From August 12th through September 13th, 2015, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is as much art studio as it is hotel. P3Studio artist-in-residence and Las Vegas native Brent Sommerhauser teaches guests how to sketch in glass. The process works by layering colored glass powder and glass strings on a canvas of glass tile. Sommerhauser then fires up the kiln and brings the creations to life, documenting them on Instagram for people around the world to see.

The centerpiece of The Cosmopolitan is arguably the three-story chandelier, which is one of the largest in the world. Within the chandelier, however, is a three-story bar, appropriately named The Chandelier. Like The Cosmopolitan itself, however, this is no common bar. Each level of this glass curtain-encased lounge has a very specific energy as well as its own cocktail menu. The bottom level, which feeds off the action of the casino floor, has a high-energy vibe. On the second level, the drinks are all the rage, as this is where a lot of thought has been put into the hand-crafted alcoholic concoctions. Finally, those who make it to the top level will find a more intimate atmosphere.

Beyond the day-to-day pool lounging in the summer, The Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool transforms with the seasons and events into a unique social space. On Dive-In Movie Nights the pool becomes a movie theatre and anyone is welcome to watch (for a small price and it’s not just reserved for guests). In the winter, the pool is covered with an ice skating rink so you can enjoy its great views of the Strip, even on a chilly night. Fire pits are set up around the pool and s’mores kits are available for sale too. Beyond the summer and winter festivities, a number of concerts are held every year at the Boulevard Pool. The venue is more intimate and generally independent acts, rather than mainstream megastars, perform here. The sound system is great and the vibe is always fun. This Las Vegas resort is incredibly creative when it comes to the Boulevard Pool, and it truly is a multi-use area that appeals to many people throughout the year.