Rock On

There’s a new casino resort on the horizon in Las Vegas, quite literally. Perched on the extreme western edge of the Las Vegas Valley is the new Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa, which is scheduled to open on April 18.

Located at the corner of I-215 and West Charleston Boulevard, the resort is the latest entry into the ongoing competition for the hearts, minds and entertainment dollars of Las Vegas locals and tourists alike.

The resort is named for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area located just a stone’s throw down the road. It is the latest addition to the Station Casinos’ line of casinos and resorts, long known in the local Las Vegas market for a quality product at reasonable prices.

Like its sister property, Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Red Rock Resort will focus on the up-scale local customers in the adjacent Summerlin planned community and seasoned Las Vegas visitors looking for something different.

“We’re talking to people that are experienced Las Vegas travelers,” said Lori Nelson, director of corporate communication for Station Casinos. “We call them the ‘been-there, done-thats’ in Las Vegas who are looking for a great value in a luxury experience.”

The construction costs came to $925 million for the 850-room resort giving it the record (at least for the moment) for per-room costs, surpassing even Wynn Las Vegas, which opened last year.

Let the Sunshine In
The resort’s theme, if you care to call it that, is understated luxury with an emphasis on the stunning vistas the resort’s location affords. The public areas are festooned with onyx of various hues, polished sandstone, rich dark woods and lots of crystal 3.1 million pieces to be exact.

“Lorenzo [Fertitta, Station Casinos, Inc. president] and Frank [Fertitta III, chief executive officer] harken back to the old days in Vegas. They loved the crystal chandeliers that were in all the old hotels. They brought crystal back in a huge way, but they’ve modernized it,” Nelson said.

The Fertitta brothers are native Las Vegans, sons of the founder of Station Casino, Inc.

The casino also features large windows bringing in lots of natural light, a rarity in casino design. Floor-to-ceiling windows in each guestroom offer views of the Las Vegas Strip on one side and Red Rock Canyon on the other.

The rooms are large, 525 square feet, and decorated in woods, marble, crystal and rich fabrics. Amenities include 42-inch high-definition plasma televisions, iPod docking stations, robes and slippers, automated private bars and 15-inch LCD televisions in the bathrooms.

The hotel provides 94,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Many of the meeting rooms have large windows with views of the pool and the neighboring mountains. The facility is ideal for smaller groups, Nelson said.

Station Casinos are known for top-quality dining at reasonable prices. The new resort is no exception with nine restaurants, including the Feast Gourmet Buffet, the Salt Lick BBQ out of Texas, T-Bones Steakhouse and Terra Rosa Italian Bistro. The resort also features a Rande Gerber nightclub called Cherry that promises to be as popular as his Whiskey nightclub was at Green Valley Ranch.

The “backyard” pool and beach area is a full-scale resort facility with fountains, cabanas, cocktail service and a poolside casino. Red Rock will also sport a high-end 35,000-square-foot spa that will offer an adventure program with opportunities for hiking, rock climbing and even whitewater rafting. There are also several golf courses in the immediate area.

Oh yeah, there’s a casino too featuring 3,200 slot machines, 60 table games, a sports book and a poker room.

Red Rock Resort is about 10 miles west of the Strip and a quick 15 minutes from McCarran Airport. The hotel plans to open with 400 rooms available. The balance will be open by December. The resort is offering an introductory room rate of $150 per night through the summer then rates will start at $170 for a standard room, Nelson said.