What to Know About Vegas' T-Mobile Arena and The Park

Apr 19, 2016

ThePark_Landscaping — The Park’s Beerhaus features draft cocktails, craft beers and games such as foosball. // © 2016 MGM Resorts

On April 4, MGM Resorts International launched a brand-new outdoor space connecting New York-New York Hotel & Casino and Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. Known simply as “The Park,” the three-acre public area debuted in conjunction with the nearby 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena and its adjacent Toshiba Plaza outdoor space. A 5,000-seat venue called The Park Theater is slated to open by the end of this year.

For travel agents, The Park and T-Mobile Arena are fresh selling points for booking stays at New York-New York and Monte Carlo. The most obvious perk is that guests can now move freely between the two properties and bypass the Strip’s sidewalks and escalators. But The Park is also a destination in itself.

A town that constantly changes, Vegas has seldom focused on its own geographical location to attract visitors. The Park aims to change that, resisting the temptation to pretend to be something it isn’t by staying true to its roots.

“This park is unlike any other, because it is a park for Las Vegas to celebrate Las Vegas and to celebrate the great desert that we live in,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, in a video promoting the complex.

Indeed, the Mojave Desert inspired the aesthetics of The Park, which was designed by Marnell Architecture; !melk landscape architecture & urban design; and Cooper, Robertson & Partners. Features include drought-tolerant vegetation, locally sourced stone and an overall green design that minimizes the use of water and energy.

Another symbol of Nevada’s cultural heritage takes center stage at The Park near T-Mobile Arena as well. The massive Bliss Dance is an illuminated sculpture by Marco Cochrane that debuted at the 2010 Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert. Now, the 7,500-pound piece of artwork is back in Nevada after a stint in San Francisco, calling The Park her permanent home.

In terms of dining at The Park, Bruxie, Shake Shack and California Pizza Kitchen are all chains, but there are a pair of restaurants at The Park that are 100-percent Vegas. Beerhaus features local and regional craft beers, draft cocktails and social games such as foosball and ping-pong. Meanwhile, Sake Rok is a funky sushi restaurant with its own sake label and a wait staff that’ll put on a show. But what makes Sake Rok fully local is its owner, Albert Mack, grandson of Jerome Mack — one of the founders of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who also established local banks and served in prominent positions at the Riviera, the Four Queens and Dunes casinos.

For different reasons than The Park, the adjacent T-Mobile Arena is another cause to book rooms at New York-New York and Monte Carlo. Rather than giving visitors the chance to experience the desert, the 650,000 square-foot venue enables them to experience major events that come to the desert instead. Designed by the architect Populous for U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold Certification, the $375 million theater is located on a site approximately double the size of The Park. T-Mobile Arena is designed to host concerts, awards shows, boxing matches and NBA and NHL games, among other huge productions. In true Vegas style, there are a variety of VIP options, including event-level suites, luxury suites, opera boxes, terrace tables, other special seating options and several different lounges, including the massive Hyde Lounge on the fifth level.

Meanwhile, Toshiba Plaza, located outside T-Mobile Arena, links the theater with the Strip via The Park. With four broadcast video towers, three stages, two acres of outdoor event space and the largest video wall in Las Vegas at 45 by 210 feet, Toshiba Plaza is a community space that can further engage visitors with their surroundings during one of T-Mobile Arena’s hundred-plus annual events.

From the local, eco-friendly features of The Park to the numerous amenities that await at T-Mobile Arena and Toshiba Plaza, potential guests of New York-New York and Monte Carlo now have even more reasons to opt for one of the two hotels. The Park especially makes a stay at either one feel like being at a true resort — if for no other reason than that the hotels’ guests can now experience a more authentic Vegas without even setting foot on the Strip.