Life is all about connections, isn’t it? One person reaching another, one place leading to another, one business helping another, the past touching the future.
Downtown Las Vegas has been making connections all over in the past few years, connecting with new customers via remodels, revamping and reimagining of the Golden Nugget, The D and the Plaza. A huge new performing arts complex, The Smith Center, opened its doors. Artistic types had been breathing new life into the faded neighborhoods downtown for years, and new bars, restaurants and concert venues opened in the areas surrounding Fremont Street. Hip online shoe retailer Zappos moved into the area. The Mob Museum took up residence in a historic federal courthouse. The inaugural Life is Beautiful music, food, education and arts festival attracted about 60,000 people to the area in late October.
Then, in November, Downtown Grand opened. The shell of the former Lady Luck provided owner CIM Group (which specializes in urban renewal projects) an exquisite opportunity to complement improvements already happening in the area at Third Street between Ogden and Stewart streets. The Downtown 3rd project had created a metro urban feel in that location, and Downtown Grand’s urban industrial vibe fills a major piece of the puzzle.
From the façade of the boutique resort through the casino floor and hotel environs, Downtown Grand’s design and décor pulls in elements from that renewal of Vegas’ urban core. The exterior of the Grand mixes a retro Prohibition-era feel with a more hip, artistic vibe that continues through the entire hotel. Stacked wood elements mix with sleek glass and metallic touches, creating a flow from the lobby through to the casino floor. That’s where the industrial loft feel really comes through, with exposed brick and ductwork tying into the urban renewal theme.
And although Downtown Grand fills the idea of a boutique hotel, it checks off the boxes of a larger resort, with a variety of bars and restaurants to fill a multitude of needs. The Art Bar and the Mob Bar provide areas for cocktails in stylized environs. Restaurants include Stewart & Ogden, a diner with ’50s décor, and Red Mansion, a swank place with Chinese cuisine, plus The Commissary, a casual eatery with American and Mexican food, designed to morph into a nightspot. On Third Street, you’ll find Triple George Grill and Hogs and Heifers, both forerunners in the Third Street development.
The casino features a high-limit room and a baccarat parlor, an intimate sportsbook and a players promotion club that’s in full swing, offering slot tournaments and chances to win cars. With two hotel towers, guests at the hotel have several options for accommodations, from 350-square-foot rooms to 1,150-square-foot suites, all outfitted with modern designs, which, of course, hearken to another era.
The Third Street location means Fremont Street Experience, Neonopolis and Fremont East are easy to walk to. The Arts District and Smith Center are a short drive, too. And easy access to freeways means a trip to the Strip is easy.
The renewal of downtown Las Vegas hasn’t ended; dozens of projects are on the books. But with the opening of Downtown Grand, those connections linking yesterday, today and tomorrow have gotten stronger.
Downtown Grand, 206 N. Third Street. 702.719.5100
