Palms Casino Resort

After a $620 million face lift, the Sky Villas at The Palms in Las Vegas put other high roller suites to shame.

When the Palms opened in 2001 it was a game changer for the Vegas resort landscape, off the Strip but still packed with A-list Hollywood, pro athlete and celebrity appeal. The casino hotel was invention of the Maloof family, who have owned two NBA teams, the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings, and are now minority owners of the NHL’s red-hot Las Vegas Golden Knights. They focused on what they knew, hip marketing and celebrities, and the Palms Casino Resort quickly became an instant hot spot for the younger club crowd. In its first full year of operation it hosted a season of MTV’s Real World, and quickly became known for its lavish fantasy suites, including the only hotel room in the country with its own private basketball court.

But in recent years there have a been a spate of deep pocketed openings and renovations across the city, and record visitation by a more discerning global audience. So, with new competing luxury suite products, the Palms, now owned by large local operator Station Casinos, went back to the drawing board – to the tune of $620 million. This massive property-wide renovation is just wrapping up and has transformed nearly every square foot of the property, from food to lodging. If the Palms was not on your radar for Vegas vacations before, it certainly should be now. As a flagship highlight of the renovation, the hotel’s six Sky Villas – one of which previously made CNN’s list of the 15 Most Expensive Hotel rooms – have been completely re-imagined from scratch by leading architects and interior designers and are about to take their place among the most luxurious (and expensive) accommodations on earth – think private infinity pools cantilevered over the streets below with stunning views of the Las Vegas Strip.

Palms Casino Resort

Outdoor infinity pools cantilevered over the streets of Las Vegas are a signature touch at all of the new Sky Villas at the Palms Casino Resort.

Regular rooms did not get overlooked either – all are newly renovated with dramatic views of the neon city through floor-to-ceiling windows, have new design, new custom furniture, curated contemporary art and all new marble bathrooms with walk-in showers. Salons and Grand Suites are the next step up, and offer all the upgrades the regular rooms got, plus lots of extra space, new custom-designed sofa beds for added guest capacity, and full wet bars. The larger bathrooms add modern soaking tubs to the oversized walk-in showers. Another step up are the Penthouse Suites, in one and two-bedroom configurations, all outfitted with multiple large-screen televisions, fully functional bars and carefully curated artwork. The two bedroom adds a marble entry, lots of floor-to-ceiling windows, duel fully functional bars and extravagant marble bathrooms with an array of body jets in every shower. All redesigned rooms will be fully completed by this fall, while many luxury rooms and suites are available this summer

“Being a part of the design team bringing the renovation of the Palms to life has truly been one of the most exciting opportunities! The new vision for the property… was bold, dramatic, and really broke its own, iconic mold. The Ownership team’s desire to continue to push the box aesthetically allowed us to create intriguing, one-of-a-kind interiors that you won’t find anywhere else in the city,” said Andrea DeRosa, Principal Designer for Avenue Interior Design, one of the prominent firms that worked on the redo.