NoMad Las Vegas
NoMad Las Vegas
How did it make you feel when you got there?
The Park MGM, which used to be the Monte Carlo and has been totally rethought, is where the NoMad Las Vegas is located. The Sydell Group helped remake the whole property, so there is some harmony here that you don’t find in some other hotel-in-hotel pairs in Las Vegas. But NoMad is the totally grown-up side of Park MGM. Park MGM is fun and easy to get to, with the very cool Dolby Live right off the entrance, the fabulous and fun Eataly serving as a food court, and chef restaurateurs like Roy Choi turning up the heat. It’s all old-world luxury here, with sexy dark areas and a grand restaurant that looks like a library and is filled with David Rockefeller’s real collection. When you walk into NoMad, it feels like you’ve found a great secret place to hide. There’s no fancy lobby. Instead, you go through a small red awning and into a quiet registration room surrounded by tapestries. The lift that takes you to the top four floors of Park MGM is filled with works of art that are meant to be discreet.
Tell us about the history of this place.
When MGM Resorts International chose to renovate the old Monte Carlo hotel, they worked on the NoMad idea with the Sydell Group, chef Daniel Humm, and restaurateur Will Guidara. This is the same group that created the brand’s main hotel in New York City and other hotels. Jacques Garcia, who also worked on the Peninsula in Paris, Hotel Costes, and La Mamounia in Marrakesh, created the design. There are some clever, non-Vegas-like references, and it draws inspiration from French classical theaters. For example, the restaurant’s velvet banquettes were based on the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading in Rio de Janeiro. Details from the past were kept, like the original Tiffany glass roof in the Monte Carlo.
What’s important: Tell us about the rooms.
The hotel’s less than 300 rooms are spread out over 10 different types and are all on the top four floors. There are a lot of rooms in the Grande Suite. It has a walk-in shower with Carrara marble tiles, a mahogany writing desk, and a separate living room. This is the place to be if you love the old-world beauty of a tub that stands alone.
What about food and drinks, inside and outside the room?
The minibars in these rooms are the best on the Strip. They have etched Champagne coupes and a wide range of treats, from the usual (Pepsi, La Croix) to the unusual (Haribo sweets). But if you go downstairs, you’ll find the NoMad Restaurant and Bar, which are both great places to eat on their own.
From beginning to end, how did you find the service?
There is just the right amount of formality in the service here to make you wonder if you’re still in Las Vegas. It’s pretty quiet when you register, which is great.
Who stays here?
People who watch NoMad but really love Las Vegas but don’t want to say it. They are just like the rest of us when they let down their guard. They’ll be yelling for the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile across the street and drinking peach slushies at Best Friend by Roy Choi.
How is the area?
One of the easiest resorts on the Strip to get to on foot is Park MGM. The shops at Crystals, The Cosmopolitan, Aria, and MGM Grand are all just a short walk away. When it’s nice outside, go to The Park, which is the area outside of T-Mobile Arena, Park MGM, and New York-New York.
Do any of the other services and benefits stand out to you? What else did you remember?
It’s easy to get lost on Jemaa, the roof deck, and the pool area on the third floor. Majorelle Blue is everywhere, and Jacques Garcia created the large wicker chaises and daybeds to resemble his own Marrakesh-based artwork. Leo Robitschek of the NoMad Bar in New York City came up with these craft drinks, which are what draw people here. The dressed-up lobster roll, the prawn cocktail with oysters, and the Moroccan rice bowl with honey, harissa, and salmon are all great snacks.