Wynn Las Vegas & Encore
How did it make you feel when you got there?
Right away, you’ll understand why Wynn is the world’s biggest five-star resort: it has sunlit atriums, an indoor koi pond, and fountains and waterfalls all over the property. When you walk into Wynn’s main door, you’ll feel like you’re in a fantasy world. The shops feel like they have their own backyards, and behind the resort is the only golf course on the Strip—a lush par-70 championship course. As you walk through floral mosaic tiles into the entrance, which is lit by natural light, you’ll see moving floral sculptures that look like a flowery carousel. There are also big flower bouquets hanging from the ceiling. This is one of the most Instagrammed places in the city, for a reason. You feel like you walked off the Las Vegas Strip and into a different world. It does this and doesn’t feel cheesy; it feels amazing.
How is the crowd?
People who are having a business meeting off-site or a gathering at Wynn and Encore can change it. But in general, guests care about style and class. They’re here for the great shopping (there are two Chanel shops), dining, and going out at night. There isn’t a clear group of people who go there, but the crowd is smarter and more foreign than at most other Strip resorts.
What’s cool: Describe your room.
The hotel is always getting better, and Wynn just recently revealed a $200 million makeover of 2,700 guestrooms in Wynn and Wynn Tower Suites. The new furniture, wood accent walls, and commissioned Cubist-style art are just the beginning. With custom-designed etageres, faux bois wallpaper, and alabaster pendant lights, the baths are beautifully lit and feel like a home retreat. Wynn at Home, which is downstairs, sells many of the things and furniture in this house, and they do a lot of business. There were floor-to-ceiling windows with a great view of the Strip and the mountains to the west. The room also had lights that you could change to suit your mood and an iPad by the bed that controlled the TV, drapes, lighting, and in-room eating. All of the rooms are pretty big—they start at about 650 square feet.
We really need some deep, healing sleep. They got us?
A long time ago, Steve Wynn bought sheets from the world’s best hotels and made sure they had better thread counts. There are beds that are sky-high with sheets that have a 507-thread count, which is just above the highest thread count ever. There are big, overstuffed Euro shams that are good for people who like to work in bed.
What about the little things, like a minibar or shower treats? Do any of those things end up in your bag?
These rooms are definitely made to make travelers’ lives easier. The Wynn has a lot of nice features: Molton Brown made a special Wynn set of products three years ago. The scents are of cocoa and tonka bean, which makes you smell kind of like vanilla. In addition to the usual small comforts, they give you a basket with things like shoe polish and a buffing cloth.
Tell us that the bathroom will be good.
Wynn’s baths are all great, but the big, deep bathtubs are the best. With a nice European touch, the bathrooms are set up so that the toilet is in a different room. The best towels on the Strip are these: they’re big, white, and fluffy. Robes are big and soft. If there were no laws, these are the first things we’d steal. We’re not saying you should, though; just buy them at the home shop.
Wi-Fi is likely the most important subject of all. What do you call it?
There is free basic Wi-Fi in all rooms with a speed of 7MB. However, this isn’t really free because it’s part of the $45 daily resort fee that you can’t skip. But if you want to watch, you can pay about $15 per day to get faster Wi-Fi.
What to Eat and Drink Delilah is a completely new take on The h.wood Group’s famous West Hollywood restaurant. It opened in 2021 and has been the hardest table to get in town ever since. There are hints of the city’s golden age in the mid-1960s in the supper club. There are cubist paintings, tables with malachite inlay, and two stairs that lead to a dining room surrounded by solid brass palm trees, like in LA’s Cocoanut Grove or Havana’s heyday. Every little thing was thought of in this—even the lounge’s furniture is old Hermes.
Is room service worth it?
I love eating breakfast in my room at Wynn even more than I thought I could. You will have to pay for it, though. On a recent trip, I had a “fitness breakfast” that included an egg white omelet with veggies, toast, and fruit. I also got a green juice and tea, and the whole thing cost $69 after taxes and the service charge. The menu does have a lot of choices, though, such as vegan options and classic Asian breakfast things. IRD now has the new “Living Well” menu, which has dishes like gazpacho and a roast veggie bowl. You can raise your hand if you love green juice; this Vibrant Vert is without a doubt the best green juice you’ve ever had.
Staff: Who would get a prize if you could give one? Why?
Every single person who works at Wynn has been trained to make your stay easy. It’s not possible to pick out just one hard worker.
Do any of the other services and benefits stand out to you? It doesn’t matter if it was babysitting, gyms, spas, parking, or something else.
There are many beautiful pools and Jacuzzis between Wynn and Encore, and there are many ways to get to them. They don’t get as busy as other resorts’ pool parties. There are some really great places. One of the most relaxing and enticing scenes is watching the pool scene at Encore while sitting outside at Jardin.
What did you remember or find most upsetting about your stay?
At Wynn, you should do these three things without a doubt: You can have a romantic meal at one of the restaurants that sits over water, like SW, Lakeside, or Mizumi’s floating pagoda table. You can also treat yourself to something really special on the esplanades at Wynn and watch the wildly imaginative, reimagined evening show at Lake of Dreams. Having a drink at Aft in the evening will make you feel like you’re on the back of a superyacht on the Mediterranean. Aft is between SW and Lakeside on the show lake. There are a lot of different kinds of shops here, from the only Gucci Garden in the US to a two-story temple to Hermes, from pricey watches to Wynn-only shoes made by designers for one season.
In the end, is it worth it, and if so, why?
There’s a good reason why the Wynn costs more than other Las Vegas hotels. A lot of people don’t go to Las Vegas; they go to Wynn and don’t leave while they’re there. In general, because there are so many hotel rooms in Las Vegas, it makes sense to book one at the resort where you plan to spend the most time.