Summary of The Venetian’s Exciting Changes
- Investment Plans: Over $1 billion will be invested to enhance guest experiences.
- New Dining Options: Notable restaurant openings including TAO Beach Dayclub and chef Tetsuya Wakuda’s first U.S. outpost.
- Entertainment Expansion: A significant increase in shows and the construction of the impressive MSG Sphere.
New president and CEO of The Venetian, Patrick Nichols, tells iBestTravel exclusively that the company is “investing north of $1 billion touching every area of the guest experience.”
When Apollo Funds acquired The Venetian Resort Las Vegas earlier this year, they made a promise to continue to invest in the iconic all-suite property. In an exclusive interview with iBestTravel, the resort’s newly installed CEO Patrick Nichols shared he will be making good on that commitment by “investing north of $1 billion touching every area of the guest experience.”
“We are looking to elevate our experiences resort wide,” Nichols tells iBestTravel. “Arrival experiences will be different. For both The Venetian and The Palazzo, we plan to renovate, remodel, and redesign all of our suites. We will be offering a number of new food-and-beverage concepts, we are taking a deep look at entertainment, nightlife, and bar offerings, and the casino floor will feel significantly different as well.”
This is all in addition to debuting a reimagined Venetian pool deck, a 47,000-square-foot, $50-million TAO Beach Dayclub in partnership with TAO Group, and the first U.S. outpost from acclaimed chef Tetsuya Wakuda this year.
To realize Nichols’ goals, the property has engaged Los Angeles-based design collective RIOS to master plan the redevelopment. Moreover, to answer your first question, no, the iconic Italian theme The Venetian is synonymous with is not going away. “We are a themed hotel and we will always be a themed hotel,” Nichols notes. “That sets us apart, but the Italy of the ’90s that The Venetian was modeled after has evolved. If we are able to lean into that through the spirit of Italy and discovery, we are not going to look like just another hotel that has refreshed their rooms.”
As for timing, Nichols shares, “there are construction walls already up in The Palazzo where we have started on spaces.” Two such spaces will be the city’s first Israeli dining concepts from chef Eyal Shani. First up will be Miznon opening later this year, a fast-casual concept that has garnered a cult-like following around the world, particularly in metropolitan destinations like Tel Aviv, Paris, New York City, and Singapore.
Come spring 2023, Shani will launch HaSalon. Those familiar with HaSalon’s Tel Aviv, New York, and Ibiza outposts know to expect a convivial affair. In those markets, the weekend-only eatery places food at the center of the celebration. Think: signature tomato carpaccio, clean Mediterranean proteins, and show-like presentations complete with pyrotechnics and the like. As the evening progresses, metal grates will come down to block those passing by from seeing the room devolve into an all-out bacchanal.
In no small part, the idea to bring Miznon and HaSalon to Las Vegas came from the property’s chief content officer Michael Gruber. A large part of Gruber’s expansion strategy is to scale up the entertainment offerings at The Venetian. Historically, “the property has produced 70-110 shows per year for the last five years,” Gruber says. Consequently, that will increase to 700 to 1,000 shows a year, per Gruber. The Venetian will rev up its offerings immediately, starting with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Freestyle Love Supreme,” which debuts on Nov. 10 in one of the hotel’s four showrooms.
Before “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” Miranda created this improvisational hip-hop production. Miranda tells iBestTravel, “Freestyle Love Supreme is the show that reminds audiences why live theater is so incredible. With no two performances alike, the energy inside the room is electric.” He exclusively shared that he will join the Nov. 16 and 17 performances at The Venetian.
Beyond the new entertainment across the hotel’s four theatres, The Venetian has partnered with Madison Square Garden Entertainment to construct a $1.85-billion MSG Sphere, which is expected to open in time for the November 2023 FIA Formula One world championship in Las Vegas. It’s on track to become one of the world’s largest spherical structures, accommodating up to 20,000 guests with a 160,000-square-foot immersive display inside. Nichols believes this will be “a category killer, game-changing entertainment venue, and a huge asset for The Venetian. Our guests will be able to walk directly from the resort indoors to catch a residency show or check out some attractions during the day.”
Finally, expect The Palazzo pool to be renovated in the near future, TAO Beach Dayclub to launch a weekly nocturnal poolside soirée called Evening Tide next summer, and an ultra-exclusive $750-per-person omakase room to debut inside Wakuda this fall.
