I could have sworn it was New York City that’s known as the city that never sleeps. That may be true, but if this last weekend was any indication that there’s a new contender for that title, I’d argue the general sentiment is that sleep is insanely overrated in Las Vegas.
Juxtapoz was invited to come check out the new Palms Las Vegas, a slightly off the strip property that’s certainly been known for their epic parties and things like hosting the MTV VMA’s, but will now be known as an island of its own with a little something for literally everyone...
As you approach, you can see in every direction that an enormous amount of thought and care has been put into the nearly $690 million dollar recent renovation project. This is ground zero for would-be partygoers and gamblers alike, with a 73,000 square foot day club that morphs into a 29,000 square foot nightclub, mixed into an indoor/outdoor area boasting the highest number of pools of any resort in North America, all dwarfed by a 60 foot tall Damien Hirst statue of a headless demon. It’s grand. It’s over the top. It’s totally Vegas.
Add in a series of amazing restaurants from celebrity chefs like Marc Vetri, Michael Symon, and Bobby Flay and all of a sudden, you have zero reason to even leave the property.
What blew us away more than anything though, was the art collection. The Palms did a fabulous job with a carefully curated arrangement of mixed media, sculptures, and wall displays literally around every corner. In fact, it may be one of the best examples I can think of when it comes to offering a contemporary art collection in a resort atmosphere that rivals many museums.
Pieces from Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol, Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Revok, Felipe Pantone, Kenny Scharf, Cleon Peterson, Vhils, Adam Parker Smith, Timothy Curtis, and James Jean become awesome surprises as you walk around. The collection also features several pieces by Damien Hirst including the KAOS club sculpture, several iterations of the famous Shark, and an entire suite that costs a cool $200,000 for a single weekend.
We had an excellent time being at Palms for the big grand opening weekend. The unveiling of the renovation project and grand opening of the Kaos nightclub sparked a new sense of life into the property. How often do you get to see Travis Scott, Cardi B, G Eazy, Skrillex, and Alicia Keys so up close and personal? Add in everything else going on there, you may even forget about that famous strip down the road altogether.
The team here really has it down and we look forward to coming back sooner than later.––Mike Stalter
