I admit I was confused at first; Vdara is claiming a Las Vegas mega-hotel that hopes to lure visitors by offering them none of the indulgences on offer in Nevada. You can’t smoke, drink or gamble, which seems kind of strange. How can you have a Las Vegas style hotel with three of the most important elements missing?
Many locals are skeptical of its appeal too. “There’s something fundamentally wrong about marketing a Vegas property as everything Vegas is not,” commented one, on the website of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “They want to provide everything Vegas is not? OK . . . It’s called San Diego.”
But then it struck me; this is a concept with great potential! Smoking kills you, drinking makes you act like a fool (and can also kill you), and gambling (unless you are a bookmaker) is just plain daft. So all Dubai is doing is taking Las Vegas and removing the stupidity – you have to applaud that! It seems to me as if it’s an idea for our times too: people in the west, for instance, are becoming increasingly tired of the ‘usual’ pursuits and are looking for something a little more meaningful, maybe even spiritual. And although Vdara’s mission is not to offer meaning and spiritual upliftment, it has taken a small step towards providing high quality hospitality and entertainment for those people who are no longer looking for addictive thrills that can damage the body … and the bank account.
Talking of bank accounts, the room prices defy the recession with rates as high as $2000 a night. If you can afford it, Vdara is described as ‘an all-suite boutique hotel with a sophisticated international flair that appeals to guests who love the energy and excitement of Las Vegas, but
Rod Millington
Editor
