Art Abounds In The $690 Million Renovation At Palms Casino Resort

The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas recently revealed the last major renovations as part of their $690 million overhaul. The remodel began in January 2017 shortly after Station Casinos purchased the property in 2016. This renovation features partnerships with several world-class brands including Clique Hospitality and Live Nation, as well as celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and Marc Vetri.

While the Palms is known for many things, one element that truly sets it apart is a world-class art collection that includes pieces by Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Adam Parker Smith, Jason Revok, Eric Haze, Scott Hove, Felipe Pantone, James Jean, Timothy Curtis, Dustin Yellin, Takashi Murakami, Kaws and Banksy, among others. No corner remains unturned when it comes to art or innovative design. 

Damien Hirst Empathy Suite

The Damien Hirst Empathy Suite opened in March 2019. This Sky Villa is one of the most expensive and unique hotel suites in the world, priced at $200,000 for a two-night stay. Overnight accommodations include 24-hour butler service, chauffeured car service, and a private art tour of the entire property, among other amenities and services.

Hirst designed the 9,000-square-foot two-story space in collaboration with award-winning architectural firm Bentel & Bentel. Hirst incorporated his signature spin, butterfly and pharmacy motifs throughout from the art to the furniture and textiles. There is even a giant pill cabinet filled with faux diamonds.

One of the most luxurious features of the suite is the private cantilevered pool with butterfly-motif mosaic tiles, which overlooks the Las Vegas Strip.

KAOS

One of the largest parts of the renovation, quite literally, was the creation of  KAOS, which is the Palms’ day club and nightclub. KAOS has an expansive 73,000 square feet of outdoor space and 29,000 square feet of adjacent nightclub space indoors.

Kaos was inspired by Greek architecture, explains general manager Jon Gray. “The team traveled to Greece and had been inspired by the energy created by the environment and architecture of several locations. While it is certainly not themed, the pool portion of KAOS blends real travertine, incredible art pieces, and glass pools to create a beautiful day club.”

The team at Friedmutter Group Las Vegas and Station Casinos’ in-house design and construction teams brought the entire vision to life.

There is no other place in Las Vegas (and probably the world) like KAOS, especially in terms of design. It is home to the largest LED wall in the city. At 270 feet tall, it runs the length of the eastern exterior of the hotel’s Ivory Tower, facing the strip.  

Another record breaker? The Palms has the highest number of pools of any resort in North America. In addition to the large central pool, nearly all of KAOS’ 39 cabanas each have their own private pools. As if that isn’t luxurious enough, every cabana also has its own self-controlled audio system, which includes subwoofers and televisions. There are also fans and misters to keep guests comfortable and cool in the desert heat.

Gray is incredibly proud of this accomplishment. “In Vegas, it’s always about offering the best,” he says. “By adding pools to most of our cabanas, it creates a very unique environment for our guests to experience the energy and excitement of the day club from the comfort of their own private pool.” 

But while these spaces feel intimate, it’s hard to forget that KAOS is also a performance venue and the team has made incredible efforts to ensure it has a “What happens in Vegas…” vibe. “By leveraging both spaces at the same time and adding multiple stages, we create energy throughout the venue and no one gets a bad perspective of the performances,” says Gray, “This also allows us to create a canvas to have the most diverse talent lineup anywhere in the world as we can showcase that talent at a variety of locations between the inside and outside spaces day and night.”

But perhaps the most striking feature of KAOS is Demon With Bowl (2014) by Damien Hirst. This 60-foot bronze sculpture rises up from the center of the pool and was personally chosen by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who are the owners of Station Casinos.

Greene St. Kitchen

Greene St. Kitchen, which opened the same weekend as KAOS has equally noteworthy but entirely different architectural details. The restaurant was designed by the Rockwell Group, with art curated by Palms’ Creative Director, Tal Cooperman and his team. 

Even walking into the restaurant is an experience itself. Visitors enter through an arcade that has black painted walls covered in graffiti, vintage games and a Moët & Chandon champagne vending machine. “The arcade offers a great casual throwback vibe that is especially why we chose games that transcend generational boundaries,” says Cooperman. 

Greene St. Kitchen is like nothing else in Vegas, paying homage to the New York City street art scene of the 1980s. This was very intentional. “We showcase a lot of blue chip and contemporary works throughout the hotel and I had been wanting to create a space that also paid homage to the graffiti side of the industry. The vibe we landed on feels authentic to that community and the artists we are showcasing.”

The dining area is practically a museum. “A lot of the artists we collaborated with for the restaurant are icons of the street art community in the 80’s and 90’s. Martha Cooper is really the pioneer of photographing New York street art, she’s an icon. Kenny Scharf became one of the biggest artists of that decade, starting his Cosmic Caverns in the NY’s East Village and working alongside the likes of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat,” says Cooperman.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.