We are launching a number of brands that have very successful track records: SLS, the Bazaar by José

The $415 million, 2 million-square-foot resort sits on the storied but problematic site of the Sahara, on the north end of the Strip, far from the current locus of tourist attention and high-roller action. It represents a major play by hospitality company sbe , whose founder, Sam Nazarian, has bounded from successful Los Angeles nightclubs disneyland resort hotel to buzzy niche hotels in Beverly Hills, Calif., Miami and New York City to this Vegas mega-resort in little more than a decade. Designer Philippe Starck and chef José Andrés are his renowned collaborators.
The property’s success, should it succeed, will be credited in part to preparation and training taking place a continent away from the Nevada desert, in palmy, balmy South Beach, Fla. Thomas Meding, general manager of the SLS hotel there, runs a shakedown program for employees, from managers to busboys, who’ll be working in Las Vegas. During an interview, Meding discussed SLS, sbe and what’s at stake on the Strip.
Regardless of where an SLS property is located, the DNA of the brand is always the same. It’s about leveraging the brilliance of Sam Nazarian, José Andrés and Philippe Starck to create a hospitality experience unlike any other. There is a lot of overlap in the international clientele that we attract between Miami and Las Vegas. SLS will also be the only hotel brand with a flag in L.A., Vegas, Miami and NYC, which empowers us to move guests through our properties in an unprecedented fashion
Vegas is a whole new ball game. You’re talking about 2 million-plus square feet of programmable space versus 65,000. Adding gaming to the mix also sets it apart considerably. That said, we built an incredible team led by Rob Oseland, president of SLS Las Vegas, who has over two decades in gaming hospitality expertise in Vegas.
We have a proven track record of going into areas that are “down” and acting as a catalyst for their revival. That is evident in what we’ve done at Hollywood and Vine [in Los Angeles] with the Redbury and Katsuya . We are taking that approach to the north end of the Strip as well. For us the upside of the Sahara legacy far outways any negative associations the property may have created disneyland resort hotel in its later years. The key attributes that separate us from anyone else in the space is that we have expertise across hotel, restaurant, night life and gaming
We are launching a number of brands that have very successful track records: SLS, the Bazaar by José Andrés, Umami Burger, the Griddle, Cleo and the Sayers Club , to name a few. We operated the Sahara for almost four years before shutting down, which provided some invaluable learnings, and we launched Hyde Bellagio with MGM two years ago, which has evolved to become one of the most profitable night-life venues in Las Vegas per square foot.
SLS isn’t the only ambitious opening on the Strip. The Cromwell , a boutique hotel from Caesars Entertainment, debuted Memorial Day weekend in the former Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon/Barbary Coast space. Delano takes the place of THEhotel in the Mandalay Bay complex this fall.
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