Special to The Post

Located in a desert, short of water, and without any natural industry, Las Vegas has become the most visited city in the US due to its obsession of being the ultimate escape holiday. Today a staggering 40 million people - the population of Canada - arrive each year to indulge in the city’s resorts, watch international headliners, and, of course, to roll the dice and perhaps change their fortunes forever.
These days, the destination raising that standard of the peak ‘Vegas experience’ is Resorts World. It is the city’s first hotel and casino built from ground-up in over a decade. Situated toward the north end of the famed Las Vegas Strip, this sprawling, tech-leveraged, Asian-inspired property is the 21st century rendition of the traditional Vegas casino + hotel.  With its numerous swimming pools (including the largest pool deck in Las Vegas) dozens of restaurants and lounges, an adjoining shopping mall, and over 3500 rooms for guests, Resorts World immerses its guests in the ‘fully integrated’ Vegas experience: gaming, dining, shows, shopping, and spa treatments. It’s even always at your fingertips thanks to the Resort World app that doubles as a digital wallet. Guests don’t even have to carry cash or search out a bank machine to wager in the casino, instead they can utilise their app to place bets via smartphone.
The property, developed by one of Asia’s largest gaming conglomerates Genting Berhad, (in collaboration with the Hilton Hotel Group) is comprised of three separate hotel brands - Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords - with each situated in their own equally-sized towers. The Hilton is the largest of the three with approx 1700 rooms, with the Conrad following closely behind. The rooms in both hotels are spacious with unobstructed views of the Strip.
The Crockford, the group’s boutique hotel, is the most exclusive of the trio with only 236 rooms. Its upscale luxury suites range up to 7,000 square feet. Guests booked at this hotel receive additional perks such as exclusive access to the VIP Crockford’s Casino & Lounge.
In Resorts World, Genting has curated a destination that appeals to a broad audience while simultaneously being finely attuned to Asian aesthetics. The exterior trim of the property, for example, is boldly accented in red, the colour of prosperity and fortune in Chinese culture. This red motif also features prominently at the entrances to all three hotels, dovetailing harmoniously with the accompanying decor touches. These include the double dragon statues at the entrance to The Crockford. Each dragon guards a pearl in their mouth and an orb beneath their paw - again both spheres symbolise prosperity, power, and good fortune.
But the most acutely ‘Asian experience’ to be discovered at Resorts World is in its array of culinary offerings, many provisioned by prominent and award winning Asian restaurant brands.
The resort has reimagined the standard - and let’s be honest, tired - Vegas formula of pairing its casinos with a chophouse and Italian restaurant and calling it a day. The property is home to more than 40 food and beverage experiences, providing visitors access to more globally inspired dishes than any other destination on the Las Vegas Strip. Its Famous Foods Street Eats food hall, which is adjacent to the casino floor, could just as easily be located in Southeast Asian centres like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.
Through its uniquely global mix, Resorts World is unlike anything else in Vegas, a city that, mind you, already has a sphinx, Eiffel tower, and Venetian canals. On any given evening guests can attend a concert by superstar residents like Katy Perry or Tiesto and then top off the evening with Michelin Plate and Bib Gourmand recognised dishes like Ten Suns’ Thai beef noodles, Boon Tong Kee’s traditional Singapore chicken rice, or Ah Chun Shandong dumplings.
For guests interested in more upscale dining, Resorts World again has Asian dishes not easily found in the city. Genting Palace is an old world establishment that specializes in Cantonese cuisine that includes offerings like Traditional Peking Duck and specialty dishes like Bird’s Nest Soup. Fuhu at Resorts World is more of a pan Southeast Asian fusion restaurant. Here one will find memorable entrees along with Asian inspired cocktails showcasing ingredients like lychees, and guava, as well as mixes like Li Hing Mui (plum) powder, and even wasabi syrup.
And if after all of that you still get late-night cravings, all manner of savoury or sweet snacks - on or off the property - can be ordered via the GrubHub app. Midnight room service from Randy’s Donuts, the in-hotel artisanal donuterie, will be sure to end any day on a sweet (and unbelievably still soft, delicious, and gooey) note.
Resorts World is modern 21st century Vegas luxury but it hasn’t forgotten how to pamper its guests to the simple pleasures as well.
 
Booking
For more information on Resorts World Las Vegas go to www.rwlasvegas.com.
Formula 1 is coming to Vegas and Resorts World is a Presenting Partner. For F1 packages (November 16 - 18, 2023) go to www.rwlasvegas.com/offers/f1-las-vegas.