Las Vegas
Nevada


The Experience

In a separate tower from the rest of the Mandalay Bay complex, THEhotel is a resort within a resort intended to appeal to the younger end of the upscale crowd, people who want stylishness and luxury but aren't ready for the traditional feel of a Four Seasons. The decor is striking, especially in the Bathhouse Spa, which is entered via a suede hallway and features slate, rock and marble. Mix, the Alain Ducasse restaurant and bar on the top (43rd) floor, means guests have celebrity-chef dining a mere glass-elevator ride away. That's a good thing, since the resort is some distance from the main part of the Strip -- a chic retreat from the throngs, to be sure, but one that requires a cab ride.

The Rooms

Standard rooms run 415 square feet, but suites are where you want to put your money: They're 725-square-feet one-bedrooms with one-and-a-half baths and wet bars in each living room. Done in a modern, sophisticated color scheme of dark wood, gray and earth tones with a couch and armchairs facing a 42-inch plasma TV, they provide a combined sense of comfort and that jazzy high-roller feel peculiar to Vegas. Beds are pillow-top with down comforters, and the bathrooms have separate showers and tubs, along with a 13-inch flat-screen TV set in the wall. Of course, if you're a serious high-roller, you'll want one of the big suites on the top floors, ranging from 1,500 to 4,500 square feet.

The Service

THEhotel may be small by Vegas standards, but it's still a big hotel and has the kind of spotty service common in big hotels. Your room may be spotless, or you may find it's only minimally cleaned. The wait to check in or out can be long, and you may arrive and find your guaranteed room is not yours. Staff at the front desk can be superaccommodating or downright rude.

The Highlights

Aside from the glamorous public rooms and suites, the hotel's best assets may be the contemporary Bathhouse Spa, with its pools of different temperatures, and Mix, the restaurant from Alain Ducasse. Sit down to a meal of tuna tartare (with fresh tuna flown from Japan daily), Atlantic cod or bison. While the food is very good, it's not on the level of his three-star restaurants. Still, the dramatic surroundings make up for a lot: a soaring white-on-white space with a massive modern chandelier that's like droplets of light.

-- Laurel Delp

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