Las Vegas is a city of change, always evolving, reinventing and innovating itself so it does not become stale and stays relevant. It is no secret that oftentimes these changes revolve around the mega hotels and resorts throughout the city. While some may come and go, some hotels often get rebranded and reconfigured into a whole new experience instead of meeting the wrecking ball. 

Rebrands in Vegas are pretty common these days. We have seen the Monte Carlo become Park MGM, Bally’s become Horseshoe, and most recently, Mirage transforming into Hard Rock Las Vegas. (If you are interested in the Hard Rock conversion, check out our blog post on that). And there is yet another change coming to Las Vegas and no we are not talking about the As or Bally’s here. Instead, we are going to be focusing on the most recent news of the Delano being converted into the W Las Vegas.

Join us in today’s blog as we take a deep dive into the history of this property and all the changes that are coming within the next few years. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

History:

Before we dive into and discuss all the changes coming, let’s first take a look at a brief history of the Delano. The hotel originally opened as the THEhotel at Mandalay Bay and was built as an all suite hotel tower meant to complement the Mandalay Bay Resort. It was designed to stand out with bold stylish design and high end finishes. TheHotel opened to much fanfare on December 17, 2003. 

In August of 2012, MGM Resorts International announced the rebranding of THEhotel into Delano Las Vegas as part of a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group. Through the deal, MGM would manage the hotel under a licensing agreement with Morgans Hotel Group, which owned the Delano brand. All of the suites at the hotel were to be redesigned, along with new bars, lounges, restaurants and nightclubs.

Although THEhotel had been financially successful, the decision to renovate and rename it was part of a transformation at the Mandalay Bay. In addition, there had already been plans to renovate the nine-year-old hotel tower prior to forming a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group, which had been expanding the Delano brand.

Delano Las Vegas officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 2, 2014. Flash forward to 2024, The Delano Las Vegas is getting a complete transformation and will officially be rebranded as W Las Vegas as part of the new MGM and Marriott partnership. 

This collaboration between two trusted hospitality brands means more than 200 million Marriott Bonvoy members can enjoy unique benefits and redeem points at MGM Resorts’ destinations while MGM Rewards members can status match and receive member benefits at Marriott’s global portfolio of approximately 9,000 properties.

Ironically enough, this is not the first time the W brand is going to be in Vegas as there was previously a W Hotel in Las Vegas from 2006 to 2009 and 2009 to 2017. 

W Hotel Las Vegas (2006 – 2009)

The W Hotel Las Vegas in its earlier incarnation actually opened in 2006, but it wasn’t a standalone hotel at that time. Instead, it was part of the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel and Casino property, which was undergoing a significant renovation. 

The W Hotel was essentially a brand overlay within the Sahara’s renovation efforts. This was not a complete transformation but rather an infusion of W’s style and luxury into the existing Sahara property.

W Hotel Las Vegas (2009 – 2017)

The W Hotel was located within the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip. It opened in 2009 as a full-scale, standalone hotel with its own identity, separate from the Sahara property. By 2016, it was operating under the same brand and offering the trendy, upscale experience the W brand is known for.

This version lasted until 2017, when it rebranded as part of the larger Sahara Las Vegas operation, ultimately ending W’s presence in Vegas.

What’s Changing?

While there is little details known about the exact timeline or details of the project publicly available at this time, we can definitely say the hotel is going to go through a renovation and conversion process to meet the W brand standards. The W brand is known for its bold, trendy, and youthful vibe, so expect a lot of style, art, and an Instagram-worthy atmosphere throughout the property. It’s a bit of a shift from Delano’s more subdued luxury, so it’ll be interesting to see how the two compare once the dust settles.

It’s worth noting, as with Delano, W Las Vegas will not have a casino but will still have access to the Mandalay Bay Resort and its casino floor.

Final Thoughts:

I think it is going to be interesting to see the W brand finally return to Vegas after a lengthy absence. It is interesting to think about why Marriott, another company or a developer did not try to bring a W hotel back to Vegas sooner. I think it is sad the original W Hotel had a relatively short lifespan before being rebranded. I truly think if the original W was still there today, it would have done very well all these years and would have become a Vegas landmark for luxury and lifestyle. 

With that being said, I can not wait to see what the new W Hotel has in store for Vegas and I think it is going to fit right in. W is known for appealing to luxury travelers, and a younger, trendier crowd. I think with the well throughout high end design, experiences and amenities, it would have no problem appealing to that type of crowd. 

I personally can not wait to see all the renderings and announcements about what the property is going to look like post conversion and am very excited by this news. I have no doubt that the W will bring fresh energy that is sure to turn heads on the Strip. I think this is going to be the first of many new hotels and or branding deals we will see from MGM and Marriott. I can see this being a trend going forward with other casino operators, not just in Vegas, bringing in luxury hotel brands to supplement their offerings they already have.

We’ll keep you posted with any new details as the renovation gets underway, but in the meantime, it’s time to start thinking about what’s next for this exciting new chapter in Vegas history!