Spotlight: The Platinum

by Darin Bunch

The first thing you hear is the quiet.

Like a silent welcome wagon. No jingly-jangly clattering and buzzing just beyond the front desk. No whoops and hollers from the craps tables and 21 crowd. No dejected souls who’ve just lost their last nickels heading out to the parking garage on your way inside the inviting glass doors on this corner of Las Vegas that used to be ... well ... nothing special.

But now it is. It’s your private piece of Platinum.

At a time when mega-hotels are mega-hits, when you can seemingly eat, sleep, shower and gamble all at the same time, it’s refreshing to visit Las Vegas on the down-low, spending time in your room at your convenience and then venturing out to Casinoland on your own terms. Welcome to The Platinum.

Built with a residential flair, The Platinum’s 255 one- and two-bedroom suites are stocked in Vegas style. Everything you want or need is at your fingertips in these 900-square-foot homes away from home, from 42-inch Plasma TVs to MP3-enabled radios, gourmet kitchens to whirlpool tubs. High-speed Internet is both wired and wireless. And there’s even a washer-dryer in some of the suites, just in case you want to stretch that vacation beyond what your suitcase can handle.

Simply put, The Platinum feels more friendly.

It’s clean and comfortable with more than a touch of class. It’s the kind of place where summertime Movie Nights are held on the rooftop pool terrace. Where the downstairs café and lounge, stir, offers an “edible martini” menu with tapas, fondue and Meyer lemon themes. Where you can wander up to the 17th-floor Misora deck (when it’s not being used for private events up to 250 people), drink in hand, and catch a glimpse of one of the more unique Strip views — a backside look at the famous neon towers.

And, perhaps best of all, it’s a place you can eat yourself silly at the fifth-floor The Restaurant, a fine-dining experience where food and flair engage in a whimsical battle to take charge of your senses.

Executive Chef Brenton Hammer knows how to serve up a magical meal, using everything from popcorn (served with butter-poached Maine lobster) to homemade Pop Rocks in new, inventive ways to tweak your tastebuds. And the S’mores dessert, complete with campfire smoke unveiled when the dish is served, is perhaps the most memorable moment I’ve had in my extensive culinary assault on Southern Nevada.

With its deliciously well-rounded, non-gaming approach, The Platinum won’t be a secret for long. In fact, more and more celebs and distinguished guests are bypassing The Strip and heading down Flamingo to put their own Platinum room card to use. But don’t worry about the buzz getting out of control; at this “hot spot,” everyone is treated like a friend. FG

The Platinum

Las Vegas
www.theplatinumhotel.com
Location: Off-Strip at the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, within one walkable block from Monorail access, plus Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Paris.