It’s Still a ‘Wynn-win’ situation these days in Las Vegas

By Carly Tracy

Sure, Las Vegas ranks among the nation's foreclosure capitals. But, with a few exceptions, one hardly notices it when driving down the neon Strip.

On our annual visits for my husband's boat accessories show, and to, well, go there for a little vacation fun, we always eagerly check out what's new in town.

On our last visit in January, we learned that CityCenter will be "unprecedented." The massive urban metropolis will open late 2009 on 76 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo. A call for 12,000 employees just went out to fill positions at its upcoming Mandarin Oriental and Vdara all-suite hotels. In addition, the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau still looks like it will be completed north on the Strip this fall.

These types of openings certainly appeal to people in Hawaii, who view Las Vegas as the "ninth island" for jobs and vacation fun. Caesar's Palace is pushing ahead its $1 billion expansion of its new 23-story Octavious Tower. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is continuing its mere $850-million build-up of its 17-story North Tower, due in September.

Of course, these are all down the road. For now, if the excess of Sin City is your cup of cognac, then you must check out the new eye-opening XS Nightclub at Encore.

It's extravagant to the nines - all 40,000 feet of it -with gold-leaf body sculptures, 10,000 light fixtures, plush crocodile leather couches and elevated pole-dancing stations. But hey, this is the kind of thing you'd expect in Vegas.

What really takes it over the top is the fact it all spills out into the open air with Balinese day beds, baccarat tables, and an island bar in the middle of an adult pool that will reportedly be European style dress code during the day (the adult pool wasn't yet open when we visited the hotel).

In addition, 36 cabanas on two levels give you privacy to order, say, a bottle of Dom Perignon, as you watch HDTV on your cushy private couches. In fact, bottle service is what's hot at XS. You may even order a $50,000 bottle of bubbly or a more humble Grey Goose for the entire table. But there's one particular cocktail that's all the rage for $10,000.

"The club's new signature cocktail will be known simply as 'The Ono,' and the cocktail recipe is of rare vintage Dom Perignon Enotheque champagne and a shot of prized Louis XIII Remy Martin Black Pearl cognac," pens Robin Leach on his most recent Luxe Life Blog site. "You can't get more expensive champagne or cognac if you tried. As a keepsake of experiencing the world's best, you will be presented with either a ladies' 18k gold chain and black pearl pendant or a set of men's sterling silver cufflinks with black pearl insignias."

The Encore hotel itself made a splash when it first opened on the Strip Dec. 22. We vacationed there in mid-January - after the initial grand opening festivities and a week before owner Steve Wynn's birthday bash with a slew of celebrities. It's a $2.3 billion property boasting restaurants such as Switch, with electronic walls and ceilings that move every 25 minutes to create a new ambience; and Sinatra, with an Oscar, gold records and other memorabilia adding to classic tunes by Ol' Blue Eyes and fine Italian cuisine such as Osso Buco My Way.

As I was on the ninth island, I ran into someone lobby level at Encore, whom I knew from his days at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. The strawberry-blond-haired man with expensive rectangular gold eye glasses spotted me and said, "Hi, Carla."

I said, "Wow, it's been years! What's your name again?" "Brian," he said. "What's your last name?" "Gullbrants," he said. "Geez," I said. "You're all dressed up in a designer suit. Do you work here in Vegas now?

"Yes, I'm the GM and senior vice president of hotel operations at Encore."

My jaw dropped to the floor as this is a super glitzy multibillion dollar property with over 2,000 suites, five over-the-top restaurants and retail shops. It's a smaller signature version of its sister, Wynn Las Vegas, connected by the esplanade next door.

Of course, Gullbrants was the epitome of graciousness during his days at the Ritz and everyone I've told this story to on Maui gushed about his professionalism. My jaw only dropped because of his stellar rise to the top.

"He is brilliant!!! An incredible talent and born to be a hotelier!" says Yvonne Biegel, a public relations director who knew him from his early days as banquet captain at the Ritz in Kapalua. "I'm so happy for him!"

It just goes to show you can get ahead through hard work, and this former Mauian rose through the corporate Ritz ranks before he joined Steve Wynn's team at Encore.

"I have to pinch myself sometimes when I pull up to Encore's entrance," he said. As it turns out, Gullbrants works side by side with the legendary Wynn on a day-to-day basis, and even though his career is HUGE, he generously agreed to chat for awhile, let us join a back-of-the-house tour, showed us a high-roller three-story luxury suite, and let me snap his picture.

"Mr. Wynn is uncompromising and relentless," Gullbrants said.

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"He pays attention to each and every detail. "Yet he's genuinely caring and he treats everyone just like family."

We found out just how well Wynn treats his "family," on the back-of-the-house tour, when we entered the massive maze into the employee dining room.

Over 15,000 employees from both Wynn and Encore dine here "anytime they like, 24 hours a day." The 550-seat restaurant is quite elegant and embarrassingly enough, it's fancier than anything we have in Central Maui. Arched Moorish doorways lead into the plushly carpeted room with all manner of seating, from joiner tables to pub seats. Lighting is soft. Hispanic channels are set up in one big section and English HDTVs in many others. Internet stations are available along with brick-oven pizzas, an incredible array of gourmet entrees and lots of tempting desserts.

"The employee experience is comparable to anything in the front of the house," said the tour leader, Edward Pascal. "This is a peak behind the scenes to show what it takes to deliver on this type of scale."

Room service delivers 3,500 meals a day; and housekeeping cleans 4,750 rooms. As Pascal talked, Gullbrants helped a lady push a laundry cart past all of the listeners.

We also learned "Boris the bread man" Villatte bakes over 20,000 "units" a day.

"Everybody talks about how all the money is in the casinos, but this is where the real dough is made," said the saucy baker, who trained under Alain Ducasse and who oversees a staff of 42 other bakers. The next tour stop was the horticultural department, where the manager said they had just planted a huge 204,000 pound, 80-feet-tall tree.

"We get flowers from all over the world on a daily basis," he said. "From Holland, Thailand, New Zealand." When I asked him about our islands, he said, "We get orchids and anthuriums from the Big Island, and protea from Maui."

Returning to the lobby, we met up with Wynn's longtime designer, Roger Thomas. "It's all my fault," he joked, as he led the group past Encore restaurants, Botero (which has sculptures just like at Grand Wailea), Society, Switch, Wazuzu and Sinatra, the latter sanctioned by Frank's daughter, Nancy.

Thomas has been with Wynn for 29 years, since the hotelier first bought the Golden Nugget and built Mirage, Bellagio and Treasure Island. So for decades now, he's been, "killing off the red in Las Vegas."

The color red was ubiquitous in Vegas back in the day and now with Encore, Thomas is bringing it back in a classy way. Glittery red chandeliers are from Venice. Abaca banana fiber from Manila graces the lobby. "It's designed to evoke the emotions of the guests," says Thomas, who also opened up Las Vegas' newest hotel to the outside with floor-to- ceiling glass everywhere, atrium lighting, the open-air doorway in XS and much more.

"It's the first Las Vegas casino to bring the outside in," says Gullbrants. "The colors, flavors, fragrances evoke the emotions and enliven the senses. Never to the degree that a day in Maui does. But it's as close as it gets in Vegas. The reds and the purples and the natural lights all add to it. We know it's not for everybody. But it's certainly for some."

That was the end of the tour and almost as if he were on cue, the man himself, Steve Wynn, walked by, cigar in one hand, cell phone on his ear, entourage on either side of him. Gullbrants pointed him out.

"He's such a great leader. So dynamic and charismatic," said Gullbrants. "I love interacting with him. It makes working a lot more joyful and fun," Thomas chimed in.

We also heard Danny Gans will open this month at Encore in his own theater. David Spade just debuted his stand-up at Venetian Showroom. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is now permanently docked at Luxor Hotel & Casino for those interested in deep-sea history. Harrah's Las Vegas just unveiled its modern "M" suites. And, Aliante Station Casino and Hotel is up and running in North Las Vegas for all budget-minded vacationers.

Just like Encore, these are all sure to get us back in town for a repeat performance.

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