Mandarin Oriental Leaves Vegas, Waldorf Astoria Takes Over
Starting this September, you'll no longer be able to stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.
The iconic hotel received a notice terminating its management agreement this past week, following the property's sale to an undisclosed buyer for $214 million. Vital Vegas suggests that the buyer may be California-based investor Man Ho "Ronnie" Lam, owner of the Hilton Lake Las Vegas.
The 392-room Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas opened in December 2009, and is one of only 13 properties around the world to hold the Triple Forbes Five Star Award: three five-star ratings for the hotel, the spa and the hotel's signature restaurant – an award the Mandarin Oriental has held for seven consecutive years.
Instead, Waldorf Astoria will take over management of the property, beginning in late summer 2018. After a $50 million renovation, the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas will be one of two non-gaming properties at the CityCenter, although the hotel is adjacent to Aria and its affiliated casino. (Vdara is the other CityCenter hotel without a casino.)
Waldorf Astoria is part of the Hilton brand, and therefore, Hilton Honors points will most likely apply to stays at its new management property in Sin City. TPG reached out to Hilton for confirmation on this but did not hear back by time of publication.
Not all patrons are excited about the management change:
This will be the Waldorf Astoria's first foray into the Strip and part of the hotel chain's planned expansion into the western US. Waldorf Astoria opened a Beverly Hills location in 2017, and it has planned another development in San Francisco to launch sometime within the next three years.