The Cromwell

The newest hotel on the Strip could’ve ripped a page straight out of old-school Vegas’s playbook. Not only is the Cromwell, situated on the desirable intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, a small, classy hotel, but it also went through a last-minute partnership change—reportedly due to some untoward business dealings—before parent company Caesars Entertainment stepped in and righted the ship. Built over the space that once housed the shabby Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon (and before that the Barbary Coast), the Cromwell is the Strip’s only standalone boutique hotel, with a mere 188 rooms. But the intimate size and personalized guest treatment aren’t its only selling points. The hotel is anchored by Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis’s first restaurant, the eponymous Giada, on the second floor. The menu offers the American-influenced Italian dishes—think risotto with crab and scallops, or veal chop saltimbocca—that have made De Laurentiis a household name. On top of these amenities (literally), Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub perches on the Cromwell’s roof. By day, guests can lounge beside two main pools or rent one of the 25 bungalows or cabanas. At night Drai’s turns into an indoor/outdoor dance club, where you can get down under a polyhedral disco ball with 12 spiderlike arms stretching over the dance floor.