There’s a lot of sights in Vegas that might make you question if you’re dreaming, and this hotel, which features towers all shaped like famous New York City skyscrapers with a working rollercoaster swerving throughout, is one of them. Its entrance is an homage to the entryway of 30 Rockefeller Center, and the Brooklyn Bridge arches take up a majority of the street outside the hotel—but I’m here to confirm that no, you were not dreaming. The crown jewel of it all? A huge replica of the Statue of Liberty which stands proudly on the corner, shepherding the wandering souls of the Vegas Strip into the casino floor.
This hotel is campy, ridiculous and over the top, and while the entire place is New York City-themed, it feels as though it was created by an interior designer who drew New York City from memory. When I tell you it might be my favorite hotel I’ve stayed in, I am not kidding, and any fan of campy, absurdist, over-the-top maximalism would agree.
What’s it like at New York-New York ?
Enter through the city entrance of New York-New York and you’ll arrive in a replica of the West Village, or at least the West Village is the closest I could compare it to. These are New York City streets, with our signs and our buildings, but placing exactly where in the city you’re supposed to be is tricky, to say the least.
The fake façade of Christopher Street Station sits a building away from the Fulton Fish Market-themed food stall. There’s a Times Square Panasonic sign hanging on one of the street corners labeled Bleeker Street. There are vaguely NY-themed restaurants mixed with real ones that exist in the real city, including Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, the SoHo Mexican spot. It’s always nighttime in fake New York and the sound of the subway has been replaced with a rollercoaster that ends its outside twirls inside, looking down at the fake city streets below. What’s meant to be cobblestone street is blue carpeting that brings you out to the casino floor, where slot machines, craps tables and roulette circle center a bar that looks a bit like Union Square subway station—but not enough to call it a replica.
Circling the casino floor, you’ll find a New York steakhouse, Gallagher’s, an Irish pub, a Starbucks, elevator banks leading to different hotel room towers and escalators to food halls. There’s a Coyote Ugly up there somewhere as well.
What are the rooms like at New York-New York?
The hotel rooms live within the fake New York City skyscrapers you can view from the street, and when you are given your key card, you’re told which tower to go to. We were in the ‘New Yorker’ Tower, where the elevator is a replica of the Art Deco brass ones found in the real New Yorker building, but once you’re off it, the relentless parade of New York City-themed décor doesn’t end, and each room is labeled with a number written out in a subway line-esque circle.
But once you’re in your room, the overt theme stays more in the hallway. I stayed in the Penthouse Suite, which had wooden paneling along the walls, a green velvet sofa and a bedroom behind a glass tile divider, giving it a 1990s CEO’s office vibe. It was well-maintained, clean and still felt as though all the furnishings were new, making it feel more vintage-90s-inspired than 90s-outdated. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the toiletries all smelt great and there was a jacuzzi and a standing shower.
While other rooms are smaller, they all maintain the same standards. The beds are all comfortable with large TVs, views of the Strip and Lanovera toiletries. For a place that is, upon entry, so over the top and borderline silly, the rooms are surprisingly sophisticated and luxurious.
Rooms with views of the pool can hear the faint sound of mechanicals and screams through the windows of the Big Apple Coaster as it dips and turns outside the rooms, though it is mostly soundproofed. It also stops running at midnight, so if you’re a light sleeper, maybe ask for a room on the other side of the building, or bring earplugs.
What should I eat at New York-New York?
New York-New York has food options which range all the way from fast casual to high end, with some vaguely NYC-themed spots thrown in like Broadway Burger and Gallagher’s Steakhouse. However, it’s an MGM property which is connected via a walkway to the Park MGM and the ARIA, and if you want to actually experience the best of NYC, I’d suggest walking over to the Carbone outpost for some spicy rigatoni. While the New York restaurant is a nearly-impossible-to-book celebrity hotspot, here you should get a reservation one or two weeks out.
What is the pool like at New York-New York?
It’s free for those staying at the hotel, is kid-friendly and has a fun outdoor bar that you can order from or have them bring to your chair during bar hours. Don’t expect the kind of glitzy poolside experience you may get somewhere like the Venetian—instead, this place gives more of a fun, almost theme-parky pool vibe as the rollercoaster circles it in loops.
What’s the area like around New York-New York?
New York-New York is on the Vegas Strip, right next to T-Mobile Arena. It’s in a block of MGM Resorts that also includes the Park MGM, the MGM Grand and the ARIA, and nearby you’ll also find the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay (which is just a six minute drive).
Why should you book a stay at New York-New York?
You should book a room at New York-New York if you’re looking to have a fun, silly night in Las Vegas—and who isn’t? The service and rooms are top-tier, there’s a roller coaster, a circus and a whole mini-replica of New York City, and while it’s commitment to the bit is evident, they don’t compromise on quality or attention to detail.
DETAILS
Address: 3790 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Prices start at: $80 per night
Closest transport: Head to Tropicana Avenue for the 201 and Deuce buses, and Harry Reid International Airport is a seven minute drive.
Book Now: via Booking.com
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