The LINQ Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas

Posted in Projects on 4 January, 2016

Setting a new scene in Las Vegas, Linq Hotel is bold in its design, offers a quirky atmosphere and even features a vortex roof deck. Creating a hotel for young millennials, Hamish Kilburn writes…

The said-to-be next generation of city hotels is located in the sinful, loud and flamboyant city of Las Vegas. Bold design, quirky atmosphere and even a vortex roof overlooking one of the most popular spots on The Strip, makes the LINQ Hotel unique. It has opened up the floodgate to welcome young millennials, an underserved but growing market that is not primarily in city to game, but to dine, socialise and party!

To reimagine and redefine the Las Vegas experience, was the brief facing by Elkus Manfredi Architects, BWA Architects and 1027 Design. Together – over 2.65 million square metres – they have created an exciting adventure complete with 2,500 rooms, casino, retail space, spa, meeting centre, pool deck, parking garage, vortex roof, offices and highly efficient back of house facilities. Converted from Ceasers’ venerable Imperial Palace, the hotel property aims to appeal to the next generation who wish to enjoy the lavish nightlife. “The overall challenge for Elkus Manfredi Architects was to reinvent Ceasar’s outdated Imperial Palace hotel property in Las Vegas into an entirely new experience that appeals to the next generation of Las Vegas guests,” says Elizabeth Lowrey, Principal and Director of interior Architecture, Elkus Manfredi Architects.

The idea of the ‘instagramable’ moment was explored in the design of the property. In order to redefine its purpose in the city, the architects thought that it was important due to the millennial audience’s heavy use of social media. “From the murals on the walls, the thought bubbles in the meeting spaces, the colour-changing 3535 bar, the carpet design in the corridors, VIP area and “living room’, to the tile pattern and wallcovering in the spa – the purpose of was to create that ‘instagramable’ backdrop,” explains Lowrey.

The former hotel had no arrival space, which is seen in Vegas as the heart of the hotel, beating arrival and departing cars in an out with a steady pulse. In fact, one can identify the hotel from its grand entrance. Guests at the Linq Hotel walk into a budding social area, which is made up of various connected components and offers a clear arrival sequence with easy navigating to the different destinations with the space: check-in, concierge, VIP lounge area, the bar and – in true Las Vegas style – the gaming section.

The loft-like public spaces use the theme of the subway in the tiles, concrete and blackened steel. The rough yet refined makes guests the much required need to feel welcomed. “The hotel is the host,” Lowrey says and the rooms are designed to provide a quiet oasis away from the party. She explains, “Guests want to be part of the action, although sometimes only as the observer. In the bar, the gold and sapphire chains help to define the living room area without completely separating it from the rest of the lobby action. Travellers expect bespoke experiences”

Visual references to digital technology throughout the hotel includes custom-designed corridor and room carpeting manufactuered by Ulster Carpet with colour-providing pathways directing guests to their rooms and the glass rail at the 35235 bar and ceiling soffit above, which uses digitally-inspired patterns. Each area of the hotel is recognisable. “Colour-coding the towers by houses – red, blue and green – was used as way-finding tool but the use of blues and purples in the lobby carpets helped to create a separate brand identity,” says Lowrey.

The Vortex Roof Deck

Designed as a multifunctional event space, the hotel offers a rooftop experience unlike any other. “The Vortex Roof Deck is located in a prime location in the hotel overlooking both the Strip and the LINK pedestrian mall that accompanies the hotel.” The LED surface is fully customisable to coordinate with the event taking place and its iconic shape is reflected in the downstairs 3535 bar, helping to bring the outside in.

www.caesars.com/linq