Cosmopolitan Raises the Bar for Las Vegas Hotels with Million-Dollar Suites

The top four floors of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas have been empty since the casino opened in 2010. But as part of a five-year capital investment plan, they are finally furnished and open to the public.

Well, sort of. Now, the 21 Boulevard Penthouse Suites on the top floor have balconies overlooking the Bellagio fountain and the Las Vegas Strip, a design by Adam Tihany, a $56,000 Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac, and the Cosmopolitan's High Roller Lounge and a minimum purchase price of $1 million on reserve. The Cosmopolitan's High Roller Lounge, Reserve requires a minimum buy-in of $1 million.Curious to learn more about this exciting transformation? Click here to dive deeper into the details!

The main driving force here is to attract the so-called whales. In the past, anyone who wanted to play for more than $1 million at this casino could have played for more elsewhere. Brian Benowitz, senior vice president of casino operations, explains, "They were players, not stayers." People play more where they sleep."

So what will these high rollers get now? We took a peek inside the Richmond Penthouse to find out.

About that price

In Las Vegas, at least on big weekends like the Super Bowl, Chinese New Year, and New Year's Eve, million-dollar buy-ins are not unheard of. But even the nicest rooms in town, like the villas at the Bellagio or the MGM Grand apartments, with massage rooms, indoor pools, and billiard rooms at bestonlinecasino.sg, are regularly available for much less.

Ironically, the managers of some of the top suites in Las Vegas have recently opened them to the non-gambling public without the requirement of being a high roller. Such luxurious rooms can cost as little as $5,000. Not bad compared to the Cosmopolitan's buy-ins.

Night view from the penthouse suite at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.MUST CREDIT: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Above, night view from the penthouse suite at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Above, one of seven Richmond Penthouse Suites.

Melissa Bailey, director of Sky Suites at MGM's 4,004-room Aria, said, "Guests told us they wanted a villa experience without a casino.

A Value Proposition

It's hard to argue that the Cosmopolitan's suites are "worth" the $1 million price tag. But if luxury and style (at any price) is what you are looking for, Boulevard Suites will win your heart.

Benowitz says there's 24-hour butler service, airport transfers in luxury SUVs, and a culinary team that "makes whatever the guest wants. If a guest wants stone crabs for dinner in the penthouse, we go to Joe's to get them."

Welcome amenities are chosen according to each guest's preferences, including a bottle of hard-to-find bourbon and a humidor full of favorite cigars. The living room walls have been replaced with 24-karat gold-trimmed resin panels, and the bathrooms have floor-to-ceiling marble and pod-like tubs. A white grand piano sits in the living room. While all of Sin City's other mega suites follow a kitschy theme, the Cosmopolitan's lives up to its name.

The real price of admission.

The Boulevard Penthouse is not open to everyone. To do so, they must prove their net worth, clear several security hurdles, and submit documentation to the Gaming Commission.

There have been and will continue to be exceptions to these rules. Benowitz said, "Some of our slot guests come in frequently, although their per capita bankroll is not that large." Anyone who spends more than $100,000 on a given trip can be considered."

As for the 98 percent occupancy rate that most Vegas hotels like to brag about, that doesn't apply here. In other words, the Boulevard penthouse will not be given away for nothing. "We're not overly concerned about vacancies," Benowitz said. We don't have the same occupancy rates as other hotels, but we do have astronomical demand on the weekends. There is astronomical demand."

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