In 2003, my mother and me moved to Las Vegas from the Philippines. Among the entertainment capital’s flashy and over-the-top hotel offerings, my mother—and her preference for refined elegance—most often led us to the Wynn, which opened in 2005 as, in my childhood memory, the first nonthemed resort on the iconic Strip, where facsimiles of Venice, Paris, and Caesar’s Rome dominated the landscape. The theme of the 4,700-key hotel (which includes both the original building as well as its sister, the Encore which was added in 2008) seemed to be the very definition of luxury. Returning to the property as it prepares for its 20th Anniversary in 2025 feels like coming home: casinos, high-end shops, and myriad dining and drinking outlets (29 of them, not including the three nightclubs) are better than ever, entertaining guests who’d rather indulge in high thread counts than days—or nights—of Sin City debauchery. In recent years, rooms have received a major upgrade. My Tower Suite was on the 40th-something floor and tastefully decorated. The room was dressed in neutral colors and had easy-to-use technology like window shades which could open at a certain time to let in the desert sunlight as I woke up in the morning. The drapery, the bed, the small section of carpet in the bathroom—they all offer the body a rest after a day of taking in the sensory explosion that is the city far below. This is a place that stands out from the rest, free of the gimmicks or stunts of other casinos. The Wynn is not devoid of light shows, but quality is what makes it stand out. —Matt Ortile
