Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/98961
STEVE WYNN The bar at XS. "We wanted it to feel young and fun, and yet also feel supremely elegant."—Andrea Wynn New Year's Eve, I would say it's our most important celebration of the year." For New Year's Eve, Wynn will host an invitation-only event that lands squarely at the center of his philosophy for that holiday, a splashy two-night affair highlighted by private performances from Billy Joel and Beyoncé. "To us, it's about providing an experience on that night which you can't get anywhere else in the world," Wynn explains. "That experience is multi-dimensional: As usual it starts off with service and accommodations, the environment, the staff, the way people are treated and how well we've anticipated every moment for them; and then finally that unique experience, the element that guests of that event will remember probably for the rest of their lives." Across Wynn and Encore, restaurants and nightclubs alike will each inject their unique flavor into the New Year's Eve experience in Las Vegas. The latest ingredient to wend its way into the mix is the nightclub DJ, once anonymous behind his turntables, but who in recent years has been elevated to the hottest form of celebrity. Wynn keeps the DJ schedule in his clubs top of mind, knowing that Avicii at XS and Jermaine Dupri at Surrender on December 31 are key to the reason those venues will run, as he puts it, "at full power." The restaurant adjacent to its respective nightclub has also become key to the equation, Wynn says. He recently developed the synergistic 26 A flight of cocktails at Tryst. concept between Botero and XS, creating a transitional experience that for the guest could start with supper and quiet conversation at Botero, then evolve through music, lighting, and a late-night menu, resulting in a progressive evening that offers an environment that feels increasingly more energetic, thus ensuring an easy flow—and, indeed, an unquestionable desire—to check out the club scene right next door. With the linking of Botero and XS deemed a resounding success, Wynn has taken the idea to another nightclub/restaurant marriage, in this case Surrender at Encore and the restaurant set to debut December 28, Andrea's. Named for Steve Wynn's wife, Andrea's is a new concept, he says, one rooted in the energy level and audience found at the adjacent Surrender. "It's edgy and very sexy, while the food is about hip, cool plates, smaller portions intended for sharing," he notes. "And everything has a bit of theatre and a bit of presentation about it." WYNN 022-028_W_FOB_SteveWynn_Winter 13.indd 26 12/13/12 4:34 PM