The Cosmopolitan Lanai Suite
The Cosmopolitan has always sold itself on being curious, outside the box, or “just the right amount of wrong”. (I apologize in advance for putting any of their commercial songs in your head.) And as we saw in part I of my review, the Lanai suites at the Cosmopolitan blend the right and wrong of the property in just the right way to create an amazing space to spend a night or a weekend. (The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Autograph Collection can be reserved on the Marriott website.) But what we saw was just the beginning of the true interest and luxury of the suite. What came next really sets the Lanai apart as a room class of its own within a hotel with more room options than most small countries.
When we left off, we had just visited the living area at the far end of the suite. Between the living area and earlier mentioned dining area is the stair to the loft above. The stair is tight, sculptural and beautifully executed, although it does make the living area seem a bit cramped. However considering the space required, it’s executed in such a way to be efficient yet also allow for a great entrance when making your way downstairs.
At the top of the stairs is the lofted master suite. Sans doors, the whole space flows between bed and bath area in such a way to suggest it’s privatized by the division between the upper and lower levels. At the top of the stairs is a valet for your clothing, as well as thermostat (with occupancy sensor sadly) and more manual lighting and shade controls. The wallpaper is a lighter shade of the earthy tones downstairs, and the art provides pops of colors against them. The baseboards are black, with cream carpet, again emphasizing the light and dark theme.
Straight back beyond the bed area and around a corner with a hanging light fixture reminiscent of water falling from the sky is the master suite. The first thing visible is the large walk in shower, with oversize showerhead similar to the downstairs partial bath. Although a rain head would be preferable in a suite of this nature, the shower was hot and pressure plentiful creating a great experience.
Next to the shower is the WC, a simple affair with the same stone cladding as the rest of the bathrooms in the suite, a low rider with flushing gusto, back up rolls and thankfully no phone. The room is separated from the rest of the bathroom by frosted glass partitions which thankfully provide just enough privacy if you’re not alone. Not ideal but by far not terrible.
Opposite the shower and WC, and behind the headboard of the bed, is the main vanity consisting of a marble top with undermounted sink and the same oversized fixtures found throughout the hotel. There are ample oversized and overfluffed towels, as well as thick warm mats for keeping your feet warm just after a shower. Also available is every toiletry known to man, again Bigelow, and again full size. Its nice to know that the hotel values you enough to give you enough toothpaste to take home for a month and a half.
The main focus of the loft is of course the bed area, Situated at the top of the stairs, the king size bed features crisp white linens with european size pillows over more than ample other pillows and a few red leather accent pillows. There’s also a brown throw should you want to cozy up and enjoy the bed without taking a full on sleep. Arm mounted reading lamps adjacent to the leather headboard allow for reading in bed, should that be more your speed after a night at the tables.
Adjacent to the bed is a small table with two interesting features. The first is an inexplicable alarm clock circa 1985. I wasn’t quite sure why this was in the room, but oddly enough it turned out to be more useful than the overly complicated other option for wake up calls. This came in the form of the other accessory, an Android powered tablet which controlled most all functions of the room. This proved very useful for lighting, shade, and television control, but the wake up function was terrible and would never work properly. I’m guessing this is why the $9.99 special ended up next to it.
Due to space, there’s also only one nightstand in the bed area, against the wall. It features the change/do not change marker for your linens, as well as a pen and paper and wired phone for easy dial out when needed. Nothing fancy, all service here.
One of the other benefits of the loft is the view, with the space’s glass railing allowing unfettered views of the window looking out to the Bamboo Pool (yes, the one that went up in flames) beyond. But there’s also a hidden benefit here that’s one of the most interesting I’ve seen in recent rooms I’ve stayed in.
With the touch of a button, a screen lowers from the ceiling giving you 100 inches of high definition viewing via a projector hidden behind a two way mirror above the bed. It’s perfect for laying in bed and watching crappy TV before you pass out, or catching a game while napping in the afternoon. The screen seems washed out in this picture, but that’s only due to the lighting. When turned off it’s sharp and perfectly viewable. A nice touch in a room full of unexpected surprises.
Speaking of surprises, there’s one more here and it’s a big one. Just beyond the living room is a sliding door to a private patio area perfect for relaxing in the sun without fighting the pool crowd. There’s seating for two with a cocktail table, as well as planters and an ottoman and speakers for pumping your favorite tunes to the area.
Not to stop there, the patio also comes with your own private hot tub. Although ours needed a bit of cleaning, something that was done promptly once I notified housekeeping there was debris in the water, it proved to be an oasis close to the action yet private when needed. There’s also a door keyed to the same lock as the suite door that allows direct access to the Bamboo Pool deck, giving you the best of both worlds should you choose to embrace it.
The best of both worlds is also in summary what I would describe my stay at the Lanai to be. The privacy, quiet, and solitude provided by the location in the hotel adjacent to the calming spa and as well as the access to the action and crowds of the adjacent pool make for a truly unique and special stay. Would I recommend them? Highly. But that’s only if you want to take a chance on a hotel that has seen its share of ups and downs due to the not so choice crowd it has drawn as of late. Regardless of those circumstances, the Lanai is something special, and to say that in terms of the Cosmopolitan overall is truly a compliment.
