Cool Hotel Alert: The SLS Las Vegas will reinvigorate the North Strip

When Prince Harry came to the US a couple of years ago–after finishing a helicopter course in Arizona and before his nudity tour of Sin City–he spent at least one night at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, where he partied with David Beckham and Robbie Keane of the LA Galaxy. Now he’ll have an HRH-worthy-palace to stay the next time he feels like going buckwild in Las Vegas: they just broke ground on the SLS Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, which opens fall 2014.

I’m particularly excited about the SLS Hotel Las Vegas because it’ll be where the iconic Sahara hotel stood–on the edgier, hipper, more historic North end of the Las Vegas Strip otherwise known as Vintage Vegas or, my favorite term, Dirty Vegas. When I spent 6 days in Las Vegas last summer writing various pieces for The Daily, I explored Fremont Street and Dirty Vegas extensively and was amazed at what a fantastic time it was: so different from the South Strip where MGM Grand et al are located, and so very fun. The Sahara was dripping with rich history: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich all performed there, with guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, The Beatles and, of course, Elvis. It doesn’t get more Vegas than that.

The SLS Hotel Las Vegas will be guaranteed to provide the same jaw-dropping flair and kooky elegance that you’ll find at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills and the SLS Hotel South Beach, including The Bazaar by José Andrés, Katsuya by Starck, Umami Burger and Griddle Cafe (an always-packed West Hollywood institution just down the street from my old pad.)

You want nightlife? Looks like SLS Hotel Las Vegas will be bringing it: they’ll have four “nightlife experiences,” including The Sayers Club (an outpost of the rad Hollywood music joint hidden behind a Papaya King where artists like Prince perform secret gigs) and Shelter, an SBE-branded club.

Oh. And there will be a 10,000 square foot Fred Segal. I mean, c’mon.

I genuinely can’t wait to check this out in person: this is all-but guaranteed to usurp The Cosmopolitan as Las Vegas’s coolest, most-buzzed about hotel, not to mention bring even more energy to the North Strip.

Dirty Vegas, let’s do this thing.