Overview of the Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas
The Cromwell is the newest hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. This is a boutique hotel, which focused on a smaller number of luxury rooms and suites. This makes the Cromwell stand out from the huge resorts which surround it. This casino sits in the middle of the Strip, opposite to Caesars’ Palace and next door to the Flamingo. Across the street is the iconic Bally’s.
This page gives you a complete overview of the Cromwell Casino and hotel. First of all I have covered the history of this venue, and outlined many of the features which make it unique. After that you’ll find a run-down of the small and exclusive casino here. At the end of the page the entertainment comes into focus, with a look at the world-class restaurants at this hotel.
The Cromwell Hotel Las Vegas – History and Key Features
The site of the Cromwell started off as Empey’s Desert Villa way back in 1952, with the first casino not appearing here until 1959. The venue was rebranded to become part of Coast Casino’s portfolio and was renamed as the Barbary Coast. After a deal with Harrah’s in 2007 the casino re-opened as ‘Bills Gambling Hall’, closing down in 2013, to be transformed into today’s boutique hotel.
This casino is now owned by Caesars entertainment, though it is operated as an independent entity. One of the main draws is exclusivity, with just 188 rooms in total, many of them luxury suites, this hotel has a completely different feel to the bigger and less personal feeling of the 2000+ room venues which surround it. The casino here feels more spacious and luxurious too.
You will find a huge pool and nightclub complex at the top of this hotel, which attracts the young and the beautiful from all over town. Drai beach nightclub is exclusive, expensive and trendy. At 65,000 square feet, this rooftop nightclub attracts big name DJs and acts. There are no regular shows at this casino or theatre type venues for temporary acts. In the lower level there is a ‘after hours’ nightclub which continues until the early hours of the morning.
The Cromwell manages to maintain its air of exclusivity, despite being in a high-traffic part of the Vegas Strip. With room rates a little higher than many of the surrounding casinos, you will need to have some money to be able to stay here – or just get lucky in the casino.
Casino Games at the Cromwell
While other casinos go into the 100,000 square foot or more range, the Cromwell has a smaller casino. This is just 17,200 square feet in total. The tables are well laid out, and the betting levels are mixed to give regular players a chance to sit among the higher limit gaming fans.
Slots are all located down one side of this casino, there are only a few rows of these, which makes the slots area feel a little less crowded than at some of the bigger casino resorts. You will find the usual range of games, with more of the modern interactive games and video slots compared to the traditional 3-reel games. There are also some automatic Craps games, which are surprisingly popular.
Table games are laid out in one long row of back-to back games. Along the main walkway you will find a lot of Blackjack games, including popular rules variations. There are Roulette tables running, and several different casino poker games are covered including Mississippi Stud, Let It Ride, Ultimate Texas Holdem and 3-Card Poker. There is a bank of tables with red felt, which have higher betting limits compared to the $5 entry level bets that most of the tables offer.
You can also enjoy video poker games at the bar in this casino, a great way to get complimentary drink while playing with a low house edge. This is a smaller casino than many on the strip, and the layout has been well thought through to maintain the high-class feeling while offering a full range of table games and slots to the players.
Entertainment Options at The Cromwell
With no regular shows here your choices for entertainment are focused on world-class dining. The main attraction is good enough to put many of the huge casinos with their big name rooms to the test – the Italian themed ‘Gaida’.
This is named after, and was opened by Giada De Laurentiss, an Emmy Award winning chef. This is an exclusive place, and has huge retractable windows in a room overlooking the Bellagio Fountains and Caesars Palace. Unusually, the kitchen is open, which means you can watch the chefs at work while they prepare you dish.
This restaurant, together with the DRAI nightclub and the classy casino are quickly turning the Cromwell into a must-see venue.