Leading New York-based interdisciplinary architecture and design firm, Rockwell Group, which recently completed the design project at Moxy South Beach, has revealed its interior design Virgin Hotel’s first Las Vegas property, a redesigned and revitalized property in the former Hard Rock Hotel.
The design studio’s authentic ability to push boundaries to meaningfully transform and challenge conventional hospitality and design is probably why it has developed the unmistakable playful spirit of Virgin since 2015 when the company launched Richard Branson’s first Virgin Hotel in 2015 Chicago designed.
So, of course, the Rockwell Group was hired to design the Virgin Spaces surrounding the main casino, including a new Porte Cochère and entry experience – The Junction – as well as a guest check-in area, the Commons Club and the Commons Club restaurant and the Shag Room. The studio also designed two additional bars in the main casino and transformed the lobbies throughout the hotel.
Caption: Check-in lobby at Virgin Las Vegas. | Photo credit: Nikolas König
First on our radar earlier this year, the hotel is just a few miles from the famous Strip, and the Rockwell Group has chosen to emphasize that separation by creating a luxurious destination that takes the broader context of the desert landscape with it pure forms and sculptural moments. The public spaces within the hotel are reminiscent of desert modernity and, wherever possible, blur the boundaries between inside and outside, with glazing and an outside terrace.
Photo credit: Nikolas König
Photo credit: Nikolas König
With limited creative inspiration in a city effectively built in the wilderness (a strong part of its appeal, of course), the design team envisioned taking guests on an adventure along a desert highway riddled with natural wonders and follies – a clear one Tribute to the city of Las Vegas and the surrounding desert landscape. The neutral, natural range of materials includes tile floors and rammed earth walls with a touch of Virgin’s signature red, agate stones and green. The result is an integrative series of lounge and dining areas that invite you to linger and discover.
A new entrance welcomes the guests with monumental rammed earth walls, a cactus garden in a dune-like environment and a striking geometric wall made of masonry. The dramatic centerpiece of the Porte-Cochère is an angular canopy clad in reflective gold metal, while red tiles frame the entrance portal, symbolizing the Virgin brand, contrasting with the neutral rammed earth that surrounds it.
The Junction – the main lobby, meeting and lounge area – heralds Virgin Las Vegas’ departure from the Vegas norm and helps guests orient themselves. A coffered suspended ceiling made of plywood swings through the room and creates an impressive sculptural backdrop with light shafts that glow at night.
Next to the Junction, the design team created a more private area – the Harmony Lobby, which houses a VIP check-in and a bar. A long communal library table in front of a corrugated wooden screen with a turntable and headphones invites you to linger, surrounded by a central, mirror-clad ceiling bay that unites all the rooms and over which acrylic chandeliers seem to float.
Caption: The bar in the Commons Club. | Photo credit: Nikolas König
The Commons Club extends from the lobby and has a bar surrounded by a casual dining area that extends onto an expansive terrace. The round bar sits under a sculptural dome that ends in a 20-foot-diameter skylight with a diffuse pattern. The bar die is made of crushed, colored glass inspired by rammed earth, while the rear bar features a circular, sculptural tower of angular, mirrored panels that surround a glowing crystal center inspired by broken earth. Curved metal shades adorned with agate surround the rear bar, creating a sense of intimacy.
The restaurant of the same name next to the Commons Club has central banquet seating with a light wooden frame that sits under a recessed cork ceiling and pendant lights. Dining tables are made of an unexpected terrazzo made of wood chips and the seating niches at the edge of the restaurant are decorated with art and breeze block details.
Caption: The Shag Room. | Caption: The bar in the Commons Club. | Photo credit: Nikolas König
The Shag Room, a casual but sumptuous bar and lounge, is accessed via a speakeasy photo booth entrance and features plush, plush seating and benches in shades of purple and red with a shag rug that surrounds a conversation pit. Curved Persian carpets hang from the ceiling, and the main bar is hidden behind dramatic drapes.
Elsewhere in the hotel, the Rockwell Group team has modified the floor and ceiling landscapes in the casino area with a red carpet design that mimics curved paths in the sand dunes and ensures design continuity throughout the hotel and casino.
The guest rooms and suites were designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Collective, who previously completed projects at Hotel June, Hotel Figueroa and The Landsby Inn.
Photo credit: Virgin Hotels
Photo credit: Virgin Hotels
Photo credit: Virgin Hotels
The rooms at Virgin Las Vegas are spread across three striking towers – Opal, Canyon, and the all-suite Ruby Tower. These rooms manage to balance the vibrancy of Las Vegas while still remaining calm and inviting for guests checking in.
Main picture credits: Nikolas King
