New Chips From The Cosmopolitan (in a few years)

The face of the Las Vegas Strip continues to evolve, with even more mega-resort properties under construction or in the planning stages. One that I keep coming across in glossy magazine advertisements is The Cosmopolitan, a planned $1.5 billion hotel and condominium project with a casino and shopping attached, expected to open in 2008.

The project is being built by a private group called 3700 Associates, which is made up of New York and Miami developers and a former Venetian executive named David Friedman.

The well-known, ultra-hip design group Arquitectonica are also involved in the project. Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced earlier this year that they will operate the 2,700 room hotel on the property as the Grand Hyatt Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan.

Since both Hyatt and 3700 Associates are private companies, it's been difficult to find news about the progress of the project, with the exception of pre-construction condominium sales offers and a slick website.

The location will be on the west side of the strip between the Bellagio and MGM Mirage's planned Project CityCenter, which will be a massive complex including two 60-story towers, restaurants, shopping and a 150,000 square foot casino.

The casino at The Cosmopolitan is expected to cover 75,000 square feet and Hyatt will not be involved in its operation. The proposed casino is described as "full-service", with craps, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, slots, a poker room and race & sports book. Which means we should see another set of chips with a new name on them within a few years. Let's hope the chip design is as cool-looking as the hotel promises to be.

Perhaps they should let Arquitectonica design the chips too.