Bellagio Resort and Casino, an internationally respected five-star resort, is a 3,000-room hotel property with a Mediterranean-inspired garden estate setting, complete with the world famous choreographed water “spectaculo.” Lifescapes introduced WET to Mirage Resorts to design the fountain show, and then world-renowned Kenny Ortega was engaged to choreograph the dancing waters.
At the heart of Bellagio is a whimsical and seasonally changing conservatory garden which is the centerpiece of this luxury property. Monthly garden stories feature dramatic plantings with seasonally complementary accessories, which entice guests to return throughout the year for a difference experience.
A tremendous conservation effort by the Lifescapes team salvaged several hundred mature trees from the old Dunes hotel golf course. They were nurtured and maintained until they were able to become part of the permanent installation of the picturesque promenade along the Las Vegas Strip.
The elegant pool area, featuring six pools, is complete with three Lifescapes’ inspired, Vicenza-carved stone fountains. Twelve sculptured arches located along the central promenade define each distinct pool area. Relaxing pools, soothing spas, garden vista cafes, and private cabanas are accented by artfully formed citrus and parterre gardens. The formal use of plantings along with groupings of Cypresses, olive trees and climbing vines in large unique Mediterranean urns define the gardens’ unique characteristics.
This exquisite destination raised the bar for future resort development along the Las Vegas Strip.
The Southwest Valley’s latest destination for luxury and entertainment, boasts 209 rooms, an expansive 83,000+ sf casino, a state-of-the-art sportsbook, captivating pool deck, and a variety of dining options ranging from casual to fine dining.
There are several distinct entries; the landscape is designed to reflect the character of the surrounding neighborhood and increases in size and magnificence as you approach the property. The main entrance, with its more intimate design, highlights the grandeur of date palms, signature Palo Verde trees, Washingtonia palms, southern live oaks, fan palms, Holly oak, and cork oak. The porte cochere entrance, surrounded by rows of oak trees and date palms, emanates a welcoming, yet sophisticated ambiance.
The east entry island invites guests with date palms and large oaks surrounding a multilevel water fountain, featuring large urns with olive trees and an enticing fire element that illuminates the night with excitement and color.
Moving towards the north entry, guests encounter a landscape adorned with large pines, Palo Verde, and cacti, accompanied by meandering rock groundcover. Pipe organ cacti and sable palms in low planters add a touch of elegance to this carefully curated space.
Durango’s landscape design incorporates mid-century-modern patterned textured walls, creating an upscale atmosphere. To promote water conservation, artificial turf is strategically placed in specific areas. The lush softscape embraces the desert landscape, featuring a variety of textured and flourishing plant material. Notably, 40-foot-tall Pine trees from Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas home have found a new home around the pool and parking garage, adding a touch of history and elegance to the surroundings.
A haven of relaxation, the “Bel-Aire Backyard” pool area features a central water feature/fountain, Baja ledge, chaise lounges, and cabanas providing respite from the desert sun. Surrounding the pool, majestic Medjool date palms enhance the atmosphere, creating a tropical oasis. Two poolside bars feature outdoor seating to indulge on thirst-quenching drinks and upscale eats. An adjacent event lawn is ample enough to host large-scale events, with space for a stage for live performances.
Durango takes the indoor/outdoor experience to the next level, offering spill-out patios for the sportsbook and restaurants. The “Eat Your Heart Out” food hall patio garden is adorned with agaves and cobble, creating a serene setting for patrons. Distinct water features at each restaurant patio are designed to complement the architecture, be visually appealing from various angles, and offer diners tranquil sounds. Outside the steakhouse, Nicco’s, the tiered water feature even showcases fire erupting from the fountain.
The country-club inspired George Sportsmen’s Lounge adds an extra layer of entertainment, featuring cornhole, ping-pong, outdoor gaming, and TVs for an immersive experience. Windows from the gaming area provide captivating views of the lush garden environs, seamlessly bringing the outdoors inside and enhancing the overall guest experience.
With its thoughtful design, Durango offers an array of amenities and environments for guests to discover.
Photo credits: Clint Jenkins, and pool photo courtesy of Christopher DeVargas
The 1,000-room luxury hotel expansion to open in 2021 will feature a 2.5-acre pool area containing a large main pool with swim-up bar, as well as an oversized family pool. Well-appointed cabanas will surround both pools. In addition, there will be two large hot tub pools and fire pits for guests to gather around and enjoy outdoors.
Off the main hotel lobby, there is a large fountain that provides a dramatic foreground to the new pool area. A beautiful new, tree-lined promenade will connect the various spaces.
The stunning new entry will include large massings of flowering trees and shrubs and provide a dramatic statement and rhythm for guests driving into the new porte cochere. The oversized planted urns, decorative paving and lush layered planting help complement the dramatic overhead canopy and architectural elements.
Additional improvements throughout the expansion include the addition of large evergreen trees to help soften the generous parking areas and garage and open lush turf area for guests to meander through the new garden spaces.
Overlooking the Boston Harbor and skyline, the 5-Star Encore Boston Harbor Resort, which opened in June 2019, is home to 671 finely appointed rooms, a 210,000 sf casino, 15 dining venues, indoor and outdoor event space and more than 8 acres of lushly landscaped gardens.
Guests arriving on the property experience an oasis of colorful flowers and verdant beauty, a significant design component of the Wynn Resort properties. The Oak Plaza promenade is lined with majestic spruce, Nellie Stevens holly, and fully-grown Japanese maple trees, as well as flower beds with seasonally changing color in a lush, park-like setting. Trees are strategically situated to allow unobstructed views of the marquee sign and river views beyond.
Once inside Encore Boston Harbor, the luxuriant interior garden is anchored by four voluminous, 20’ ficus trees which create a frame for the centerpiece – a colorful carousel designed by Preston Bailey. Six thousand floral containers of annual color will change every 2-3 weeks, to keep the entry experience fresh and welcoming to all who visit.
The quarter mile, 17′ wide pedestrian harborwalk and parterre garden features an elegant gazebo, an abundance of benches and viewing opportunities, informational signage, boat dock access, connections to the many resort gardens, and lush verdant space with magnificent floral displays. The formal hedges wind among the seasonally changing flowers which offer year-round color, while grand, colorful red maple trees line the Southern portion. Jaume Plensa’s three, 10’ tall bust sculptures accentuate the center of the promenade experience.
The South Lawn boasts 27,000 sf of functional lawn area for events of all sizes, enclosed in a bouquet of mature evergreen and deciduous trees and lined by an elegant flower-lined formal garden.
There is a unique 10,000 sf “green roof” garden that adds visual interest for the harborside hotel rooms and gym above. The oversized floral pattern, reminiscent of designer Roger Thomas’ familiar motif, are filled with thousands of vibrant and colorful flowers framed by boxwood hedges and white pebblestone borders.
The quality, beauty, and elegance of Encore Boston Harbor elevated the bar for the Boston area, and the evergreen landscape with its densely lush planting and colorful accents make the waterfront location truly iconic, inviting and special.
*Special thanks to Patrick Chadwick, Director of Horticulture and Floral, at Encore Boston Harbor; and Shadley Associates who served as the local landscape architect for entitlements and as designer of the Mystic Shoreline.
Photo credits: Barbara Kraft and Roger Davies
The sister property to Wynn Las Vegas, Encore is situated on 40 acres, and offers 2,034 suites, numerous restaurants, and exciting nightlife. Nightclubs like XS and the Encore Beach Club (primarily designed by Roger Thomas and his team at Wynn Design & Development) offer stunning views of the resort pool areas.
The majestic palms around the pool are surrounded by topiaries that contain sound and light elements, cleverly disguised.
Unlike most casinos, Encore features natural lighting pouring into the gaming pavilion. This visibility from the casino out into the parterre garden settings unites the inside with the outside environment and allows vistas of a shimmering pool or a lush garden atrium. Also, bold splashes of red and a butterfly motif add to the charm and youthful spirit of the property.
Amidst stellar entertainment and duty-free shopping, hidden away in the most intimate area of the Cotai Strip, lies this classic hotel. An elegant Portuguese colonial-style hotel nestled in a tropical setting, the Four Seasons Macau offers five outdoor pool areas and swim lagoons catering to the young and young-at-heart. Many tropical trees and palms were imported from all over southern China to create the property’s mature resort environment.
Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino Lake Charles is the highly anticipated, luxury resort just two hours from Houston. The 25-story hotel and casino features 740 luxury hotel rooms and suites, an 18-hole championship golf course, private beach, oversized marina to accommodate virtually any sized luxury yacht, a world-class spa, extensive retail options, an 18,000 square-foot ballroom, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, a one-of-a-kind pool, 24-hour entertainment, and superior dining.
The grounds have large mature southern live oaks, flowering crape myrtles and large maples. The Porte-cochere is surrounded by flowering shrubs and plenty of seasonal color to welcome guests as they arrive. Meet up at H2O Pool and Bar, Lake Charles’ large and sleek outdoor pool and lounge. Relax in the beautiful outdoor oasis complete with “floating” chaise lounge chairs, private cabanas, daybeds, fire pits, hot tubs, and more. Swim-up island beds and an oversized swim-up bar are an escape from the ordinary.
A lazy river flows through the grounds and allows great views of the lush garden as guests float by. An oversized rock slide lets everyone enjoy the thrill of a lifetime and hidden grottos allow cooling sanctuaries from the Louisiana heat. With so many unbeatable hotel amenities offered, Golden Nugget Lake Charles sets the standard for luxury.
Our goal was to bring a lush and rich layered landscape to rival the Strip resorts. Tall date palms provide a dramatic contrast to the hotel tower as well as provide a strong scale to the building façade and entries. Evergreen oak trees impart much needed shade and help soften the pedestrian pathways and parking areas. To complete the design story, we chose a rich tapestry of understory planting to add color and texture as well as tying in many of the plants found around the casino resort.
The Pool deck, although small in area, showcases many features found in larger resorts and casinos. A large whirlpool spa, generous swimming pool and lounge chaises offer guests a chance to enjoy the hot Las Vegas sun. There are tall Medjool date palms for dappled shade, oversized cabanas to provide all season enjoyment and a firepit for nighttime gathering with friends or family. The verdant backdrop of planting surrounds the pool area, and delivers an unapparelled experience.
The newly reimagined Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas includes updates to the property’s lengthy streetscape along Flamingo Blvd, strikingly lush entry drive, and the impressive Santorini-inspired KAOS dayclub and nightclub.
The design intent was to create visual impact and set the mood of the property from the moment you enter, with plantings and materials that inspire a beautiful desert escape for resort and club-goers. It’s lined with custom-designed pots spaced among undulating hedges. The entry road takes guests on a journey up the driveway past dramatic canary island date palms, and culminates in the newly remodeled porte cochere featuring black and beige concrete in a custom designed, contemporary pattern. The front door is also accentuated by an adjacent, planted living wall with a featured sculpture by sculptor Adam Parker Smith.
The multi-level 73,000 sf. club has two main pools, 12 side pools, 39 unique cabanas (most with their own private pool) and features 180 custom designed pots densely planted with full grown plant material. The state-of-the-art stage with lotus flower canopy has already hosted some of the hottest DJ/music acts in show business. The focal point of the dayclub is a towering 65-foot bronze grand sculpture by world renowned artist, Damien Hirst which rises from the center of one of the two main pools. Boasting the highest number of pools at any single resort in North America at one location, the Palms offers a luxe, contemporary oasis that can’t be found anywhere else in Las Vegas.
To achieve the desired aesthetic surrounding the clubs, the multi-level pool area is infused with a vast variety of palms, and other significant signature trees including: Canary Island Date Palms, Mexican Fan Palms, Sago Palms, Southern Live Oaks, Fruitless Olive, Sweet Bay and Laurel Carolina Cherry trees. Large pots planted with Chinese Windmill Palms and Zonal Geraniums adorn the main entrance steps.
The eclectic pots with lush Greek-inspired plant material draw your eye throughout the property, accentuating the different zones, eventually leading guests up the iconic staircase to the second level with private cabanas and glass-sided pools. The varying height and size of plant material creates a natural enclosure that intensifies the sense of privacy in and around the exclusive pools.
The renovation was conceived by the creative team of Lifescapes, with strong design direction from Station Casinos and architect Friedmutter Group, who helped the vision come to fruition.
Paradise City is the first fully integrated entertainment and gaming resort complex totaling 83 acres in Incheon, South Korea. Offering an unparalleled guest experience, this mega-resort combines a diverse range of hospitality, gaming, art gallery, retail amenities, and luxury spa that allow guests to experience leisure, beauty, and entertainment like no other in Northeast Asia.
The property encompasses 12 facilities, including a five-star hotel totaling 711 rooms, a family wing and pool villas, a premium casino equipped with state-of-the-art systems, and a K-style-themed convention center decked with a full-service entertainment bar.
Lifescapes International designed a large Las Vegas-style main entry, wedding gardens, private villas, and gardens that flow throughout the interior and exterior of the project, while infusing vibrant landscaping throughout the main resort-style pool, complete with an outdoor bar and private cabanas for an exciting night-life setting.
Italian villa elements and Mediterranean motifs, in addition to “hallyu” or Korean-pop culture, inspired the landscape design for this resort, which includes interior gardens and outdoor accent plantings with a spectrum of color and texture. The convergence of different cultures, including East and West, was balanced against a backdrop of indigenous trees and plants native to South Korea, including Hornbeam Bonsai, Weeping Willow, Cherry Blossoms, Konara Oak Trees, Sawleaf Zelkova, and Loropetalum, among others.
Lifescapes’ vision was to bring the vibrant energy of Las Vegas to Korea by integrating water features and immersive gardens, thereby heightening the dramatic element of the setting and cultivating an exceptional entertainment-driven experience.