Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
A luxury hotel and condominium property on the Las Vegas Strip, managed by Hilton under the Waldorf Astoria brand.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and condominium tower in the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The 47-story property opened on December 4, 2009, as Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, occupying the former site of the Boardwalk hotel-casino. It was developed during the CityCenter project by MGM Mirage and Dubai World, with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group initially responsible for operations. In 2018, the property was sold for $214 million to hotel investor Tiffany Lam and Panda Express founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng. The transaction coincided with the end of Mandarin Oriental’s management agreement and the property’s conversion to the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand under Hilton management. The building combines a luxury hotel with privately owned residences. Its hotel accommodation occupies the lower portion of the tower and comprises 389 rooms and suites, while 225 condominium residences occupy the upper floors. The property was designed without a casino, distinguishing it from many neighboring Las Vegas resorts and aligning it more closely with a quiet, service-oriented luxury-hotel model. At opening, the hotel emphasized personalized service, international appeal, advanced in-room technology, and a refined Asian-influenced design associated with Mandarin Oriental. It was intended in part to attract affluent international visitors to CityCenter. A defining feature at opening was the Sky Lobby on the 23rd floor, which offered panoramic views of the Strip and served as the hotel’s principal arrival and social space. The property also included a two-floor spa, a swimming pool, approximately 12,000 square feet of meeting facilities, restaurants, lounges, and other food-and-beverage venues. Twist, a 74-seat French restaurant created by chef Pierre Gagnaire, marked the chef’s United States debut and was located in the Sky Lobby. Additional original amenities included a sushi and noodle venue, a tea lounge, and a pastry shop. Guest rooms incorporated touchscreen controls for functions such as lighting and room-service ordering, reflecting the property’s positioning as one of the more technologically advanced hotels in Las Vegas at the time. The hotel opened during the Great Recession and experienced weaker-than-expected financial performance in its first year. Management responded with additional marketing and promotional activity while maintaining a long-term luxury positioning. Despite the difficult launch environment, the property accumulated high-end hospitality distinctions, including AAA Five Diamond recognition and a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating for its spa. It was also favorably ranked by Travel + Leisure and U.S. News & World Report. Following the 2018 rebranding, renovations were undertaken to adapt the property from its Mandarin Oriental identity to Waldorf Astoria. The work, carried out from 2021 through 2024, removed much of the original Asian-themed design language and updated guest rooms and meeting facilities. In 2023, the lobby function was moved from the 23rd floor to the ground level, while the former Sky Lobby area was planned for use by Peacock Alley, the Waldorf Astoria tea lounge concept. The property continues to serve luxury leisure, business, meetings, dining, spa, and residential customers without operating a casino.
History
The property originated as part of MGM Mirage’s CityCenter development, a large mixed-use project on the Las Vegas Strip. Plans announced in September 2005 called for a Mandarin Oriental hotel to be developed at the southeastern corner of the complex on the former Boardwalk hotel-casino site. MGM Mirage and Dubai World were the original owners, while Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was selected to manage the hotel. The project was designed to add an internationally recognized luxury-hospitality component to CityCenter and to broaden the destination’s appeal beyond traditional casino resorts. Kohn Pedersen Fox served as the principal design architect, with AAI Architects as architect of record. Adam Tihany designed the hotel interiors, and Kay Lang and Associates designed the residential component. The building received LEED Gold certification on November 20, 2009. Its 47 floors were divided between hotel and residential uses: the hotel’s 389 rooms and suites occupied the lower floors, while 225 condominium residences, including seven penthouses, occupied the upper levels. Separate entrances were provided for hotel guests and residents. Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas opened on December 4, 2009, after Vdara and before several other CityCenter components. Its hotel rooms, restaurants, spa, meeting facilities, and residences were introduced as a sophisticated alternative to the casino-centered resort model. The 23rd-floor Sky Lobby became one of the property’s signature architectural features. It provided views over the Strip and contained several public-facing amenities, including Twist, a French restaurant by Pierre Gagnaire. The restaurant represented Gagnaire’s first United States operation and was designed around a dramatic glass staircase, wine loft, and ceiling installation of hundreds of gold-colored globes. The hotel opened during the global financial crisis and the resulting recession. Its first-year financial performance was disappointing, leading to increased marketing and promotional efforts. Mandarin Oriental treated the property as a longer-term investment in the Las Vegas luxury market, while the condominium component faced the same broader real-estate pressures affecting many projects launched around the financial crisis. Nevertheless, the hotel earned strong hospitality recognition. Within its first year it received the AAA Five Diamond Award, and its spa later received a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star designation. Travel + Leisure and U.S. News & World Report also included the property among leading hotels in Nevada and Las Vegas in subsequent rankings. In 2018, MGM and Dubai World sold the hotel for $214 million to Tiffany Lam and Andrew and Peggy Cherng. The sale was accompanied by a change in management and brand identity. Mandarin Oriental ceased managing the property on August 31, 2018, and Hilton assumed management. The hotel was then rebranded Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas and joined Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts portfolio. The change shifted the property from a Mandarin Oriental identity to Hilton’s global luxury brand while preserving its hotel, residential, spa, dining, and meeting functions. Renovations between 2021 and 2024 updated the property and removed elements of its original Asian-themed design. The work included guest-room and meeting-space improvements. In 2023, the principal lobby was moved from the 23rd floor to the ground level. The former Sky Lobby space was designated for Peacock Alley, the property’s tea-lounge concept. The hotel remains a high-rise, non-gaming luxury property with 389 rooms and suites, 225 residences, wellness facilities, dining and lounge venues, a pool, and meeting space.
- 2024
Renovation program completed or substantially advanced
[1]A renovation program spanning 2021 to 2024 updated rooms and meeting facilities and repositioned public spaces for the Waldorf Astoria brand.
- 2018
Ownership and brand transition
[1]The property was sold for $214 million, Mandarin Oriental ended its management, Hilton became manager, and the hotel adopted the Waldorf Astoria name.
- 2010
AAA Five Diamond recognition
[1]The hotel received the AAA Five Diamond Award within a year of opening.
- 2009
Property opens
[1]Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas opened on December 4 on the former Boardwalk site.
- 2009
LEED Gold certification
[1]The building received LEED Gold certification on November 20.
- 2005
Mandarin Oriental hotel announced for CityCenter
[1]MGM Mirage announced plans for a Mandarin Oriental hotel as part of the CityCenter development, to be owned with Dubai World and managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Products and positioning
Luxury, non-gaming hospitality with personalized service, premium dining, wellness, meetings, and branded residences.
Luxury accommodation · 2009
Hotel rooms and suites
The hotel contains 389 rooms and suites across the lower floors of the tower. The accommodation was originally designed around Mandarin Oriental’s emphasis on personalized service and included touchscreen controls for room functions such as lighting and food-service ordering. After the Waldorf Astoria conversion, the rooms were included in a broader renovation program intended to update the interiors and align the guest experience with Hilton’s luxury brand.
Branded residences · 2009
Condominium residences
The upper floors contain 225 privately owned condominium residences, including seven penthouses. The residential component was designed separately from the hotel interiors and has its own entrance, allowing residents to maintain a distinct arrival and living experience. At the property’s opening, the residences were positioned as some of CityCenter’s largest and most expensive condominium offerings.
Spa and wellness · 2009
Spa and wellness facilities
The property includes a two-floor spa serving hotel guests, residents, and other visitors. Its positioning has been central to the hotel’s quiet, non-gaming luxury proposition. The spa received a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star designation in 2011, adding third-party recognition to the property’s wellness offering.
Fine dining · 2009
Twist
Twist was a 74-seat French restaurant by chef Pierre Gagnaire and marked his United States debut. Located in the original 23rd-floor Sky Lobby, it combined Strip views with a theatrical interior featuring a glass staircase, wine loft, and a ceiling installation of approximately 300 golden globes. It was one of the most distinctive food-and-beverage concepts associated with the property’s Mandarin Oriental period.
Tea lounge · 2023
Peacock Alley
Peacock Alley is the Waldorf Astoria tea-lounge concept planned for the former 23rd-floor Sky Lobby after the main lobby was relocated to the ground level. The space extends the property’s luxury positioning through tea service, social lounge use, and panoramic views associated with the tower’s elevated public areas.
Meetings and events · 2009
Meeting and event facilities
The property provides approximately 12,000 square feet of meeting space for business gatherings, private events, and hospitality functions. These facilities were included in the renovation program undertaken after the Waldorf Astoria rebranding, supporting the hotel’s role as a luxury meetings property in addition to a leisure destination.
Brand decisions
2021
Renovation and repositioningStrategyBackground
Following the brand conversion, the property required physical and design updates to support its Waldorf Astoria identity.
Action taken
Renovation work from 2021 through 2024 updated guest rooms and meeting facilities and removed elements of the previous Asian-themed design.
Aftermath
The property’s public spaces were reconfigured, including the relocation of the principal lobby to the ground floor and the planned conversion of the former Sky Lobby area to Peacock Alley.
2018
Sale to new private ownersM&ABackground
MGM and Dubai World sold the hotel during a period when the property was still operating under the Mandarin Oriental identity.
Action taken
Tiffany Lam and Andrew and Peggy Cherng acquired the property for $214 million.
Aftermath
The sale was followed by the end of Mandarin Oriental’s management agreement and the transition to Hilton management and the Waldorf Astoria brand.
Purchase price. $214 million (2018)
2018
Conversion from Mandarin Oriental to Waldorf AstoriaStrategyBackground
The ownership transaction created an opportunity to change the hotel’s international luxury-brand affiliation and operating platform.
Action taken
Mandarin Oriental stopped managing the property on August 31, and Hilton assumed management as the hotel became Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas.
Aftermath
The property entered Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria portfolio and later underwent renovations that removed much of the original Asian-themed design.
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