To most tourists, Las Vegas means The Strip, with its precise production shows and enormous casino hotels. All are built to catch the eye and the dollar. But Las Vegas isn’t just for tourists and conventioneers. Almost three million people live in Las Vegas now, after years as one of America’s fastest growing cities.
Many Las Vegans dislike going to the Strip, because of traffic congestion, paying for parking, hordes of tourists and packed casinos and showrooms. Instead, they prefer more relaxed off-Strip casinos and entertainment.
The new Durango Resort is not on the Las Vegas Strip. And its customers like that just fine.
The Durango is in the Southwest Valley of Las Vegas, at the corner of Interstate 215 beltway and Durango Drive. Even nearly ten miles from the Strip, a reference to Las Vegas history is inevitable. An entrances to the Durango is off Roy Horn Way, named for the late tiger tamer and magician who performed with partner Siegfried at the Mirage.
The Durango, one of the newest casino resorts in Las Vegas, is the jewel in the crown of Station properties. Station is a major casino company, yet it does not directly compete with major Strip operators like MGM, Caesars Palace, Wynn and Sands.
Station has increasingly focused on the local Las Vegas audience. These customers are sophisticated entertainment, dining and gaming consumers who want to relax and go out with friends or to meet new ones far from the congested Strip.
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Station Casinos has seven resorts around Las Vegas. Station calls its Red Rock, Green Valley and now Durango Luxury Accommodations, while the older hotels are called Classics, offering “great value.” These include Sunset Station, Boulder Station, Sante Fe Station, and Palace Station. A room at the latter was the scene of a 2007 sports memorabilia robbery led by O.J. Simpson.
For the upscale Durango, Station engaged Clique Hospitality to create restaurants like the Bel-Aire Lounge, Mijo’s Mexican Restaurant and the Wax Rabbit. Clique has developed clubs, bars, lounges and restaurants at Strip resorts like Aria, Resorts World, Cosmopolitan and others. Durango also has more casual spots like the East Coast Italian-reminiscent Fiorello’s, and The George, a sports lounge with big screens, corn hole toss and wagering.
A major lure for visitors to Durango is free parking. Paying for parking is a contentious issue on the Strip, especially as huge entertainment venues like the Sphere, T-Mobile and Allegiant Stadium have very little parking. Instead, they rely on ticketholders parking in paid hotel parking spaces.
At Durango, there are several outdoor parking lots and a self-parking garage, and even that beloved Las Vegas perk, complimentary valet parking! Free and plentiful parking contributes to a relaxed atmosphere.
The rooms are also comfortable at Durango Resort. Floor to ceiling windows and a seating corner offer views of the city skyline and the mountains beyond. The warm, neutral rooms have king and double queen options. Our had both a small table and a desk. Stations also says that many of its rooms meet ADA guidelines, and its staff can help booking an ADA-accessible room.
The hallway and lobby are filled with comfortable seating and conversation areas near Vesta Coffee. The local bakery and coffee roaster offered some delicious berry and cream pastries.
The casino has 83,000 square feet of gaming space. Much of that is devoted to 2,200 video gaming machines but there’s also more than 60 table games. Alas, even off-Strip 6-5 payouts on blackjack have become standard.
There was a relaxing vibe at Durango, in contrast to many Strip resorts. The guests enjoyed the pool in the Las Vegas heat. Servers brought drinks and food to the shaded beach chairs, and the mostly adult crowd swayed to the not-too-loud music in the sun.
Durango has what seems to be a very popular program offering day pool access to non-hotel guests for $30 per day,$40 on weekends. Most of the people we met were locals, but those staying in an Airbnb or VRBO might also enjoy it. Durango, which often hosts local events such as wedding, can also serve as a place to park visiting family.
Durango also offers the upscale Bel-Aire Backyard ‘VIP experience,’ complete with private cabanas, oversized daybeds and inviting pool chairs parked in the pool.
Indeed, most of the people we talked to at Durango, especially at the pool, were Las Vegas residents. Many saw it as almost a clubhouse with gambling and fine restaurants, for the thousands of people in new homes surrounding the hotel.
There may be some competition to stay at Durango, as currently the hotel has just 209 rooms. By comparison, another relatively new Las Vegas hotel, Resorts World, has 3500.
At Durango, our server in Fiorello’s asked if we were local. He seemed surprised that we were staying at the hotel. High occupancy and the hotel’s relative small size explains why there was some debate about whether we could get a late checkout. For July, traditionally a slow season in Las Vegas, Resort King rooms start at $199. Durango may add another hotel tower due to demand.
In addition to modern casino resorts like Durango, there are many other off-Strip entertainment options. Downtown Las Vegas is the site of a thriving bar and club scene on Fremont Street, (many operated by entrepreneur and festival veteran Ryan Doherty), as well as updated hotels like the revitalized Plaza.
Then there are hidden off-Strip gems like The Composers Room on Sahara Avenue in the Historic Commercial District. The club offers classic Las Vegas lounge entertainment at affordable prices; the cover for the Tuesday performance of Keith Thompson’s Piano Party was $10. The venue showcases composers and performers at its lounge and tap room.
Thompson, for example, played and sang classic standards like “Satin Doll” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” then accompanied talented friends as they sang show-stopping numbers.
The 100-seat venue was packed with an older crowd, perhaps because the show ran from 6PM to 8PM. The show also featured Tony Arias, who might be described as a 6’ 4” generous-sized comic crooner in a silver lamé shirt. Arias, who is performing “Release Me Delilah!” a tribute to Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones on June 28, did a hilarious version of Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That A Kick In the Head,” written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
In a true off-Strip moment, a woman invited herself on-stage to dance with Arias. He erupted in mock panic, “I don’t think I’ve ever danced with a woman!”
