You’ve probably seen high-profile properties in Las Vegas get new names and brandings. The Aladdin became Planet Hollywood, the Barbary Coast became Bill’s and then the Cromwell, the Imperial Palace switched to Quad and then Linq and, this summer, the Monte Carlo became the Park MGM. In most cases, these transformations take months and involve massive reconstruction work. Last month, though, a Strip hotel changed its name—literally—overnight. Guests went to sleep in the Mandarin Oriental and woke up in the Waldorf Astoria.
The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas opened in December 2009, bringing a different kind of non-gaming luxury to the Strip. When it was sold earlier this year to Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Tiffany Lam, the property’s management shifted to Hilton, owners of the Waldorf Astoria brand. The decision to swap one luxury brand for another might have been an easy one, but making that switch without disturbing the ultra-lux property’s guests was not.