nce upon a time, the typical Las Vegas resort pool sported rectangular lines and an institutional look. It was a place for one parent to take the children while the other played in Sin City.
Steve Wynn changed all that when he built the Mirage in 1989. “He made lying out by the swimming pool a social [activity],” says Bill Palmer, who built at the Mirage and other Wynn properties. “It was a place to be seen, to conduct business and be a part of the pretty people crowd.”
Last year, more than 1,700 pools were built within Las Vegas’ city limits. Compared with 10 years ago, this represents an increase of nearly 54 percent, according to the City of Las Vegas Building Department. And last year, 35.5 million people visited Las Vegas, almost double the number of tourists since 1988.
Wynn’s vision, combined with the burgeoning Vegas home market makes the city doubly important. Not only are its residents building more pools, but visitors are inspired to take the resort feeling to backyards all over the country.
The new oasis
The Mirage started a revolution of sorts. A huge faux volcano — a precursor to the current swell of interest in fire-and-water effects — stopped foot traffic on the Strip. Inside the resort, an intricate network of pools and interconnected lagoons wound through the property. Slides entertained the kids.
Across the way, the Carnival-themed Rio put beach-entry pools lined with real sand on the map.
Throughout the decade, other hotels followed suit. The Hard Rock Hotel created a tropical poolscape while the Mandalay Bay upped the ante with its wave pool and lazy river.
After selling his properties to MGM Grand Inc. in 2000, Wynn now is working on the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, due to open next spring. Who knows what he has in store?
Home resorts
What tourists do in Vegas may stay there, but many visitors want to take the resort philosophy with them when they head back home. “We’ve had potential clients say, ‘I understand you did that thing at the Rio. Can you put in a sand beach at my house?’” says Palmer, president of Prestige Pools Inc. in Las Vegas.
“But by the time you do what you have to do, it’s going to cost between $15,000 and $30,000 to do it,” he notes.
Don Rowland, owner of DBR Enterprises, a plumbing company in Las Vegas, has had customers ask for the Mirage volcano. While it’s not practical in a residential backyard, the spirit of these properties can be incorporated into larger waterfeatures.
Most people can’t afford such features, but they still want whatever touch of luxury they can get, Palmer says. “It at least piqued their interest. It added a different dimension and interest that wasn’t there before,” he says. “I think that was a positive.”
Maybe clients can’t have the Mirage volcano in their backyards, but they can get miniature versions of other features. Besides, the point isn’t necessarily to imitate Vegas resorts, but to capture their essence. “Now you’re looking at caves, fountains and fire around the swimming pool,” says Scott Waldo, president of Platinum Pools in Houston, a Pool & Spa News Top Builder. “People get creative now because they know they can.”
At this rate, every town will have a little piece of Vegas eventually.
