By 
It rises 642 feet above the famous Las Vegas Strip. Within its 53 stories, it is home to 3,000 ultra-elegant suites, the world’s most luxurious retail establishments, and the finest restaurants. It also offers the best entertainment in the West. Even its name symbolizes the ultimate in luxury; its English translation is palace. I have to admit, this place almost gave me an orgasm. This $1.8 billion behemoth exhausted my senses in a good way. The place, the building, the resort and the hotel that I am describing is The Las Vegas Palace, the newest luxury hotel-casino on the Strip. I felt compelled to tour the new luxury destination of Las Vegas. This is my fragrance journey at The Palazzo Las Vegas.
I dressed in my best purchases as usual. But, this outfit was more casual; I wanted to feel relaxed during my tour. I wore blue jeans by Lee, a forest green ribbed sweater by Perry Ellis, an Italian cut brown leather jacket, and a pair of Stacy Adams pumps. Lastly, I brought my favorite little bag, the Gucci bag.
I jumped in my trusty truck and drove to the Palazzo. Parking was a breeze. There was a space waiting for me in their multi-level underground public garage, which is a bit unusual on the Strip. Most of the parking lots on the Strip are big, monstrous things that are usually hidden behind the most glamorous facades on the Strip. I thought the Sands Corporation, the owner of the Venetian and Palazzo, chose a good location for the garage; it gives the Palazzo a more cosmopolitan touch.
I got out of my truck and entered a glass enclosure. I got on an escalator and was whisked to the lobby/casino level. The Palazzo’s casino was like most big casinos on the Strip: thousands of loud, colorful slot and poker machines and many green-covered gaming tables. I decided to leave the casino and headed towards the great hall of the Palazzo. The appearance of the lobby was what I expected. It was elegant and very grand. I saw a beautiful fountain in its center that was under a large glass dome. He was surrounded by voluptuous crystal nude temptresses, encouraging hotel guests to live out their sinful dreams. It was a very pretty centerpiece. Intrigued by the architectural influences in the Palazzo lobby and the rest of the hotel, I asked the concierge what country or culture influenced the hotel’s architecture. He explained that it was based on buildings from continental Europe. However, old world Italian design was the main architectural paradigm. I was satisfied with his response and proceeded to the real part of my fragrance journey, visiting The shops in the palazzo.
The first store I visited was Cool, the perfumery of luxury and niche fragrances. The store was not open to the public, but the store manager gave me permission to explore it. It was designed like most luxury perfumeries but with a little twist: very bright, with a lot of glass, understated but very contemporary. The manager told me that Fresh was owned by the luxury conglomerate LVMH, which happened to own Guerlain and Louis Vuitton. He mentioned that his company moved to the Palazzo because they were adding stores to many luxury destinations. In other words, Fresh was in a high growth mode.
I asked him about the most popular fragrance among his clients. She mentioned that the sake was the best seller. According to Osmoz, this fragrance is “sensual and delicate, it was inspired by Japanese beauty rituals. It combines unusual notes of langsat, an Asian plant, with fruity waves of white peach and Chinese osmanthus blossom.” Other popular fragrances according to the manager were sugar lychee for women, a fruity-floral fragrance, and Cannabis Sandalwood for men, a woody oriental scent. I thanked the manager for taking the time to talk to me and continued on my journey.
As I was walking to my next shopping destination, I stopped by Tony Burch, the fashion house known for creating sophisticated women’s fashion at an affordable price. I also noticed signs for future stores by these notable brands: Chloe, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fendi, Michael Kors, Montblanc, Ralph Lauren, Thomas Pink, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
I finally arrived at my next destination. Was Bottega Veneta. His appearance was what he expected from most high-end boutiques. It had many glass screens and was well lit. I also remembered its brown and tan tones. Her most beautiful and treasured bags were placed on glass wall shelves. At the back of the boutique, clothes hang on racks. Very popular and less expensive items were placed on display racks that were scattered throughout the store. I was greeted by a lovely young lady. I asked her about the fragrances of the brand, but she told me that it was not her area of expertise. I asked him about the bags. Her face lit up and she told me that Bottega Veneta was well known for her bags. The most popular bag designs were Cabat and Veneta. I thank him for talking to me and I went to my next point of sale.
I later learned that Bottega Veneta does not make fragrances for humans. He makes a home fragrance, which is a scented candle called Instruction No. 1. It has notes of cedar, eucalyptus, hay, and leather.
The next store I visited was coach. I wanted to smell the new and unique women’s perfume from the fashion house, Trainer by Trainer. When I entered the brand’s boutique, I asked a young saleswoman if she could have a sample of the perfume. She told me that there were no samples available. I asked her about the changing room, and she pointed toward the center of the store. She was at a medium-sized glass display table. As I made my way to the table, I was intercepted by an older Asian knowledgeable trainer. I told him that I wanted to experience Coach, the fragrance. He sprayed the perfume on a sample sheet and gave it to me to smell. The smell of him was very luxurious. He reminded me of another perfume that I loved, Tresor by Lancome. The perfume combined amber, genet, jasmine, mimosa, vanilla and woody notes. I could gift this fragrance to the women in my life. And I’ll buy it from Coach at the Palazzo.
After my visit to Coach, I headed over to barneys new york. My visit to the venerable specialty store was the highlight of my fragrance journey.
I first entered Barneys through the Shoppes entrance. But I wanted to have a real first visit experience. So, I ran to the first floor of the store and exited through the entrance to the Strip. Now I was ready for my grand entrance. I tossed back my long, invisible hair and walked into Barneys from the Strip. The first department I came across was women’s accessories. She had almost every luxury brand she could imagine, like Fendi, Givenchy, Lanvin, Mac Jacobs, Mui Mui, and Prada. After my adventure in the accessories department, I decided to do my real work, visiting the men’s and women’s fragrance departments.
The women’s fragrance department was the first one I visited. It is located on the first floor of Barneys, towards the back of the store. When I got to this section, I immediately saw a fragrance expert and asked him this question: “Why is Barneys so special?” He responded that the retailer is unique when it comes to fragrances. He mainly carries niche scents. In other words, many colognes and perfumes sold at Barneys are available at perfume designers’ boutiques or at Barneys. His answer impressed me. A few minutes later, after talking to the fragrance expert, I was swept away by a pretty middle-aged blonde woman. She became my personal guide in this section and introduced me to the fragrances of parma water. Since 1916, the world’s elites and those who wish to join this group have always loved their perfumes. It is still hand-distilled and its packaging is still designed by hand. I smelled two of their fragrances, and I have to admit they matched my taste. But, if you want to smell like the rich and famous, Aqua di Parma fragrances are a must. According to my fragrance guide, celebrities love it.
After my experience with Aqua di Parma, he took me to the far left of the fragrance department and showed me a strange machine. It was big and silver; it seemed to be medieval. I saw beakers, perfume bottles, tubes, and weighing machinery nearby. I looked over the top of the machine and the name The Lab appeared. According to my guide, this area was known as Le Labo Lab. This olfactory experience is exclusive to Barneys. Barneys experts can mix various fragrances to create a very personal perfume. This is a must have for perfume lovers and gift givers. Pre-made fragrances for men and women are also sold. One of the “premades” I tried was Rose 31. It smelled light, which meant it could be used anytime, anywhere. Warm, spicy and woody notes created this masculine floral fragrance. I may have to add this one to my fragrance wardrobe.
My experience with Le Labo ended and my guide showed me another niche brand. This brand was called Editions De Parfums by Federic Malle. Monsiuer Malle brought together the best in the fragrance industry to create 16 unique fragrances according to another Barneys fragrance expert. These noses created scents for major Parisian fragrance houses. According to my guide, most of the fragrances at Editions de Parfums are unisex.
Barneys has created a unique sampling experience with this brand based on my guide. He took me to two large metal-frame electrical booths that reminded me of the tornado exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. He mentioned that they were used to test the fragrances of this brand. He turned one of them on, opened an upper glass door, and sprayed a fragrance of my choice on it. Was carnal rose, a flower for both men and women. She closed the cabin door, and a few minutes later, she opened it again and told me to sniff. She explained that the booths gave customers a realistic scent of Edition de Parfums. I thank my guide for spending time with me and head to the men’s fragrance section on the third floor.
When I got to the third floor, I noticed something strange about the signage for Barneys. The names of the clothing designers were written on the pale wooden floors of the store. I thought this type of display was very unique. Suddenly, I saw the men’s fragrance counter. When I got there, I was greeted by a cute young fragrance expert. She showed me a cologne that was exclusive to Barneys. It was called Bois 1920. The history of this colony begins in 1920 with Guido Galardi. He experimented with perfumes and natural fragrances that had always intrigued him. He eventually opened a perfumery called Bottega Italiana Spigo in Florence, Italy, which attracted many fragrance lovers. Unfortunately, the perfumery closed five years later since his son did not want to continue with the business. In 2005, his grandson founded Bois 1920 and reinterpreted Galardi’s formula. After reading and hearing the Bois 1920 story, I wish I had smelled it during my visit to Barneys. It will go on my sniff wish list
The young perfumer also gave me a good overview of Barneys New York in Las Vegas. She told me that this retailer is unique. It is avant-garde, exclusive and very humorous.
The journey of my fragrance in The Las Vegas Palace finished This beautiful hotel with its unique shopping promenade is a great enhancement to the Las Vegas strip. I’m sure it will compete well with other strip destinations. So when you visit my hometown, be sure to check out The Palazzo and its shops. I can assure you that you will be surprised.