Las Vegas’ Palazzo debuts

Fireworks explode over the Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino during the opening on Thursday night.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The latest mega-property on the Las Vegas Strip is the Venetian’s sister resort, the Palazzo, which had its three-day grand opening celebration Jan. 17 to 19. The $1.9-million hotel is a 50-story complex.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Running shoes are not inappropriate at the sprawling Palazzo. A Times reporter found that it was nearly 130 steps from the lobby to the casino and 150 more across the casino to the elevators. The casino, with its crystal chandeliers, hints at the Italian-style luxury that is the resort’s theme.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

This is no boutique hotel. The super-sized aura begins at the resort’s front desk. The Palazzo’s décor is decidedly elegant, but bland given its setting on the Las Vegas Strip, says a Times reporter. In this town, humor and imagination spur visitors to exchange the real world for an alternative reality.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

All the rooms at the Palazzo are suites. The Bella Suite has a sunken living room area, a cozy pillow-top bed and three flat-screen TVs (including one in the bathroom).  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The sectional couch is velour, and the décor is variations on brown.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Shoppes at the Palazzo give visitors another reason not to step out into the daylight. An indoor waterfall adds a woodsy touch. Most of the stores, however, are not yet open. One that is? The first Barneys New York in Las Vegas.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The sleek, gilded Palazzo -- a $1.9 billion, 3,066-room hotel-casino -- better reflects the city’s newest persona: Fancy, not Kitschy, Vegas.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Salute Laouge at the Palazzo features a subdued vibe, with lights shaped like stalactites contributing to the muted décor.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

On Thursday, only one-third of chef Mario Batali’s steakhouse was ready, but waiters ignored the construction workers and smoothed tablecloths as starched as their shirts. The restaurant’s centerpiece had arrived -- a 320-pound bull statue named Bo.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Palazzo’s entry fountain opens into an area with a view to a rotunda ceiling and sunlight. The Palazzo, sister to the Venetian, offers all suites.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Despite flourishes of design and the prominent “P,” the Palazzo lacks any overt theme running throughout the hotel-casino resort.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)