Sharks suspended in formaldehyde, graphics of oversized pills and butterfly-patterned floors await guests who will stay in this $100,000-a-night hotel suite, which British artist Damien Hirst designed for the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Offered free to guests with over $1 million (£758,890) in resort credit, or anyone else who can spend $200,000 (£151,753) on a two-night stay, Hirst's Empathy Suite at Las Vegas is 9,000 sq ft (836 m²) and takes up two floors in the Palms.
The suite features two master bedrooms and a covered outdoor pool overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, along with multiple lounges that can accommodate more than 50 people, a massage room, a salt room, a gym, two bathrooms and a powder room.
This $100,000-a-night hotel apartment was designed by Hirst in collaboration with New York firm Bentel & Bentel Architects and local firm Klai Juba Wald Architects.
Hirst's design style is present in almost every aspect of the hotel room, from the furniture and textiles that incorporate his designs, to six large-scale original artworks. The most dramatic part involves two sharks in a transparent formaldehyde tank, dubbed Winner/Loser.
Other highlights include a fish-shaped design above the 12-seater bar, called Here For A Good Time Not Long Time, and a frosted cabinet filled with Monet's pills, next to the six-person dining table. Another cabinet, The Winner Takes It All, is filled with cubic zirconia.
White and chrome finishes give the interior a modern feel. Hundreds of molded and embroidered motifs of skulls, pills, and butterflies can be found on walls, furniture, and upholstery.
For example, 104 butterflies and 17 pills are inlaid into the marble floor and pool deck.
“For several months, we have been exploring every opportunity with Damien’s team to cross-pollinate our work with Damien’s,” said Peter Bentel of Bentel & Bentel. “Exploring those opportunities together is the nature of the game, so why not?”
A variety of prescription-like designs can be seen, such as bathroom recliners and a curved bar counter filled with medical supplies.
Two hundred vinyl devices shaped like pills also decorate the outside and inside of the room, while glowing white columns feature capsule designs on translucent membranes.
The Empathy Suite joins the Palms Casino Resort's five other Sky Villas, all of which have been completely reimagined by Bentel & Bentel. Ranging from $25,000 (£18,969) to $50,000 (£37,938) per night, the suites are some of the most expensive accommodation options in the world, not just in Las Vegas.
The Palms reopened in 2018 after extensive renovations, including the addition of famous names in the art industry such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Takashi Murakami.
“I love what Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have done with Palms,” said Hirst. “It’s been great working with them because they are such great collectors and so knowledgeable about art.”
The British artist is known for his lavish, pop culture-related designs – from animals preserved in formaldehyde tanks to diamond-encrusted skulls.
In 2018, Hirst's new headquarters in London's Soho neighborhood was redesigned with shimmering blue tiles by architecture studio Stiff + Trevillion.
