Maven Meter: Wynn Palace Casino & Hotel
(Last updated: August 23, 2023)
INTRODUCTION
Way back in 1970, Rolling Stone opened a vicious review of Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait by asking him a very straightforward question. After visiting Wynn Palace, I’d like to ask Steve Wynn the same one.
What is this shit?
A decade after giving us the exceptional Wynn Macau, you’ve sold out and bent over for the Chinese audience, opening a property whose sole purpose seems to be giving mainland visitors a place to take selfies.
All of those things that make the original Wynn Macau so special and endearing: the easy effortless charm, the subtle splendour, the tasteful way it presents its elegance, have all been tossed to the side in favour of the lowest common denominator.
Thus you have lobbies decorated with Ferris Wheels and Merry-Go-Rounds, a shopping arcade home to Cinderella’s slipper and Gucci’s high heel, not to mention a pointless cable car attraction outside that never stops moving yet takes people nowhere.
Even prized cultural relics have been reduced to cheap retail fodder, with the set of four porcelain Qing vases valued at $12.8 million dollars made the crude centerpiece of the banal shopping quarter.
Bright, shiny, shallow and soulless, Wynn Palace is a horrible waste of space and resource, and if this is the future of the Cotai Strip and where it’s going, then I’ll gladly spend most of my time on the old peninsula, thank you very much.
Here are a few slogans I’ve come up with to describe the monstrosity.
- “Wynn Palace: Steve’s Fairy Tale Folly”
- “Wynn Palace: Where Bad Ideas Get Worse”
- “Wynn Palace: “Mainland Gold and Plastic Soul”
And my personal favorite, which perhaps sums it up best:
- “Wynn Palace: a Panoply of Pointless”
Wynn Palace Photo Gallery
WYNN PALACE CASINO
I think there must be a government regulation somewhere that prohibits Macau casinos from being interesting or different. When I first started this website, it was going to focus exclusively on gaming, before I realized that information alone couldn’t support a site. The simple reason being that 100% of Macau casinos are just repeated versions of each other, and only one game matters anyway – the ubiquitous Baccarat.
Extremely uniform and universally boring: if you’ve been to one Macau casino, you’ve been to them all. Wynn Palace is just the latest clone.
There is no entertainment of any kind, although free beer and alcohol are served if you specifically ask for it and prove you’re gaming.
WYNN PALACE CASINO GAMES
Wynn Palace swapped out Caribbean Stud Poker for some new Sic Bo and Three Card Baccarat tables.
Baccarat – The only place I saw any Baccarat tables were in the High Limit and VIP rooms, starting from $3000 per hand.
Commission Free Baccarat – Players win only 50% on a won Banker bet that totals 6. Minimum bet is $500.
Blackjack – Minimum bet is a ridiculous $500. That is way, way out of line, but such is life on the Cotai Strip these days.
Roulette – Minimum bets of $50 Inside and $200 Outside.
Slot Machines – When Wynn Palace first opened, they had around 10o0 slots. I don’t think they have that many anymore, perhaps 600 or 700 at most. Minimums are from 5 cents to $10.
As for Live Gaming, Wynn Cotai offers only Baccarat with lows of $50, $100 and $200.
I didn’t see much electronic gaming available, only Roulette for $50.
Sic Bo – Big/Small minimums are $500.
Three Card Baccarat – Reasonable minimums of $300.
Three Card Poker – Nice $300 minimums.
PROMOTIONS
Promotions at the Wynn are a joke, so I won’t waste your time writing about them.
VIP GAMING
Wynn has always done extremely well in the VIP market. Here’s their present cash back program for whales, which changed some time during Covid for the first time in ten years.
It doesn’t get any higher than 1.25% in Macau. Don’t blame the casino either, as it’s the maximum amount allowed by the government.
The Wynn Palace also has a separate casino only for foreign VIP guests, but the cash back and comp allowance rates are the same as the ones listed above. That’s extremely disappointing, as the other operators usually give slightly sweeter deals.
WYNN PALACE HOTEL
On December 14th, 2016, I stayed in the cheapest room available at Wynn Palace, the Palace King Room, which cost $1380 at the time. During the same period, rooms at the Wynn Macau cost more than $2000, which just shows the difference between the two hotels. I always thought Wynn Palace would go above and beyond Wynn Macau, but it turned out the exact opposite, which is never how you want sequels to go. Build something better, or don’t build it at all.
The only thing Wynn Palace has going for it are absolutely huge rooms, with the smallest ones checking in at 68 square meters. I mean, I’ve lived in a few apartments smaller than that before.
Rates fall in the mid-range for Cotai, with rooms about $1000 more expensive than at the Venetian, Studio City and the Parisian. On the flip side, they’re also about a grand cheaper than luxury outlets like Banyan Tree, Morpheus and the Ritz Carlton.
Rates are in Macau Mops and include all tax and service charges.
WYNN PALACE HOTEL ROOM
The previous day I had stayed at the Parisian and didn’t have to pay a deposit and was hoping for the same love at the Wynn Palace, which wasn’t forthcoming. After the desk said the $1000 deposit couldn’t be charged to my credit card, I told them straight up that I didn’t have enough cash on hand to cover it. After a bit of a back and forth, they asked how much money I could give and I told them $500, which they accepted.
Wynn Palace rooms come in four main colour schemes: green, red, yellow and blue. I got saddled with a green room and didn’t like it that much.
Looking back at the pictures now I suppose it really wasn’t that bad, but it sure felt disappointing when I was in it.
Although it was very large, a lot of it was just empty unused space, especially the massage room, which I didn’t need or want anyway.
The view was also horrible and if that’s not the worst one in the whole hotel then I don’t want to know what is.
The TV had a very disappointing selection of channels, the majority of which were Chinese, and no different than what you get in most hotels on the mainland. I was definitely expecting more from an American hotel chain.
But I suppose my biggest criticism boils down to this – the Wynn Palace room doesn’t give guests anything they can’t get anywhere else: one bed, two night tables, a desk, a chair, a couch, a bathtub and a shower. Of course it was all in pristine condition and of very good quality, but that’s the basic skeleton features of any hotel room, anywhere, in any star category. Value wise, where is the value, you know?
Across the road at the Londoner, you used to be able to get the same type of room at the world’s second largest Holiday Inn for half the price. Although they definitely weren’t as nice or as large, they weren’t terribly worse either.
I guess if you’re on the road and simply must have a huge room, then the ones at Wynn Palace were made for you, so congratulations. If not, then I don’t believe guests are given enough incentive to stay there.
I’d like to close with the welcome card which I found most hilarious.
LOL at Steve Wynn and his two free bottles of water. Across the Strip at the Ritz-Carlton I get free champagne at check in, bro.
Unlike Wynn Macau which usually spoils guests with a splendid assortment of free goodies, Wynn Palace gave jack squat.
WYNN PALACE POOL
To market Wynn Palace as the Pinnacle, or the Ultimate, or even as a Palace like the name suggests is totally dishonest and I’m here to tell you why. The amenities are all lacklustre and the best proof I have that Wynn Resorts never intended to make Wynn Palace an elite hotel.
The pool, for example, isn’t even heated and closes in winter. Let that sink in for a minute. A premium five star hotel that can’t heat an outdoor pool isn’t really trying, if you ask me.
Besides that, the pool is small, pedestrian, and totally forgettable. It’s an oasis of mediocrity in a resort swimming in it.
Adjacent to the pool, there are few tables attached to the Pool Bar. Burgers, pork chop buns, and club sandwiches go for $88 to $258, while Asian mains are $148 to $178, and salads $128 to $138. There’s also a children’s menu from $88 to $168 featuring things like pasta and chicken quesadilla.
Pool Bar is open daily from 12 pm to 8 pm.
WYNN PALACE RESTAURANTS
When Wynn Palace first opened, it was all fine dining with prices to match. Three years in, they’ve finally added a few casual restaurants that don’t cost a ton.
Fine Dining
Sichuan Moon – Sichuan Moon was the first restaurant at Wynn Palace with Michelin stars, after being awarded 2 in the 2020 Guide. Very straightforward, it only offers two 12 course set menus, priced at $2888 and $3288 respectively. If you’d like to pair one of them with wine, that’ll cost an additional $1380.
Sichuan Moon serves spicy oily Sichuan cuisine that might get potentially overwhelming, given there are so many servings of it.
Open daily except for Wednesdays, hours are from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
Mizumi – The Mizumi at Wynn Macau has a Michelin Star, let’s see if this one at the Palace can follow in their footsteps. As the name suggests, it’s Japanese all the way. Featuring a condensed menu, appetizers and soup range in price from $78 to $488, while sushi and sashimi are $18 to $188, and tempura $50 to $208. There’s also teppanyaki for $88 to $1888 and rice and noodles for $88 to $488.
Four different set means are on offer: an Edomae sushi set ($588), an Omakase sushi set ($888), a Teppanyaki set ($588), and a deluxe Teppanyaki set ($888).
Hours daily are from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm daily, except for Mondays when it’s closed.
Sushi Mizumi – Sushi Mizumi offers the same Edomae sushi set ($588) and Omakase sushi set ($888) as Mizumi.
The hours are the same as at Mizumi too.
SW Steakhouse – To know what a world of hurt tastes like, just sit down at SW Steakhouse. I’ll personally go as high as $400 for a steak; any more and I can’t justify it. Nothing at SW is cheap, with Chef’s selections $180 to $620, appetizers $200 to $400, main meat favourites $450 to $500, and sides $110 to $180. 30 grams of caviar runs $1500 to $4190, while seafood platters are $1400 or $2800, and prime cut steaks $800 to $1500. The cheapest steak comes from Olo ranch in Nebraska and goes for $520 to $980.
Hours are from 5:30 pm to 11 pm, Wednesdays to Mondays.
Wing Lei Palace – Celebrated chef Tam Kwok Fong, the man who used to run Jade Dragon (3 Michelin stars) and Pearl Dragon (1 Michelin star) has taken his talents to Wing Lei Palace. His first Michelin star soon followed in 2021.
Featuring an extensive menu of Cantonese favorites, appetizers are $80 to $260, while barbecue is $150 to $720 and soup $80 to $5880. Pricier fare includes birds nest ($580 to $980), dried seafood ($180 to $5880), seafood ($240 to $1800) and meat staples ($140 to $780). More economical options include poultry for $140 to $380, while vegetables are $160 to $240 and rice and noodles $140 to $880.
At lunch, most dim sum goes for $50 to $90, while a 5 course dim sum set runs $680.
In the evening, a 6 course Executive set costs $1380, while a 6 course Tasting menu runs $1980. For all of the sets, they demand a minimum of two diners.
Hours daily are from 12 pm to 3 pm and 5:30 pm to 10 pm.
Casual Dining
Cafe Fontana – Cafe Fontana overlooks the Performance Lake and serves buffet three times daily.
Hours daily are from 7:00 am to 11:00 am, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm.
Pronto – Pronto is a new Italian joint that opened where the old Starbucks used to be. Featuring a very streamlined menu, only pizza ($158 to $188), appetizers and salad ($128 to $218), pasta ($128 to $188), and desserts ($63 to $113) are available.
Pronto is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm daily.
Palace Cafe – I’m not sure I’ve ever stumbled across Palace Cafe while at Wynn Palace. Regardless, it serves Thai food at very reasonable prices.
Salads and appetizers run $78 to $128, while soups are $88 to $98 and curries $98 to $238. There’s also classic Thai mains for $88 to $298 and noodles and rie for $78 to $188.
Located somewhere in the casino, Palace Cafe keeps hours from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm Mondays to Thursdays, and from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm Fridays through Sundays.
Hanami Ramen – Hanami Ramen always seems to be doing a decent business. Serving Japanese noodles, there’s only ramen ($118), Chef’s specialties ($188), snacks ($28 to $58) and desserts ($45 to $70) available.
Hours are from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.
99 Noodles – 99 Noodles should be cheap Chinese fast food fare, but some dishes actually cost quite a bit. Specifically, hot mains are $59 to $399, while soup is $59 to $369 and cold appetizers $59 to $129. Dim sum ($39 to $59) and specialty noodles ($79 to $129) are also available.
99 Noodles is open 24 hours.
Red 8 – Another restaurant that stays open 24 hours, Red 8 is more rice, noodles, congee and soup. The most standard dishes are appetizers ($58 to $128), congee, rice, and soup ($18 to $198), dim sum ($38 to $88), barbecue ($88 to $368), regional noodles ($88 to $138), and rice and vegetables ($68 to $168).
For more premium fare, Chefs recommendations go for $98 to $238, while Chiu Chow favorites are $28 to 198, and marinated Chui Chow delicacies $98 to $368.
GYM
For wont of a better word, the gym at Wynn Palace sucks. It’s about half the size of both gyms at Wynn Macau and certainly not what you’d expect in a hotel that associates itself with royalty. Well below typical Wynn standards and very underwhelming, that’s just par for the course at this hotel, which brings me to my next point….
WYNN PALACE SPA
How about some free spa facilities at the Wynn Palace for their esteemed privileged guests? No way! Hotel guests and non hotel guests alike both have to pay a fee to use the sauna, steam, jacuzzi, cold pool and hot bed at the Spa. The price is $575 and lasts all day, provided you don’t leave. Once you exit the spa, the pass is considered expired and you can’t go back in. (The only exception would be hotel guests who leave the spa but only go to the pool. Under those circumstances, they could return.)
In terms of spa prices, a wide range of body massages are either 60 or 90 minutes and cost $1000 or $1500, while 60 to 90 minute facials are $1300 to $2200. 2.5 to 3 hour Wynn Palace Rituals are $2200 to $3250, while 90 to 120 minute Signature Treatments are $1000 to $3300.
They also have treatment for couples named “Emperor and Empress” and costs $3250 per person for 3 hours. Some of the fun includes an energy stone massage, an aromatic chakra-balancing massage, and facial treatments delivered in your private couples suite.
If nothing else, just drop by the spa for their menu book that features gorgeous paintings of 19th Century China from artist Thomas Allom. Judging from the way that China used to look, I definitely came here at the wrong time.
Hours daily are from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.
WYNN PALACE ENTERTAINMENT
Ha ha ha ha….
Hmmm, there’s a water show that isn’t even as good as the one at Wynn Macau and that’s it. A colossal fail and completely unacceptable in this day and age on the Cotai Strip, you can’t just repeat what you did ten years ago and hope it’s enough. There are too many other places to go in Cotai now, too many other things to see.
Some people might call the cable car ride entertainment too, but I don’t buy that. At least it’s free though if you want to take it across the lake to the hotel or do a complete loop.
Hours are from 4 pm t0 10 pm daily. On Fridays and Saturdays, they extend it a couple of hours to midnight.
WYNN PALACE BARS
Flying machines, the four minute mile, and decorating a room in green and have it look good. Thanks to Wing Lei Bar for finally scratching the last one off the list. Located beside Wing Lei Palace, Wing Lei Bar is a hip little haunt designed to look like a jewellery box, and I totally dig its style. With only 7 tables, it’s perfect for a quick drink or two before heading off into the night. The only bar at Wynn Palace, it looks like they learned their lesson from all the empty ones at Wynn Macau.
Prices are totally reasonable, with beers $50 to $70, shots of most hard stuff $70 to $150 and scotch $70 to $380. Cocktails are very decent too though, only $110 or $120, while glasses of wine are $90 to $180. You’re probably better off going with full bottles instead, which cost $380 to $700.
There’s also juice for $50 or $60, and coffee from $35 to $45.
Wing Lei Bar is open from 5:00 pm to 1:00 am daily.
SHOPPING
Perhaps all you need to know about the shopping at Wynn Palace is that the property feels more like a shopping mall than a hotel.
All of the common areas on the ground floor are occupied by retail space and there is literally no way to get around without avoiding a shop, stall, boutique or some other sign of conspicuous consumption.
It’s all up market designer brands way out of my tax bracket so I’ll just leave it to you.
THE LAST WORD
I could basically cut and paste what I wrote in the Sands Cotai review 5 years ago because the same thing applies to Wynn Palace.
A hotel alone won’t cut in on the Cotai Strip in 2017 (or 2023, for that matter). Properties need entertainment, they need walk in traffic, they need diverse and appealing attractions, they need to stand out from the crowd in some way and be destinations in themselves.
At Wynn Palace however, they don’t do any of that and seem to be banking on their big Wynn name to pull them through. Ordinarily that might be enough but Wynn Palace makes a mockery of typical Wynn standards, with poor facilities, lacklustre dining, no entertainment and basically nothing for kids.
With all due respect to Mr Wynn, the world did not wait ten for years for this.
WYNN PALACE LOCATION
Wynn Palace is located behind the City of Dreams and the stunning new MGM Cotai. The Wynn marketing department can spin it as being an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the main Strip but that bird don’t hunt. It wants to be where the Parisian is because that’s where the action is, not down a side road no one in Macau knew existed until the Palace opened.