In an area already teeming with a vibrant cocktail culture, MGM National Harbor casino and resort, scheduled to open later this year in Prince George’s County, is bringing two new bar and lounge spaces designed to entice D.C. residents looking for a Las Vegas-style experience, just a few minutes from downtown.
Felt Bar & Lounge and Blossom Cocktail Lounge will each combine casino games and a resort night club atmosphere, within the planned community of National Harbor (still under construction), which will offer both legal gambling and 24-hour entertainment. When complete, the $1.3 billion casino will feature a 23-story hotel, 135,000 square feet of gaming space, a spa, and seven restaurants. It’s close enough to go for an evening to catch a show and have dinner and drinks, but it could also appeal to city residents who want to escape the gridlock for a weekend staycation.
MGM Resorts International chose Clique Hospitality, a boutique upscale restaurant design firm, to create these new cocktail lounges to represent the elegance and excitement of D.C. and Maryland. “We believe Felt and Blossom will very quickly become the destinations to see and be seen in the Capital Region for visitors and locals alike,” says Bill Boasberg, general manager of MGM National Harbor.
Key to their design, says Clique CEO and co-founder Andy Masi, is “creating a total local market that’s both entertaining and inviting.” These “interactive” lounge spaces are designed to have the high-energy appeal of Vegas casinos where gaming, dancing, and relaxing with friends are all part of the curated environment. “All of MGM National Harbor in all of its programming is an incredible entertainment experience,” he says. “When we were planning it we were thinking about how to make these spaces welcoming so that people will want to come in and have a drink before a show or after work.”
Blossom Cocktail Lounge will invoke the glory of Washington D.C. in spring, with a circular bar space overlooking the casino floor. Guests at the four gaming tables and in booths will feel as if they are beneath a cherry blossom canopy, with a wood ceiling and branch-like light fixtures that support petal-shaped globes, while a photo mosaic art wall comprised of dozens of cherry blossom tree images provides a focal point. The 24-hour gaming lounge will offer an easy-going atmosphere along with modern cocktails and micro- and macro-brewed beers.
Mixology will take center stage at Felt Bar & Lounge with beloved classics and of-the-moment cocktails. It will also introduce tableside mixology for a more interactive bar experience. “The bartender or mixologist wheels a cart over to your table and makes your drink in front of you,” says Masi. “They are there to educate you on cocktails and it is engaging. Cocktail culture is incredible. People know so much about it and there are others who really want to learn more about it.”
Masi describes Felt as “a cool place to hang out before or after a show,” an indoor/outdoor venue with both DJs and live music. In addition to a dance floor and gathering spaces replete with easy chairs, Felt will feature a spacious outdoor terrace with views of the nation’s capital, a stone fire pit, and comfortable nautical-inspired seating and artwork.
Aside from their locally inspired designs, these bars will exemplify the high-end dining experience that Clique brought to Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellars at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and nightclubs like Light and Daylight in Mandalay Bay. They’re not so much D.C. originals as they are a Vegas version of Washington.
Ultimately, the success of these venues lies in the way they seamlessly blend with the environment of the casino but still attract guests who are accustomed to the cocktail scene in the city. For Masi, that means relying on local talent to get the cocktails right. “The most important thing is finding the local great mixologists to work there: those who will work together and work off one another to create a memorable menu. [The program] has to be organic. It’s important that the ideas come from the talent,” he says.
