'Hawaiian' plaza to open in Las Vegas
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| Las Vegas' Hawaiian Marketplace will give visitors an alternative to the luxury shops on the Strip, developers say. The complex will be between the Aladdin and MGM Grand hotel casinos.
Metroflag Polo LLC rendering |
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
Las Vegas already has a Paris, New York and Venice. Now a development partnership plans to re-create Waikiki's International Market Place on The Strip.
Complete with a faux banyan tree and climate-controlled outdoor setting, the $140 million "Hawaiian Marketplace" recently started construction and is expected to open in November between the Aladdin and MGM Grand hotel casinos next to the Polo Towers time-share.
The 80,000-square-foot complex on 2.4 acres also will feature kiosks, retail stalls, restaurants and free entertainment with Polynesian flair.
Metroflag Polo LLC rendering
About 70 percent of the center is preleased with a smattering of international-themed restaurants such as Asian Buffet, Hamada of Japan, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, Ghandi's Restaurant and China Chef.
The developers of the Hawaiian Marketplace in Las Vegas will try to re-create the "look and feel" of International Market Place, including an "awe-inspiring" man-made banyan tree. The complex is expected to open in November.
But aside from Hawaiian Tropic, the list of retail and restaurant tenants disclosed don't appear to have any obvious relation to Hawai'i.
Representatives of the developer, Metroflag Polo LLC, could not be reached last week despite repeated attempts.
Joseph S. North, a former retail consultant in Honolulu now with real estate firm Colliers International in Las Vegas, said he rather doubts Metroflag can re-create the dense jungle-like feel of Waikiki's International Market Place jammed with artisans, merchants and tourists.
"The International Market Place — you can get lost in there on the trails," he said. "I don't think they're going to capture that kind of ambiance. As tacky as the atmosphere can be, it stands alone in the world."
Brett Torino, a Metroflag principal, said in a statement that the Hawaiian Marketplace will cater to shoppers seeking alternatives to luxury retail shopping inside hotel casinos.
"The most-visited retail malls on the Strip cater almost exclusively to high-end consumers and often are out of reach for the average tourist," Torino said in the statement. "The Hawaiian Marketplace, on the other hand, is for everyone."
North said Las Vegas visitor demographics have changed since Sept. 11, with more domestic visitors from California who are largely value-oriented shoppers.
"This could fill a void (with the) fanny-pack-and-baseball-cap group," he said of the Metroflag project.
Torino, who developed a successful Walgreens on The Strip nearby, acquired the marketplace property three years ago with a Minneapolis firm.
Together the partnership planned to build a $700 million nongaming complex with a hotel, residential units and 400,000 square feet of retail on the site and an adjacent property. But those plans fell through, and Torino partnered with New York-based Flag Luxury Properties last year to develop the Hawaiian Marketplace instead.
The project replaces a shopping center formerly known as Polo Plaza or Metro Plaza that struggled over the years, according to George Connor, a Colliers senior vice president of retail properties.
According to Metroflag, Hawaiian Marketplace will re-create the "look and feel" of International Market Place, with focal points being an "awe-inspiring" man-made banyan tree, captivating fountain and a meandering artistic sidewalk to lure visitors through the complex.
Waikiki's International Market Place was developed in 1957 by Paul Trousdale, Clint Murchinson Jr. and Donn E.R.G. Beach for $1.5 million on 3.5 acres of land leased from Queen's Hospital.
Originally, the Waikiki marketplace featured free hula shows, strolling Hawaiian musicians, a Polynesian variety show, lu'au, and "villages" featuring arts, crafts and dining of different cultures, including Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino and others.
Much has changed as kiosk vendors selling inexpensive jewelry and apparel have replaced the villages. Duke's, where Don Ho performed, is a food court, and Trader Vic's restaurant is a bar and vacant space.
But the 125,000-square-foot marketplace on Kalakaua Avenue in the heart of Waikiki remains a popular visitor attraction with tiki carvers, caricature artists and Isle retailers among 130 vendors and restaurants.
Wayne Nakashima, International Market Place manager, said the marketplace is the marketplace because of its history, which is something that can't be re-created in Las Vegas. "I don't think it'll work," he said. "But who knows. In Las Vegas they can do just about anything."
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
