Rojo Lounge

Review

Let's everyone take a moment and think about these lyrics from R. Kelly's "Ignition," the remix:

and after the show, it's the afterparty
and after the party, it's the hotel lobby
around about four, you gotta clear the lobby
then take it to your room and...

OK. So, what have we learned from these lyrics? It's pretty clear we've learned that somewhere there's a hotel lobby where R. Kelly's entourage rolls through with a party and it's probably pretty awesome.

But where is this lobby? Vegas lobbies and their lines, for the most part, are packed six deep with Sin City fanatics orbited by luggage. (Luggage they will drop off in a hotel room that they will only see for minimal sleep and maybe a quick, inaugural pre-gaming shot of whatever before they head out for/back to the parties.)

What, then, is R. Kelly going on about? Well, since the song came out before Rojo Lounge opened, it probably wasn't the bar in the hotel lobby of Palms Place. But it was some place similar, we'd bet.

Rojo Lounge, located in the lobby of Palms Place (located next to the Palms), is what you'd imagine hotel lobbies were like during the Rat Pack days, only updated for the R. Kelly set. There's the separate lounge (with a capacity of 75), which is intimate and features a red-lit bar, vinyl booths and bottle service. And then there's the actual lobby, which ups the capacity of the whole place to more than 200.

The lounge opens at noon daily and stays open till 2 a.m., with different DJ talent coming in on certain nights of the week. There's a kind of posh vibe about the whole thing, where you feel about 10 points sharper than normal.

If you're not springing for bottle service, it's fine because the bar is well stocked and there's some signature cocktails (like the Raspberry Rojo -- raspberry vodka, framboise, lemon and raspberries with a sugar trim) that'll make you look as swanky as the decor when you cooly sip from them.

We don't know about you, but it's not every day we can relate to something in an R. Kelly song. So, go ahead, check it out, the next big thing -- the hotel lobby.

-- Review by Jamie Helmick