Sweet delight: New York-New York to house giant candy brands

The Strip’s New York-New York, home to a faux Statue of Liberty and a scaled-down version of the Brooklyn Bridge, will soon house an 18-foot-tall replica of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and other over-sized candy brands.

Hershey’s released details Tuesday of the planned Hershey’s Chocolate World that will occupy 13,000 square feet inside New York-New York.

The project is part of a $100 million retail, dining and entertainment district being developed by MGM Resorts International along the Strip and between the company’s New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts.

The two-story, interactive all-things-Hershey candy attraction will be the company’s second largest Chocolate World. It will be dwarfed only by Hershey’s 150,000-square-foot flagship attraction at its Hershey, Pa., headquarters, which also includes theme park-type rides.

The Strip’s Hershey’s Candy World will be the ninth such facility worldwide and fourth in the U.S. Attractions are also located in New York City’s Time’s Square, Chicago, Canada, Dubai, China and Singapore.

“We have been looking at Las Vegas for awhile, and we actually had our toes in the water five years ago,” said Amy Hahn, general manager of the Hershey Experience. “This project and the location right on the Strip fit perfectly with our brand.”

The attraction includes a candy store, retail area, and a variety of interactive experiences. Customers can customize their own Hershey’s candy wrappers and personalize the foil plumes for Hershey’s Kisses.

No word yet on if the store will create a slot machine that pays out in Jolly Ranchers.

“It’s a multi-sensory attraction for our iconic brands,” Hahn said.

New York-New York is removing two retail stores and will locate the Hershey’s attraction between the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. The development is also part of re-creating the resort’s outside area and sidewalk along the Strip.

The facade and signage will include a towering Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar, the 18-foot Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and entrances to the Chocolate World in the shape of Hershey’s Kisses.

New York-New York President Cynthia Kiser-Murphey said the Hershey’s Chocolate World will increase customer traffic into the Strip resort.

“We already have a very large pedestrian flow, but this type of project activates the whole flow along the Strip,” Kiser-Murphey said.

MGM Resorts announced the outdoor plaza project in April. The plan is to create a pedestrian mall with trendy restaurants, retail stores, entertainment venues, and a public park. The walkways along the Strip will also be enhanced.

The development will serve as the gateway to a planned 20,000-seat sports arena and events center that will be built behind New York-New York and Monte Carlo.

Hershey’s Chocolate World will also include an outdoor patio area. The development, which is expected to employ between 75 and 100 workers, is scheduled to open this winter.

Hahn said pedestrians along the Strip “will probably get a scent of chocolate” from the attraction and the candy bar facade will be “larger than life.”

She expects social media “will be a big part” of the Hershey’s World.

“Las Vegas gives us great flexibility and we look at the space as being our next generation of stores,” Hahn said.

Hershey’s Chocolate World is a central feature in MGM Resort’s plans for the 63-acre outdoor plaza and arena area.

Other attractions include Shake Shack, a New York-based “roadside” hamburger and hot dog stand developed by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. It will open its first location west of Mississippi River at the gateway to the outdoor park. The park itself will have dining pavilions and performance spaces.

The Monte Carlo’s European facade will be replaced with Double Barrel, a roadhouse-style bar and restaurant being developed by SBE Entertainment, and a Sambalatte Coffee House. Diablo’s Cantina will remain in its current location.

Kiser-Murphey expects Hershey’s Chocolate World will be “an anchor draw” for New York-New York.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.