Las Vegas

Las Vegas
The 3,000-room Las Vegas Hilton changed its name to LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on Jan. 3. The hotel's franchise agreement with Hilton ended, and as a result the property is no longer tied to the Hilton reservation or rewards systems. Little is due to change beyond that, according to the hotel. The property's lender, Goldman Sachs, has sought to potentially foreclose on the property, however. The hotel, which is next to the Las Vegas Convention Center, has a 200,000-square-foot convention center of its own.

The 3,960-room Caesars Palace opened its sixth tower last month, the 668-room Octavius Tower. The debut of the new accommodations, delayed for a couple of years due to the recession, marks the completion of the property's $860 million expansion. The Octavius Tower seeks to provide a boutique, luxury hotel experience within the larger resort. It has a private entrance, a separate hotel lobby, and direct access to the Garden of the Gods pool and gardens. Guests have access to a web-based mobile app that allows them to communicate directly with the concierge, housekeeping, room service and other hotel services, as well as to make requests from anywhere on the premises.

The 703-room Palms Casino Resort changed ownership this past November. The former owner, nightclub magnate George Maloof, will retain 2 percent ownership and become chairman of the board of the new company. The property ran into financial trouble last year and was forced to restructure its debt.

The 3,460-room Flamingo Las Vegas is refurbishing more than 2,300 standard guest rooms into "FAB" rooms, stylishly redesigned accommodations with retro art, upgraded beds and linens, and new plasma TVs. The first 500 redesigned rooms came online last month, and plans entail adding 100 more to the inventory every 11 days until complete, by late 2012. The FAB room refresh will conclude the final phase of standard room upgrades at the recently renovated Strip resort. In October 2011, the resort opened the Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo Las Vegas, which features 22 gaming tables, 220 slot machines and the 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar.

The 5,044-room MGM Grand is in the midst of a $160 million renovation, to finish by September. All 4,212 rooms in the main tower are being remodeled. The new room designs incorporate environmentally responsible elements such as LED lighting, improved thermostats and solar shades, upgraded bathroom fixtures and biodegradeable bath amenities. Two resort venues are closing as part of the renovation, the iconic lion exhibit and the Studio 54 nightclub.

Caesars Entertainment has consolidated all U.S. meetings business into a single department under one leadership team. The reorganization, which affects 38 properties across the country, is patterned after the Las Vegas Meetings by Caesars program. That department has handled meetings business for the company's eight Las Vegas properties. The new structure essentially expands that, extending the Meeting Diamond and Alternative Venue programs to all of Caesars properties in the United States, and it allows meeting planners to mix and match properties and venues within a destination with a single contact, contract and minimum. A central clearinghouse of the gaming company's meeting information can now be found at caesarsmeetings.com.

Last month, the 3,933-room Bellagio finished remodeling the 2,568 rooms in its main tower. The goal of the six-month, $70 million redesign was to provide an updated, elegant feel to the guest rooms. King Rooms now have color palettes of either indigo and silver or green tea and plum, while Queen Rooms sport an amber and butterscotch motif.

The 1,242-room Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino recently wrapped up extensive renovations to its guest rooms, restaurants and the casino. The latter was completely redesigned and now offers a party pit on the gaming floor. In addition, new fixtures and furniture have been installed throughout the property, and the retail area has been expanded.

The downtown Western Hotel and Casino shut its doors last month. The 117-room property catered primarily to locals but was once known as the world's largest bingo parlor upon its debut in 1970. Hotel owners released a statement indicating they would be enhancing the area around the shuttered property on Fremont Street.

Caesars Entertainment announced plans for The Linq last August, a $550 million urban entertainment district to be developed on 200,000 square feet of space across from Caesars Palace. The project will include retail, food and beverage, and entertainment venues, as well as a giant observation wheel, dubbed the Las Vegas High Roller. The 550-foot high wheel is designed to have 28 transparent-sphere cabins, each with a 40-person capacity. The cabins will be available for individual or group rentals. Plans call for pedestrian connections between the Linq and two other Caesars resorts, Harrah's Las Vegas and the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino. The complex is scheduled to open in 2013.

Meeting Hotels Las Vegas offers more than 150,000 guest rooms. Among mega-properties are the 5,044-room MGM Grand, 4,400-room Luxor Las Vegas, 4,027-room Venetian Las Vegas, 4,004-room Aria Resort & Casino, 3,981-room Excalibur Hotel Casino Las Vegas, 3,960-room Caesars Palace Las Vegas, 3,933-room Bellagio Las Vegas, 3,767-room Circus Circus Las Vegas, 3,696-room Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, 3,460-room Flamingo Las Vegas, 3,211-room Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3,066-room Palazzo Las Vegas and 3,044-room Mirage.

Hotels with from 1,000 to 3,000 guest rooms include the 3,000-room LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, 2,995-room Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 2,992-room Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort and Casino, 2,916-room Paris Las Vegas, 2,885-room Treasure Island Las Vegas, 2,814-room Bally's Las Vegas, 2,716-room Wynn Las Vegas, 2,526-room Harrah's Las Vegas, 2,522-room Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, 2,427-room Stratosphere Las Vegas, 2,425-room Golden Nugget Las Vegas, 2,075-room Riviera Hotel & Casino, 2,034-room Encore, 2,024-room New York–New York Hotel & Casino, 1,496-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, 1,495-room Vdara Hotel & Spa, 1,375-room Tropicana Las Vegas, 1,276-room Signature at MGM Grand, 1,242-room Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino, 1,117-room THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, 1,037-room Plaza Hotel and Casino and 1,007-room Palace Station Hotel.

Meeting properties with fewer than 1,000 rooms include the 826-room Westin Casuarina Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa; 703-room Palms Casino Resort; 696-room Hooters Casino Hotel; 646-room Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall; 638-room Fitz Casino & Hotel; 548-room Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel; 424-room Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino main tower); 392-room Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas; 286-room Embassy Suites Convention Center Las Vegas; 200-room Cannery Casino & Hotel; 147-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Las Vegas Airport; 118-room Staybridge Suites Las Vegas, and 51-room Skylofts at MGM Grand.

Summerlin, Nev., about five miles north of Las Vegas, is home to the 814-room Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa; 545-room JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and 123-room Element Las Vegas Summerlin.

In Henderson, Nev., about 17 miles southeast of the Strip, properties include the 527-room Sunset Station Hotel & Casino, 493-room Loews Lake Las Vegas, 490-room Green Valley Ranch Resort and 349-room Ravella at Lake Las Vegas.

Laughlin, Nev., is about 90 miles south of the city. Properties here include the 1,907-room Aquarius Casino Resort; 1,505-room Harrah's Laughlin; 1,495-room Tropicana Express Hotel & Casino; 1,405-room Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino; 1,355-room Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort; 1,169-room Colorado Belle Hotel, Casino & Microbrewery; 1,000-room River Palms Resort Casino, and 300-room Golden Nugget Laughlin Hotel and Casino.

Convention Centers Las Vegas Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 2 million square feet; number of meeting rooms, 144; (702) 892-0711

Sands Expo & Convention Center; exhibit space, 1,005,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 23; (702) 733-5556

Mandalay Bay Convention Center; exhibit space, 1 million square feet; number of meeting rooms, 75; (877) 632-7800 or (702) 632-7777

Cashman Center; exhibit space, 98,100 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 12; (702) 892-0711

Cox Pavilion; exhibit space, 23,870 square feet; number of meeting rooms, two; (702) 895-3761

Thomas & Mack Center; exhibit space, 22,220 square feet; number of meeting rooms, five; (702) 895-3761

Henderson Convention Center; exhibit space, 10,080 square feet; number of meeting rooms, six; (702) 267-2171

Airport Transit McCarran International Airport, approximately one mile west of the Las Vegas Strip and five miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $12-$18 to the Strip, $17-$27 to downtown; by shuttle, $6-$9 to Strip hotels, $8-$12 to downtown properties

Taxes On the Las Vegas Strip: room tax, 12%; sales tax, 8.1%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12%. Downtown: room tax, 13%; sales tax, 8.1%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%. Sales tax is not applied to guest rooms, but it is applied to other hotel charges.

Incentives As part of a Cirque du Soleil-themed package, consider a customized workout developed for the Spa & Salon Bellagio by Reebok and Cirque du Soleil. Jukari Fit to Flex will have participants "physically embarking on a journey into the athletic and artistic world" of the famous acrobatic entertainment troupe. The 50-minute cardio-infused program focuses on enhancing flexibility, muscle tone and coordination -- without having to dangle from dangerous heights over a gasping audience. (702) 693-7472

Group VenuesThe National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement -- aka the Mob Museum -- is slated to open in downtown Las Vegas on Feb. 14, the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The museum will be housed in the restored 1933 neoclassical former federal courthouse/post office. Group ticket pricing is available, and the venue is available for private events as well. Exhibits, available to both museum visitors and event guests, feature historical artifacts and interactive touch-screen presentations. Guests can listen to real FBI surveillance tapes or even "shoot" a simulated tommy gun. Event spaces can accommodate groups of 10 to 400, with the main area being a historic courtroom reassembled in the center of the museum. Here, formal dinners can be arranged for as many as 120 guests. (702) 229-2713

The $470 million Smith Center, a performing arts complex in downtown Las Vegas, is slated to open next month. The venue will have a wide variety of meeting and event spaces, suitable for groups of 12 to 2,000. Among the options are the 2,056-seat Reynolds Hall, whose stage can be rented for dinner and special events. Other spaces include the 5,000-square-foot Grand Lobby; the Founders Room, which holds 60; the 1,500-square-foot Mezzanine Lounge; and three conference suites, one spanning 860 square feet and the others with 200 square feet each. (702) 749-2012

Dining Out New York City's historic Old Homestead Steakhouse opened its first location out west this winter, in Caesars Palace. The 6,000-square-foot old-school steak house has a total of 250 seats, divided among a full dining room, a private dining room for 12, a lounge and a bar. Signature dishes include a 32-ounce Gotham rib-eye steak and the Old Homestead New York-style cheesecake. New, Vegas-specific selections include Kobe meatballs and prime short rib in a wine reduction. More than 15,000 bottles are available in the restaurant's wine collection. (702) 862-3530

For cusine of a more exotic nature, there is Origin India Restaurant and Bar, just south of the Strip near the convention center. India-born executive chef Kuldeep Singh worked in fine-dining establishments in London and Ireland, as well as his home country, before coming to Vegas, and his travels inform his modern take on traditional Indian dishes and flavors. Origin's owners, transplants from London's restaurant scene, opened the establishment nearly six years ago because they were unsatisfied with the Indian cuisine options available in Vegas at that time. Since then, Origin has built a solid foodie following. Groups of up to 20 people are welcome for lunch or dinner, and packages are available for parties of up to 150. The restaurant also caters events off-site and can provide serving staff as well. Recent events include a Bollywood Night at a local hotel. (702) 734-6342

Another option near the convention center, this one within walking distance  of the facility, is the recently opened Barrymore restaurant, a business-friendly breakfast, lunch or dinner destination inside the Royal Resort. The menu is based on traditional American favorites and includes dishes such as crispy pork belly Benedict, fried chicken with cheddar grits and a 32-ounce Tomahawk cowboy dry-aged rib-eye steak. A 1,400-square-foot dining room well suited for groups can seat 88, or the entire restaurant is available for buyouts. (702) 407-5303

Golf Those looking to meet on the greens can do so at a number of Las Vegas area locations. Tee up at the following: Aliante Golf Club (702-399-4888, 877-399-4888), Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock (702-258-2300, 866-934-4653), Badlands Golf Club (702-363-0754), Bear's Best Las Vegas (702-804-8500), Desert Pines Golf Club (888-427-6678), Durango Hills Golf Club (702-229-4653), Eagle Crest Golf Club (877-669-4653), Las Vegas Golf Club (702-646-3003), Las Vegas National Golf Club (702-734-1280), Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort (702-658-1400, 800-711-2833), Painted Desert Golf Club (702-645-2570, ext. 2),  Royal Links Golf Club (702-450-8123, 888-427-6678), Silverstone Golf Club (702-562-3770, 877-888-2127), TPC Las Vegas (702-256-2500), and Wynn Golf and Country Club (702-770-7100, 888-320-7122).

The nearby city of Henderson is home to some courses as well, including the Black Mountain Golf & Country Club (702-565-7933, ext. 113), Desert Willow Golf Club (702-263-4653), The Legacy Golf Club (702-897-2187, 888-446-5358), The Revere Golf Club (702-259-4653, 877-273-8373) and Wildhorse Golf Club (702-434-9000).

Laughlin offers the Mojave Resort Golf Club (702-535-4653).

Contact Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, (702) 892-0711 or (877) 847-4858

Henderson Convention Center & Visitors Bureau, (702) 267-2171 or (877) 775-5252

Laughlin Visitor Information Cen­ter, (702) 298-3321 or (800) 452-8445Three Crowd Pleasers
A trio of nightlife hotspots debuted on the Strip this past New Year's Eve. At the Mirage Hotel & Casino, 1 OAK Las Vegas opened in the spot formerly occupied by JET Nightclub. The club owners hope to capitalize on the celebrity-hangout status of the earlier 1 OAK, in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, and they got things started with a concert by the ever-popular Fergie. The 16,000-square-foot space is divided into two rooms that can be set up to accommodate groups of 100 to 1,581. Both rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art audio­visual equipment. (702) 588-5656

Over at the newly remodeled Tropicana, RPM Nightclub (right) rang in the new year with a stirring perfomance by singer Mary J. Blige. The venue offers a total of three bars, a variety of table games and roulette, all inside a stylish club that spans approximately 16,500 square feet. The dress-to-impress venue holds a maximum of 1,204 people and is available for buyouts as well as smaller groups. (702) 739-3688

And at the Bellagio, Hyde Lounge opened up shop where the Fonatana Bar once stood, overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio. A collaboration with nightlife mogul Sam Nazarian's Sbe Entertainment Group and designer Philippe Starck, Hyde Lounge offers both indoor and outdoor spaces in a 12,000-square-foot homage to an opulent Renaissance-era Italian villa. The place opens at 5 p.m. in lounge mode, serving drinks as well as small plates from neighboring Circo. After 10 p.m., Hyde transforms into a nightclub with live entertainment, deejays and 40 VIP tables. The Northern Terrace area accommodates 40 to 70 people, the Southern Bar holds up to 30 and the Living Room can accommodate about 150. A complete buyout can be arranged from groups of up to 650 -- which secures private access to a circular VIP booth called the Garden Terrace, suspended over Lake Bellagio, and which holds up to 70 guests. (702) 693-8700