Why here?
Both the city of Las Vegas and the resort operators within are infusing millions of dollars into renovations to remain on the cutting edge. By the end of 2017, Caesars Entertainment will have renovated 40 percent of its local room inventory, including the Planet Hollywood Panorama Suite (pictured).
TAX HIKES
• In early January, the Las Vegas and North Las Vegas city councils approved a 0.5 percentage point hotel room-tax increase that will help pay for the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion.
• In nearby Henderson County, an additional 0.5 percentage point room-tax hike will take effect in March to help fund a new football stadium, which could become the home for the UNLV team and the Oakland Raiders.
RIDE THE RAIL
Event planners now can build Las Vegas Monorail fares into show badges, following a successful debut of the technology during this year's CES. Attendees need only to scan their badges and ride.
LAS VEGAS
Local Update
• MGM Resorts' newest venue on the Strip, the Park Theater at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, officially opened last December with performances by classic rock legends The Pretenders and Stevie Nicks. The intimate 5,200-seat venue, adjacent to The Park and Aria, marks the first phase of the Monte Carlo's transformation. Over the next two years, the resort will be divided into two properties, the Nomad Hotel Las Vegas and the luxury Park MGM. Guest rooms will be fully redesigned for both, as will the food and beverage offerings. An Italian marketplace on the premises, Eataly, will consist of cafés, to-go counters and full-service restaurants, as well as retailers of Italian-theme goods.
• The 289-room W Las Vegas opened on the North Strip in December, inside the SLS Las Vegas resort. The new hotel-within-a-hotel is a conversion of the Lux Tower, one of three towers on the site. The other two, comprising 1,324 rooms, continue to operate as SLS Las Vegas, a Tribute Portfolio Resort. The property offers its own welcome desk and the signature W Living Room lobby and bar area. Seating nooks there reference the Sahara, which originally occupied that site on the Strip. Philippe Starck designed the chic guest rooms in collaboration with design firm Gensler. The hotel offers 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space spread across three floors, which complement the 80,000 square feet of space available at SLS. The rooftop is home to the WET Deck, which includes a bar, private cabanas, and panoramic views of the Stratosphere and the desert mountains.
• The 2,550-room Harrah's Las Vegas completed renovations last fall on its Valley Tower. The revamped structure now sports modern décor with warm tones of gray and purple accents in its 600 guest rooms and 72 suites. All guest rooms feature backlit vanities and new beds, tables, desks and chairs. All suites provide separate bedroom, living room and dining areas, and offer bathrooms outfitted with whirlpool tubs. Self check-in and check-out kiosks are available for all guests who wish to bypass the front desk.
• The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority unveiled the new Diamond Lot at the beginning of the year, a parking and outdoor exhibition space that marks the end of Phase I of the ongoing Las Vegas Convention Center District project. The lot, which was developed on the site of the former Riviera, includes 20 acres of outdoor exhibit space, 3,100 parking spaces, three acres of landscaped walkways and four power-source locations, along with telecommunications and surveillance capabilities.
The Nevada State Legislature approved funding for the Convention Center District in October 2016. All told, the project will add 600,000 square feet of exhibit space to the convention center, plus new meeting rooms and a full facility renovation.
• A pop-up business lounge debuted early this year in The Venetian|The Palazzo Congress Center, sponsored and staffed by Las Vegas-based Zappos. The 1,170-square-foot lounge, with furnishings by Restoration Hardware, provides a collaborative workspace in the heart of the properties' meeting and convention area. The space is enclosed to block out noise but is surrounded by glass to encourage passersby to come in and work. Amenities include WiFi, charging stations, four private phone rooms and a private conference room that can seat six.
• Celebrity chef Robert Irvine, host of the Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible, rapelled 22 stories down the side of the Tropicana Las Vegas last May and subsequently announced that his first restaurant on the Strip would open inside that resort. Irvine will be the Tropicana's first celebrity chef when his modern American restaurant, as yet unnamed, opens this July.
FOREVER BLUE
The
Blue Man Group performed its 10,000th Las Vegas show last August, and they're available for private events, too, with tailored themes of community, collaboration and creativity.
ECHO FOR THE WYNN
By summer, Wynn Las Vegas will outfit all 4,750 guest rooms (at both Wynn and Encore) with hands-free, voice-controlled Amazon Echo devices, which will allow guests to control various hotel-room features - like lighting, temperature and A/V - by using vocal commands.
Meeting Hotels: Las Vegas has more than 150,000 guest rooms citywide, many of which are on and near the Strip. Among the largest properties -- all on the Strip -- are the 5,044-room MGM Grand, 4,400-room Luxor Hotel and Casino, 4,027-room Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, 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, 3,460-room Flamingo Las Vegas, 3,400-room The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 3,211-room Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3,066-room Palazzo Las Vegas and 3,044-room Mirage.
Hotels with 1,000 to 3,000 guest rooms include the 2,992-room Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort and Casino; 2,961-room Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino; 2,916-room Paris Las Vegas; 2,884-room Treasure Island Las Vegas; 2,814-room Bally's Las Vegas; 2,716-room Wynn Las Vegas; 2,550-room Harrah's Las Vegas; 2,522-room Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas; 2,496-room Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino; 2,427-room Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower; 2,419-room Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino; 2,253-room The Linq Hotel & Casino; 2,163-room South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa; 2,034-room Encore at Wynn Las Vegas; 2,024-room New York-New York Hotel & Casino; 1,886-room Orleans Hotel and Casino; 1,728-room Signature at MGM Grand; 1,505-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas; 1,495-room Vdara Hotel & Spa; 1,467-room Tropicana Las Vegas--A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel; 1,324-room SLS Las Vegas; 1,282-room Trump International Hotel Las Vegas; 1,117-room Delano Las Vegas; 1,015-room Palace Station Hotel, and 1,003-room Plaza Hotel and Casino.
Meeting hotels with fewer than 1,000 rooms include the 826-room Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa; 781-room California Hotel and Casino; 717-room Tuscany Suites & Casino; 711-room Gold Coast Hotel and Casino; 702-room Palms Casino Resort; 696-room Hooters Casino Hotel; 645-room Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall; 638-room D Las Vegas Casino Hotel; 629-room Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel and Casino; 599-room Palms Place Hotel and Spa; 548-room Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel; 496-room Alexis Park All Suites Resort; 427-room Suncoast Hotel and Casino; 424-room Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino main tower); 400-room Main Street Station Casino Brewery and Hotel; 392-room Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas; 390-room M Resort Spa Casino; 361-room El Cortez Hotel and Casino; 322-room Hampton Inn Tropicana; 314-room Mardi Gras Hotel and Casino; 300-room Silverton Hotel and Casino Lodge; 299-room Marriott SpringHill Suites Las Vegas Convention Center; 289-room W Las Vegas; 278-room Marriott Las Vegas Convention Center; 255-room Platinum Hotel; 220-room Embassy Suites Convention Center Las Vegas; 202-room Hyatt Place Las Vegas; 200-room Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa; 200-room Santa Fe Station Hotel Casino; 200-room Texas Station Gambling Hall and Hotel; 190-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Las Vegas Airport; 188-room Cromwell; 181-room Nobu Hotel and Restaurant; 155-room Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South; 150-room Rumor Boutique Hotel; 149-room Marriott Courtyard Las Vegas Convention Center; 64-room Artisan Hotel Boutique, 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; 548-room JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa & Golf; 154-room Marriott Courtyard Summerlin; 123-room Element Las Vegas Summerlin, and 106-room Hampton Inn & Suites Las Vegas Red Rock/Summerlin.
In Henderson, Nev., about 17 miles southeast of the Strip, properties include the 495-room Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa, 493-room Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa, 457-room Sunset Station Hotel Casino, 349-room Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, 347-room Aston Monte-Lago Village Resort, 155-room Marriott Courtyard Henderson/Green Valley and 146-room Homewood Inn by Hilton Henderson.
Laughlin, Nev., is a casino-resort-filled town about 90 miles south of the city proper. Meeting hotels include the 1,907-room Aquarius Casino Resort; 1,505-room Harrah's Laughlin; 1,498-room Tropicana Express Hotel & Casino; 1,405-room Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino; 1,164-room Colorado Belle Hotel, Casino & Microbrewery, and 1,053-room Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Make it Memorable
Unique group experiences in the heart of Vegas
Las Vegas is overflowing with alluring food and entertainment. The challenge: how to wow a group with a unique experience that will make the meeting all the more memorable. Here are some ideas.
• Lip Smacking Foodie Tours
Why dine at one acclaimed Vegas restaurant when you can visit five? These guided foodie tours for up to 100 participants include as many as five top restaurants, either on the Strip or Downtown. To keep it exciting, the restaurants are not divulged in advance, but rather revealed along the way during the two- to three-hour tour. Groups get VIP treatment with immediate seating, and are able to sample three to four signature dishes at each restaurant. The walking tour between restaurants is a bonus, allowing participants to absorb insider tips while digesting.
• Cirque du Soleil Spark Sessions
Team building just might be a skill best taught by flying acrobats. The incomparable Cirque du Soleil has designed corporate training and team-building programs to stimulate creativity and challenge convention. Groups meet in performance spaces for well-known Cirque shows and, among other things, train for selected artistic and acrobatic acts with the performers and coaches themselves. Depending on the participant, that may be a nightmare or a dream come true, but stretching beyond one's comfort zone is key to the exercise.
• SPI Entertainment
Bri Steck, vice president of group sales for SPI Entertainment, is a Vegas native and insider on the local scene. She takes the talent represented by SPI -- everyone from Boyz II Men, Mike Tyson, Australia's Thunder from Down Under and more -- and develops unique red-carpet experiences for corporate groups. The end result is an exclusive but affordable night of entertainment, dining and clubbing.
Convention Centers: Las Vegas Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 2 million square feet; number of meeting rooms, 144; (702) 892-0711
Mandalay Bay Convention Center; exhibit space, 1.1 million square feet; number of meeting rooms, 75; (877) 632-7900
Sands Expo & Convention Center; exhibit space, 477,600 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 23; (702) 733-5556
Cashman Center; exhibit space, approximately 98,100 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 14; (702) 386-7100
Airport Transit: Las Vegas International Airport, about one mile west of the Las Vegas Strip and five miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $13-$26 to Las Vegas Strip properties, about $24 to downtown; by shuttle, $8-$12 to Strip hotels, $9-$13 to downtown
Taxes: On the Las Vegas Strip: room tax, 12.5%; sales tax, 8.15%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12.5%. Downtown (Fremont Street Experience): room tax, 12.5%; sales tax, 8.15%; total tax on hotel rooms, 12.5%. Sales tax is not applied to guest rooms nor resort fees, but it is applied to other hotel charges.
Love session: Cirque du Soleil
inspires creative revolution. Group Venues: Hungry groups can feast on Beijing-style Chinese fare in the upscale, trendy Mr Chow, which opened in Caesars Palace in the spring of 2016. The specialty is Beijing Duck, complete with small crepes and plum sauce, but don't stop there -- plates are served family-style and are meant to be sampled and shared. The sea bass and quartet of exotic mushrooms are additional highlights, as is the famed Champagne Trolley. Four private dining rooms are available, each able to accommodate up to 50 guests, while a full buyout can seat 250 people. (702) 731-7778
Those looking for a meeting or event spot off the Strip should consider the appropriately named MEET Las Vegas, a 40,000-square-foot, three-story flexible venue downtown. It's a great way to see the burgeoning district while taking advantage of what the modern, high-tech facility has to offer. The venue handles everything from corporate board meetings to lavish weddings (for up to 400 seated guests or receptions for up to 1,300), with both indoor and outdoor spaces. The facility's gigabit-speed network offers wireless connectivity for more than 2,000 devices. (702) 734-6338
Acclaimed ever since its high-profile debut in 1999, chef Charlie Palmer's Aureole has reopened in the Mandalay Bay Resort following an extensive redesign. Oenophiles will appreciate the fact that the iconic 10,000-bottle, 50-foot-high wine tower remains the restaurant's focal point. In addition to the main dining area, the redesigned eatery features a bar and lounge, along with the fine-dining Fountain Terrace room. The menu, by Palmer and executive chef John Church, has been redesigned around tasting, wine pairing and sharing. (702) 632-7401
Contact: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, (702) 892-0711 or (877) 847-4858; vegasmeansbusiness.com
Destination Henderson Nevada, (702) 267-2171
Laughlin Visitor Information Center, (702) 298-3321 or (800) 452-8445ON THE LIST
What to expect from the hottest clubs in Vegas
Before you book an event beyond a velvet rope, it helps to know what to expect from the current crop of clubs in Sin City. Here's a crib sheet with some favorites.
Jewel (Aria)
• Size: 24,000 square feet, two levels
• Spaces: A main club above the dance floor has more than 1,400 square feet of LED ribbons that pulse with the music; five VIP rooms with custom themes overlook the dance floor.
• Capacity: Private events of 250 to 1,925 people are accommodated.
• Music: Electronic and pop
Party like a rock star, or alongside
one, perhaps, at Marquee. Marquee (The Cosmopolitan)
• Size: 60,000 square feet, multi-levels
• Spaces: The "Boom Box," a mixed-format room with a dance floor; the low-key Library retreat; a domed pool club; an outdoor rooftop pool deck with 10 bungalow cabanas and eight grand cabanas, plus two island bars
• Capacity: Private events for up to 3,000 people
• Music: Electronic and top 40
Omnia (Caesars Palace)
• Size: 75,000 square feet, multi-levels
• Spaces: The main room has a large dance floor and a gigantic LED chandelier that moves to the music; an outdoor terrace overlooks the Strip.
• Good to know: Free entry with room key card on Thursdays and Sundays
• Music: Electronic music DJs Calvin Harris and Kaskade have residencies
Tao (Venetian)
• Size: 60,000 square feet, multi-levels, including restaurant and banquet facilities
• Spaces: Flexible layout and room variety, plus a private beach with cabanas
• Capacity: For groups of 15 to 3,000
• Dining: The Tao restaurant offers Chinese/Japanese/Thai fusion fare.
• Music: Open format, heavy on top-40
XS (Encore)
• Size: 16,000 square feet indoors
• Spaces: The gold-lined interior includes two full-service bars; outdoors, there is poolside seating, while 26 two-story private cabanas surround the pool.
• Good to know: Surreal 3-D imagery inside; swimming events outside during the summer
• Music: House and electronic