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God Bless Vegas, Where Swim-Up Gambling Is A Right

July 2, 2009 at 12:37 PM | 1 Comment

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Some lucky people will endure long drives this weekend for the privilege of seeing their families and setting off fireworks in their faces, and so we're keeping this week's cool pool in the family as well. Our sister site HotelChatter has been gaga over the continuing renovations to the Hard Rock Las Vegas like, forever and now baby VegasChatter is getting into the act. But don't fix it if it isn't broken! And by "it," we mean the Hard Rock Vegas pool, featuring everything to which a body could possibly want to swim up.

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Pick Your Departure Time Carefully When Driving To and From Vegas

July 1, 2009 at 1:25 PM | 0 Comments

Last week we drove out to Las Vegas from Los Angeles and boy, was it a doozy. While we were happy to save on airfare (weekend tickets to Vegas start at around $150 round-trip; gas was about $75), we just happened to choose the worst times to leave Los Angeles on the way out there and to leave Las Vegas coming home.

We left on Thursday at 4:25pm from Santa Monica which is prime traffic time in L.A. but we couldn't skip out of work any earlier. This was also the day that Michael Jackson died and everyone was flooding the Westside to camp out at the UCLA Medical Center. So try to avoid departing on a day that a major pop icon dies in Los Angeles. For instance, when Britney kicks the can in Malibu, put off your trip for another few hours or possibly a day, if her death was "too soon."

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The Palazzo Is For Rebounds, Just Ask Audrina

June 9, 2009 at 9:22 AM | 0 Comments

Thankfully, Chris Pine took our advice and finally dumped Audrina Patridge. Apparently, the "Star Trek" star’s people felt the same way we did, and convinced him that a guest spot on an MTV reality series would not be the best move for his career:

“Chris Pine was forced to dump Audrina because his camp wants him to take the right strategic steps to become a big movie star. Dating a reality show star would tarnish his image.”

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George Clooney Goes 'Up In The Air' for Frequent Flier Miles Quest

May 26, 2009 at 9:21 AM | 0 Comments

George Clooney is filming a movie that will surely have the folks at FlyerTalk forking over $11 a pop to see it on opening weekend. "Up In The Air" is about a man trying to accumulate one million frequent flier miles while at the same time, trying to land a job at a mysterious management company called MythTech.

So far, it doesn't look like the movie has any tips about scamming the system for a million miles. Nope, it looks like Clooney's character will actually be flying a million miles as most of the filming has taken place at airports across the U.S.

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What Happened in Vegas Can Be Mailed Home From the TSA Checkpoint

May 21, 2009 at 5:01 PM | 0 Comments

Spotted at the TSA checkpoint at LAS: CheckPoint Mailers. These mailbox kiosks let you mail back home anything that you thought would be acceptable in your carryon but were told otherwise by the TSA.

Pack what you can in a 6"x9" plastic pouches and fill out a payment and shipping form. Then drop it in the box. The CheckPoint Mailers pick it up, process it for proper shipping in a bubble-wrapped padded package and it's sent on its way to meet you at your final destination.

The most popular sorts of items, according to the Airport Mailers website, seems to be pocket knives and lighters. And maybe your grandmother's heirloom sewing scissors. No word on how long it takes but we would add on an extra two days to regular mail service.

Some other survival strategies and fun things to do on your next trip to Las Vegas come straight from our newest sibling, VegasChatter.com.
· How to Use Twitter to Bypass the Endless Taxi Line at McCarran
· Stalking Top Chef Season 6
· How to Handle Getting Walked at a Vegas Hotel
· Hit Up $10 Boutique Stores for the Things You May Have Left at Home
· If You Can Book in Advance a $26 Room at The Excalibur Can Be Yours

British Airways Ups the Ante With New Las Vegas Route

May 18, 2009 at 8:46 AM | 0 Comments

Las Vegas may have a fake Venice, New York and Egypt, but perhaps they should start thinking about installing a replica Trafalgar Square now that British Airways has announced plans for a new non-stop route from London.

Due to go direct from the land of fish and chips to the city of all-you-can-eat buffets starting this fall, the once-daily roundtrips from London-Gatwick to McCarran will join Virgin Atlantic in shipping over the Brits and their pounds sterling to drop in casinos. According to info obtained by the Las Vegas Sun, England is already "the No. 3 provider of foreign tourists to Las Vegas behind Canada and Mexico."

This whole business with the added flights is also about to give "Triple 777s" a new meaning, as BA's arrival on VA's route means that their planes will be going head-to-head for a jackpot win on Vegas supremacy. As if the BA thorn in Richard Branson's side wasn't in deep enough already. And just like everyone else on their way to the "Sin City," all British Airways wants to do is score.

Related Stories:
· British Airways to Start Daily Service to Las Vegas [LV Sun]
· Las Vegas Travel [VegasChatter]
· British Airways Coverage [Jaunted]

[BA photo: griffs0000; Triple 7s via AskGamblers]

Travel Triumvirate Complete, VegasChatter Goes Live

April 20, 2009 at 9:54 AM | 0 Comments

And then there were three. Turns out the rumors of Las Vegas's death have been greatly exaggerated. Shocker, we know. VegasChatter debuted this week, the latest addition to SFO*Media (owned by Conde Nast Digital) and our network of travel blogs, including HotelChatter and this here site.

Las Vegas has always been one of the world's most popular travel destinations, and for years "the entertainment capital of the world" was in dire need of a daily travel web publication that what would cover Vegas the same way HotelChatter covers hotels and Jaunted covers travel -- from a travelers perspective.

Hat tip to Budget Travel, World Hum, LA Times, and Concierge (built in advantage) all of whom discovered and broke the launch story before we officially announced it today.

Check out three reasons why you should stay off the strip, which is one of our early favorite stories.

Also: Give a click on the roulette wheel and you will see the latest Las Vegas stories from all three sites -- HotelChatter, Jaunted, and VegasChatter plotted in the form of a map mash up.

The brief site launch announcement can be found by clicking here.

Our launch sponsor is Phantom of the Opera Las Vegas.

If you are interested in writing for VegasChatter, Jaunted, or HotelChatter, we are currently for excellent contributing editors. Email us three sample stories and please use the name of the site you are interested in writing for in the subject line.

Carlos Santana to Debut Vegas Show in May

April 9, 2009 at 10:26 AM | 0 Comments

Looks like it's time to put Carlos Santana out to pasture…er…we mean Las Vegas, the place big-name musicians go when they're tired of touring full-time but still want to make an ungodly amount of money.

The Supernatural guitarist is following in the footsteps of Elton John, Celine Dion, and Donny Osmond, bringing his act to Vegas for an extended stay. Santana's gig at the Joint venue, inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, will have him performing live every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evening (how'd he get Friday off? Nice one!)

"Supernatural Santana" runs from late May to mid-June, and then again for an August-September stint. Tickets are priced from $75 to $295.

Related Stories:
· Supernatural Santana [Official Site]
· Las Vegas travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Music travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mike Murga]

Despite the Economy, People Are Still Visiting Las Vegas

April 2, 2009 at 5:25 PM | 0 Comments

Yesterday we found ourselves at McCarren International Airport at 12:30pm and we were sort of happy to see that there was still a taxi traffic jam in front of the Southwest terminal and a longish wait at the bag check.

Why on earth would we ever be happy about those occurrences? Well, with all the bad news out of Vegas lately, it was a pleasant surprise to see that people were still traversing through town. Even though it was a weekday, folks were out walking the Strip, guzzling oversized souvenir beverages (daquiris in a plastic Eiffel Tower glass, anyone?), gambling, attending shows and chowing down at the restaurants.

Sure, the tourism stats tell us that visitors are spending less and that hotel rates have dropped drastically but we were happy to see that "what happens in Vegas" could A) still happen there and B) stay there.

Also, the free WiFi at McCarren kicks ass. We even did a video chat with our friend while sitting at a slot machine. Jealous?

Got your own travel snapshots to share with us? Send 'em in or even better, drop them into the Jaunted Flickr Pool

ShoWest Begins in Las Vegas

March 31, 2009 at 1:46 PM | 0 Comments

ShoWest, the longest running convention and trade show for the cinema exhibition and distribution community, aka movie theaters, is happening this week at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas. The gathering gives theater managers a first look at new products, concessions, and technologies. Basically, this is where all of those cool new seats, screens, and sound systems at your local Cineplex are unveiled.

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Good News for Geeks: Star Trek, The Experience Will Reopen in May

March 27, 2009 at 8:41 AM | 0 Comments

For 10 years the Las Vegas Hilton hosted Star Trek: The Experience, an alternative for tourists inexplicably seeking something beyond Sin City's decadent cocktail of hookers, booze, and gambling.

The exhibition had Star Trek-themed rides, Star Trek-themed shops, and Star Trek-themed characters. The word "immersion" was thrown around with abandon. The world was filled with light and joy.

Then last year the stars flickered out and darkness descended. The Hilton's contract with the owners expired. The exhibition was left without a home. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth heard throughout the Kingdom of Dorkdom Universe of Geekdom.

But now, perk up geeks.

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Hotels Heart March Madness

March 19, 2009 at 5:16 PM | 1 Comment

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." for college basketball fans. The NCAA College Basketball Tournament has officially started today and no one loves March Madness more than hotels, especially those in Las Vegas. Our sis HotelChatter has the latest scoop on what's going on where:

· The Sahara: The Sahara's NASCAR Cafe is selling Brew Towers which hold 15 beers and Shot Trees which hold five to 10 of your favorite shots.

· Encore Las Vegas: The new resort from Steve Wynn is offering $199 rooms and tickets to former Indiana coach Bobby Knight's "Survive and Advance" show tapings.

· NOLA Marriott: Rooms here are an unbelievably low $69 now through April 13th and while the deal is set up to draw you to the New Orleans Hornets games, Bourbon Street is just a few steps away in case you need to celebrate your school's win.

· Final Four Hotels: Should you want to head to Detroit for the championship game on April 4th, HotelChatter recommends the city's new MGM Casino Hotel.