What the world looks like when you get off the Palazzo tasting tour.
We were fortunate enough to get invited to the Palazzo Las Vegas last week to check-out the hotel scene. But as with most hotels these days and especially in Las Vegas, the hotel is often not about the hotel. It's about what else is at the hotel.
And aside from the gambling, the Palazzo has a ton of other distractions and ways for you to spend your cash, whether you won it at the blackjack tables or whether you're just burning your paycheck.
While the Shoppes at the Palazzo definitely caught our eye (hello, massive Barneys department store!), there are 12 restaurants to indulge in. We tested a few of them out. Be prepared to leave your calorie-counting ways behind.
You know the economy is going down the hole when Las Vegas needs to do a $12 million advertising campaign to attract more visitors.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has recently approved the "Vegas Right Now" campaign to run through June. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
The "Vegas Right Now" unveiling coincided with the announcement of a $20 million campaign by the Vegas.com Web site, called "The Vegas Experts." Those ads feature Vegas.com employees scouting parties, clubs and hotels on behalf of Web site users.
The goal of the campaign is to urge people to take more spontaneous trips to Vegas. As it turns out, arrivals and departures out of Sin City's McCarran International Airport is down, particularly amongst visitors from Southern California, a huge and important demographic. This is a pretty telltale sign that disposable income is not so disposable anymore.
A tourism official said the campaign will touch on the country's economic woes although he did not elaborate.
We say, there's an easier way to get visitors to come to Vegas again: Make hotel rates more affordable. Afterall, how many people can really take time off work during the week just to get the slightly cheaper room rates?
Today we introduce our Eat n' Sleep feature where we profile a restaurant in a random city and a hotel nearby. It's kinda like that old show "Dinner and a Movie" but you know, with restaurant and hotels. And better jokes.
Everyone has different reasons for visiting Las Vegas--gambling, five-star dining, Cirque du Soleil shows, quickie marriages, topless revues, etc. etc.--but sometimes the Strip is just so overdone.
At HotelChatter we recently hit up the Red Rock Resort & Spa, about 20 minutes outside Las Vegas in Summerlin. Lo and behold, we found out this is where the people of Las Vegas would rather kill their time rather than the madness of this tourist-cluttered strip.
And just because you can't see the tower of the Stratosphere here, doesn't mean there aren't any fine dining options around. For one, there's the Vintner Grill which is the only restaurant in the world to offer an Exotic Truffle Tasting Flight featuring Vosges Haut Chocolat. Haut indeed.
Thinking about getting hitched? Tomorrow may be your lucky day -- if you've planned enough in advance. For people who believe in the number seven, Saturday's date is triply auspicious for gamblers and for the affianced. If you haven't already applied for your wedding license in Vegas, there are 3,000 couples ahead of you, and you may have better luck marrying at home -- or at Six Flags, whose 12 locations will all be hosting weddings (including the metaphorically unlucky top-of-rollercoaster nuptial).
In response to the demand for lucky weddings in Lady Luck-land, Las Vegas' Caesars Palace is holding a mass-wedding at 7PM and is at FULL occupancy for Saturday night, while the Flamingo is holding 77 weddings. And the Little White Wedding Chapel, where Britney Spears tied the knot for the first time and Bruce Willis once wed Demi Moore, is uniting 460 would-be Mr. and Mrs.'s this weekend. "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria even got into the lucky-7 spirit, rushing the planning process for her dream wedding to NBA star Tony Parker so that they could celebrate in Paris on, yes, 7/7/07. (Her civil ceremony was today, but that doesn't count, right?)
Already hitched or not interested? You could try your luck in the Pennsylvania lottery, offering 7,777 prizes on a special $20 ticket. Al Gore's Live Earth concert, originally planned to be broadcast from eight sites, is down to seven after the Rio concert was canceled by the local police force. Fate? Some rap fans also believe Saturday is when slain star Tupac Shakur will return from his allegedly faked death. And perhaps to offset the deleterious effects of last year's 6/6/06, Christians in Nashville or elsewhere are hosting a pray-in. Then again, there's always 8/8/08.
Who says there's an age limit to get into Vegas? Not Elizabeth Taylor, who celebrated her 75th birthday last night in Sin City the way a Dame Commander should: by inviting all her friends to the Ritz. The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, that is, 17 miles east of the neon lights of the Strip on a man-made lake in the hills, where Siegfried and Roy and Debbie Reynolds (but not, notably, Michael Jackson) saluted the star.
Don't be fooled, though, into thinking Lake Las Vegas is just for people of, ahem, advanced age. Just staying at the Ritz for the night can make you forget all about the frenetic buzz of Vegas as you kayak on the man-made lake past golfers on shoreside greens or shop the MonteLago "village," a replica of an Italian town complete with gelato stand and gondolas, on its shores. And don't forget the deluxe day spa where the Vegas-employed Celine Dion has been spotted (she has a house nearby). Once you've recharged, ease back into the gambler's life at the casino here, or take a hotel shuttle into town. Don't wait till you're 75 to treat yourself.
Spirit Airlines just announced that it will launch daily non-stop service between Atlantic City and Las Vegas on May 3. Introductory fares are $79 each way, but you can expect to pay more like $230-$280 round trip, once you factor in taxes and the fact that you may not be able to skip off only on those off-peak days. We pulled up a fare of $279.30 for a May 10-13 sample trip. Not that bad.
We'll give them credit for the smart timing: flights leave their respective cities in the evening, so you'll have more than enough time to drag yourself out of bed. Spirit's current front page ridiculous flash animation doesn't revolve around the new route (right now it's some sort of samurai thing), but rest assured that the Atlantic City/Vegas deal will make it into the funnies soon enough.
We're not the biggest fans of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, namely because it's the biggest hotel in the world, has the smokiest casino and is just an average casino experience.
But this time around we actually liked the place. Aside from gross hotel rooms, the MGM has spiffed up the place with cool lounges, amazing restaurants (Joel Rubochon for the high-end folks with a $225 fixed menu and a Wichcraft for the simpler people), the chic Cristophe Salon and not one, but two Starbucks.
And we will admit that their Jello-shot bar on the main concourse is probably the best deal in Vegas. Yes, we know. Jello-shots are soo freshman year in college but these come in amazing flavors and are only $2 a shot. So you can have three shots of vodka for $6 and be good to go. Beats the $9 drink tab for a small specialty drink.
Or you can just pretend to play the slots as the cocktail waitresses bring your drinks for free. That too, is a good deal.
It's finally come to this. Tired of their WAGs having all the fun, guys are calling in sick and heading off on mancations. (Or maybe we have Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey to thank for this?) With the help of our hotel-minded sister, we thought we'd break down a couple of the best Las Vegas spots to carouse with the fellas when you're ready for your mancation:
Mandalay Bay and THEhotel: With a Charlie Palmer Steak, StripSteak and a House of Blues, you'll be able to get your fill of man-friendly food. After dinner, you'll want to check out Mix Lounge where you can talk fantasy football while taking in a great view (and a lot of booze).
MGM Grand: As one of the biggest hotels in town, the MGM has the space to pack in multiple bars and plenty of gambling. At Zuri, you'll be able to chomp on a cigar with that martini: "A perfect ending to your liquid brunch," says the hotel. We think that about sums it up.
Practically all of Vegas is perfect for mancations, well everywhere except maybe Treasure Island, but that's a long story.
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by juliana
