Henderson Travel Guide
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From Ritz-Carlton Rooms To Glorious Views: Inside Ravella Lake Las Vegas
As we showed you last week, we got all excited when we stepped into the new Ravella hotel at Lake Las Vegas and saw a lobby/lounge area designed to appeal to the dominant geek in us. We fell for that lobby instantly. But how about the rest?
Well, despite what we said about it inheriting a poisoned chalice, there’s a lot going for Ravella. But then again, there’s a lot going against it.
In its favor: first impressions.
Winding down towards the hotel, you see the Vegas Strip from afar, then the Ponte Vecchio-style bridge straddling the lake, then roll up to a huge Italianate palazzo. There are olive trees guiding you up the lane, palm trees as you pull up, a huge fountain – it feels more like a stately version of Palm Springs than Sin City. It's pretty smashing.
Then you walk inside, hit the hi tech lobby, and think, wow, this place has really managed to combine a grand entrance with a foxy interior. You check out the iPads, you watch the TV, grab one of the stack of free newspapers and mull over the happenings in North Africa with a fistful of free sweeties from the jars by check in. You look out of the huge lounge windows over the Italianate gardens below (the lobby is on the third floor) and over to the lake. And you think, wow, this is the perfect marriage of city-savvy and rural retreat.
And then you walk out of the lobby and suddenly you’re in a
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Today We're Hot For The Tech Geekery Of Ravella Lake Las Vegas
Eagle eyed and not so eagle eyed readers of HotelChatter will have noticed that we’re tech fans when it comes to hotels. We’re fans of free WiFi, we always like electrical outlets near the bed, and extras like iPads make us more than a little excited.
Hence we were overjoyed when we arrived at the brand new Ravella hotel at Lake Las Vegas, 40 minutes from the Strip, yesterday, to find not only was there free WiFi throughout the hotel (although, to be fair, if you’re staying there, it’s classed as a perk of the resort fee), but also, that they’d actively set up a space in the lobby for people to sit and browse the net.
”Connectivity” is one of the three central tenets of the philosophy of Dolce Resorts, which owns the hotel, and one third of the lobby/lounge area is devoted to that theme. As such, there are two flatscreen TVs on the wall (they’re a decent size now, but they’re going to be replaced with something bigger, apparently) showing CNN and MSNBC with a sofa, several small tables around it, and this, the crowning glory: a table that seats eight with two iPads to share.
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The Old Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Will Re-Open as The Ravella on February 11
This week, most of the Vegas action is on the Strip, what with CES and AVN in town. Then there's that fancy new hotel that just opened.
We thought that The Cosmopolitan would be the last hotel opening we got to see in these parts for a long, long time--but wait! There are still hotel doors opening--out in Henderson, where Dolce's Ravella at Lake Las Vegas debuts on February 11.
A quick refresher on this property: it used to be the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas, but it closed last May. Enter Dolce Hotels, who have rebranded the property, promising "a much more contemporary experience" than the Ritz.
Hotel Rebranding / Viva Vegas / Dolce Hotels / Lake Las Vegas Hotels / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to Reopen as a Dolce Resort in Early 2011
When the old Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas closed back in May, we didn't know if the property would remain closed or if another brand will come in and manage it. Well, five months later, we have our answer--Dolce Hotels and Resorts has been selected by the hotel's owners to reopen the joint in the early 2011.
And judging from a press release sent out by Dolce this morning, there doesn't seem to be too much work to be done on the hotel:
The property showcases 32,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space and a 30,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, with multiple dining and lounge experiences. An idyllic setting for weddings, it offers Las Vegas’ largest and only over-water chapel, as well as beautiful gardens and courtyards that can be used for private affairs. Located next to the resort’s spa, a heated pool provides guests a sophisticated retreat to relax year-round. The property adjoins MonteLago Village, offering scenic walking streets of boutiques and restaurants.
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The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas to Close on May 2
Semi-shocking news for Las Vegas. The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas is reportedly closing down on May 2nd. According to KTNV, the 304 employees at the hotel were given notice yesterday that the resort would be closing. Hotel officials have said that, predictably, the tourist slump in Vegas and the poor economy is to blame. USA Today also reports that the owner of the property, Village Hospitality, has decided to stop funding the place.
The reason why this closure is not so shocking is that with so many new rooms open on the Strip that are keeping prices down, it's hard to justify a trip far off the Strip for the same price as a room near all the action. That said, this is Vegas. Never admit defeat right? So it's a little surprising that the place would close down entirely.
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Hotels for $100 or Less :: The M Resort
It's extremely difficult to write about hotel deals these days and NOT include Las Vegas somehow but this deal is very different. For starters, it's at a brand, spanking new resort, The M Resort. And the rate is crazy low.
Via Quikbook.com we found a rate of $54 a night on May 11 and 12th. Sure, those are Monday and Tuesday night but still, it's a crazy low rate. (The weekend rate for May 15th, a busy weekend in Sin City, pops up to about $240 a night.)
However, we should warn you that the rate does not include a $25 resort fee. So each night is $79 for a total of about $160. The resort fee includes practical amenities like the use of the fitness center, a 5x-daily shuttle to the Strip and internet access.
The M Resort also has all sorts of fun amenities that we love on site like the pharmacy, the Hostile Grape wine bar, the just-opened pool area and of course, table games and slots.
And if you would rather book through the hotel's website, they are offering the same low rate of $54 with the $25 resort fee each night. Although, their rates for the weekend of May 15 are $260 a night compared to Quikbook's $240 a night.
Want to learn more about what's going on in Vegas? Check out our newest site VegasChatter!
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The Wine's Flowing Freely at M Resort's Hostile Grape
An HC Las Vegas operative, Reader B., sent in a few snaps from a recent visit to the just-opened, off-the-strip hotspot M Resort. This is the scene inside Hostile Grape, a hip wine bar with a cutesy name where you can choose from 120 wines by the glass and kick it with your friends.
You can sample wines using pre-paid tasting cards that allow you to taste wine in pours of one, three or five ounces — which, um, sounds a bit dangerous...especially with a casino so close by.
And behind the bar, bottles are kept at the ideal temperature because wine enthusiasts are known to get a little, er, hostile when their Sauv Blanc comes to them a few degrees too warm or cold.
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M Resort Debuts, The Crowd Parties Like It’s 2005
To the casual observer, last night’s opening shindig for M Resort, Vegas’ newest hotel-casino, seemed nothing but festive. In their snappy suits and fashion-forward cocktail attire, couples strolled the resort’s lofty corridors and sampled fare from several restaurants that were open to accommodate the invited guests. The atmosphere created a welcome reprieve from the dark cloud of economic turmoil that has settled over the city in the last year.
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Off the Strip Hotel Hopes to Be Hotter Than the Strip
Last week we had two more questions from readers about Las Vegas. The first question was "What are some almost finished properties in Las Vegas?" The second question was "What is the M Resort?"
Today we can answer both questions at the same time. The M Resort is planning a March 1, 2009 opening but as you can see here, it's still very much under construction. We were able to tour the resort last week and despite the fact that we had to wear hardhats the hotel's vice president of hotel operations, William Conn, assured us the hotel would open on time.
Whenever it opens, whether it's March 1 or April 1, the hotel, casino and spa is going to be pretty spectacular with everything you could want on-site. But will it be worth it enough to want to stay off the strip? That remains to be seen.
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Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas Believes in the Lucky Number Seven
07/07/07 is a long ways away but you know how the hotel folk like to get ready for these kinds of freaky dates in advance and the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas is no different.
The hotel is offering two packages that all center around the number 7. The first and pricier of the two is the "Seven Ways of Wonderment" package which costs $7,707 and gets you a two-night stay on the hotel's 7th floor, along with the following:
· a tour of the Hoover Dam with a private driver and picnic
· seven hours of treatments in the hotel spa for two people
· seven course dinners with wine pairings
· a 7am tee time at a nearby golf course
· $777 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus
· $777 line of credit at MonteLago Casino
· Seven Sisters Constellation Stargazing with night-time picnic and resort's signature s'mores
· And lastly, a 7-themed breakfast for two.
Yikes! Perhaps, Liz Taylor will return again in July for this type of package.
The more affordable "Savory Sensations of Seven" begins at $777 and include a one-night stay on the 7th floor, the 7-course dinner, the 7-themed breakfast for two and 70-minute spa treatment for two.
[Photo: Jaxpix]
Related Stories:
· Liz Taylor Parties Like It's 1949 [Jaunted]
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What Was It Like? "A Napa Spa with the Added Bonus of Blackjack Tables"
A while back blogger huntergathering went to Vegas. His first stop was THEhotel, not much new to report there, but his seconds stop at a Henderson, NV resort called Green Valley Ranch piqued our interest. Here are his thoughts:
this was quite the oasis after the hustle and flow of the strip. felt like i was at a napa spa with the added bonus of blackjack tables and a good buffet. while falling victim to the cookie cutter pastel-pseudo-mediterranean villa school of architecture taking over malls and hotels in suburbs everywhere, once inside it was quite elegant and sophisticated. the pool area was splendid...
Granted he claims to have won $140 on the blackjack tables there, which can make even a dumpy hotel in Reno look "splendid"...
Related Stories:
· Leaving Las Vegas [huntergathering]
[Photo: KrassyCanDolt]
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'McMansion Trailer Park' at the Ritz
It seems that the Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
A guest recently paid a visit to the hotel and was not impressed, to say the least. Expecting the finest things a luxury hotel has to offer the guest instead says:
This is one of the worst hotel I have ever experienced (including stays at places like Motel 8 and other low end chains).
First, the place is an abscurity. Imagine a dry mountainous desert, with 108 degree temperatures, where the tiniest green plants struggle to survive under natural conditions. This could actually be quite beautiful, if it were not surrounded by the poorly designed, concrete monstrosities they call hotels here.
Ok, now check in. I asked the concierge if there was wireless internet in the rooms. She assured me there was. Hours after calling the IT department, because mine wasn't working, he informed me the none of the properties around the lake have wireless access. And I should opt for the cable. Fortunately, the cable and the service were free of charge.
As for the rooms themselves, things didn't get much better with air condition blowing cold air into her face all night long, the walls are paper-thin, there's no bathtub and a bad band outside played loud music until midnight. But perhaps the worst thing of all is the hords of children in the place. That's why you can't stay off the strip unless you got or like kids.
Related Stories:
· Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas [TripAdvisor]
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