las vegas Travel Guide
HotelChatter Flashback / Thompson Hotels / Prince / Hotel Concerts / → All Tags
HotelChatter Flashback: Remember When Prince Played The Hollywood Roosevelt?
It's time for a walk down memory lane with a HotelChatter Flashback!
On this day back in 2007, we were chattering about the staggering $3 million paycheck plus room and board for the artist once again known as Prince and his seven-week residency at the Hollywood Roosevelt.
The concerts took place only on Friday nights in the hotel's Blossom Room and had a starting time of 11pm. The shows typically didn't finish until 4 in the morning, although the hotel did serve food at 2am. While the shows gave the hotel some amazing press and real rock star cred, getting tickets to the show was a nightmare for people who weren't celebrities or rock stars themselves. Not to mention the ticket price was $312 for standing room only.
Yet, this was done in the days before social media took over our lives so we can't help but wonder how this would have gone down using Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest, etc. Think Prince would be up for a reunion show?
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Photo Gallery / Hotel Design / Hospitality Design Expo / Hotel Furniture / Hotel Technology / Hotel News / → All Tags
Scenes from The 2013 Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas
This week we attended the Hospitality Design Expo Conference in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and never before have we seen so much hotel furniture in one spot--from chairs and beds to desks and lamps and beyond. It was thrilling for hotel nerds like us.
We'll have more from what we learned at the show next week (keyword: MILLENIALS) but for now, we thought we'd simply show you what we saw. Take a, um, seat and enjoy!
VegasChatter / Jaunted / → All Tags
VegasChatter Vows to Faithfully Deliver News in Good Times and Bad
Finding a hotel is often only one part of your trip. The other half is getting there. And our bro Jaunted does a bang-up job of covering the latest news and trends in the travel world. Out in Vegas, VegasChatter is keeping us informed on what's going down in Sin City.
· The Aria's New Wedding Chapel
· Cha'mone, ONE Gets Michael Jackson Down Pat
· The Bellagio's New Bettah Buffet
· Vegas Nightclub Rules & Regs
Jaunted
· The Statue of Liberty Reopens
· Universal Studios Adding Hogwarts Express
·How to Apply For The Amazing Race
·Good Klout Gets You Admirals Club Entry
Hotel Bathtubs / Killer Views / Viva Vegas / Hotel Bathrooms / Bathroom Tuesday / → All Tags
Our Close Call With The Cosmopolitan's Killer View Bathtub
The bathtubs in the East Tower at The Cosmopolitan Resort in Las Vegas have some drop dead gorgeous views. Just take a look! But the thing is, we almost dropped dead this morning trying to get into the tub.
Despite having an oddly square and rather deep shape, the tub has little "seats" on the bottom which make it easier to sit in. But the problem is getting into the tub. There's a big distance between the step up into the tub and the tub itself. We tried to climb up it but after slipping and denting our shin bone, we realized the best way is to probably sit on the tub ledge, swing your legs over and drop down. The same should be done on the way out, especially since you'll be extra slippery.
Geez, bathtubs should not be this complicated, right? Or maybe we're just feeling the effects of all those Cosmos from last night. Either way, safety first when entering and exiting these tubs.
[Photos: HotelChatter]
Hotel Hype / Gansevoort Hotels / Gansevoort Hotel Group / Caesars Entertainment / Viva Vegas / Casino Hotels / Hotel Nightclubs / Hotel Rooftops / Hotel News / → All Tags
Viva Gansevoort: NYC Party Hotel to Bring Brand to Vegas
After striking out in Miami and long after ditching plans for an LA location, Gansevoort Hotels has landed in a pretty spectacular place--Las Vegas. Specifically, the old Bill's Gambling Hall on the Las Vegas Strip.
On Friday, it was announced that Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars Palace, Paris Bally's, Bill's and a bunch of other casino hotels, would be turning Bill's into the Gansevoort Las Vegas. USA Today reported:
The Old West-style casino hotel, which closed last month, will reopen in January as the Gansevoort Las Vegas, with rates starting at $249 a night. The building's currently in the midst of a $185 million renovation that will transform the guest rooms, casino space, restaurants and public areas into stylish, upscale spaces.
Viva Vegas / HotelTonight / Room Upgrades / Resort Fees / Caesars Hotels / → All Tags
Vegas' Resort Fees Killed Our HotelTonight Booking Buzz
Last week, we headed out to Las Vegas for an impromptu trip to catch Boyz II Men at The Mirage. Since we were only in town for one night and had about $100 in credits to burn on HotelTonight* we decided to use the last-minute mobile booking app to book our room.
So just as we were nearing Barstow on our road trip to Vegas from Los Angeles, we looked at HT and saw Caesars Palace open for only $91. We booked immediately and continued the rest of our road trip in rather high spirits. (It may have been because we were playing our fave early 90s hits the whole way there but never mind that.)
Yet when checked in at Caesars, they informed us that our room would be in the hotel's older Roman Tower. Thanks to VegasChatter, we know it's not in great shape. So we asked about upgrades. Turns out we could have the brand-new Octavius Tower for an extra $60 a night. We looked at our friend and said, Why not? That's just an extra $30 a night for each of us. Remember, we didn't have to pay for the room since our credits covered that.
We also inquired about possibly upgrading to the Nobu Hotel but even though rooms were going for a skint $189 a night, we would have had to cancel our HT booking, losing all our credits and then re-book.
So with our upgrade to the Octavius tower completed, we were given our keys to a room on the 64th floor with a pretty decent view out the side of the Bellagio fountains. Happiness! Except...
Viva Vegas / Hotel Fees / Resort Fees / Nobu Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
The Nobu Hotel Las Vegas is Now Charging a Resort Fee
The new Nobu Hotel has barely been open a full month and already some changes are being made. And we wish it were for the better.
Caeasars Palace, who along with its sister properties in Vegas, so valiantly fought the resort fee craze a few years ago, has finally given in and will now be charging $10-$25 a night at their hotels. Those fees will include a variety of services and amenities, among them, WiFi and fitness center access. We're guessing Nobu, a luxury hotel located within Caesars, will be charging near the $25 mark but we're still awaiting confirmation of the exact price.
Hotel News / Hotel Openings / SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / sbe / Las Vegas Hotels / → All Tags
SLS Las Vegas Breaks Ground, Will Debut in 2014
Almost two years after The Sahara, a Vegas hotel-casino owned by Sam Nazarian, fell apart at the seams shuttered, sbe officially broke ground yesterday to re-adapt the site into the long-awaited SLS Las Vegas. But don't start booking those flights to LAS just yet.
The press release declares a Fall 2014 opening, though our pals at VegasChatter wonder if that might be a little unrealistic, considering how much work has to be done to turn the place into an "entertainment-driven resort and casino" (and how much money has to be spent—a reported $415 million is being pumped into the project).
VegasChatter / Jaunted / → All Tags
VegasChatter Says "Bye, Bye, Bill " Before He Gets Rehabbed
Finding a hotel is often only one part of your trip. The other half is getting there. And our bro Jaunted does a bang-up job of covering the latest news and trends in the travel world. Out in Vegas, VegasChatter is keeping us informed on what's going down in Sin City.
VegasChatter
· Bill's Final Hours
· Feasting At The New Nobu
· Bond Notably Missing At Casino Royale
· March Madness Next Up For Bettors
Jaunted
· JetBlue Gives Away Flights And Furry Friends Tomorrow
· Don't Mess Up Monte Carlo's Gardens
·American Airlines' New Planes Are Fresh, Not Funky
· How To Decade-Proof Your Passport
[Photo: Danial Mente for VegasChatter]
Nobu Hotels / Hotel Openings / Viva Vegas / Gigi Vega / Nobu Matsuhisa / General Managers / → All Tags
This Fierce 'Girl' Runs the New Nobu Hotel World
The just-opened Nobu Hotel Las Vegas may have been conceived by a man, (Chef Nobu Matsuhisa), designed by a man (David Rockwell), located in a hotel named after a man (Caesar) and ultimately made possible by even more men (Robert De Niro included) but, who's really running the Nobu world? That's right--a "girl"!
Meet HWIC (Head Woman In Charge) Gigi Vega, vice president and general manager of the Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace. Gigi's already been with Caesars Palace for four years, taking care of high-end customers who shack up in the luxury 120 suites and villas. Prior to landing in Las Vegas she worked for Mandarin Oriental for 10 years in Hong Kong and Macau and before she was with InterContinental Hotels.
With this luxury hotel background and her familiarity with Caesars, it's no wonder that Hollywood producer and Nobu dream-maker, Mier Teper, tapped her to be the GM of the first-ever Nobu Hotel.
Indeed, aside from Nobu patrons and fans and the visitors who want to see and be seen, the hotel will be targeting general luxury folk, those who are accustomed to a five-star level of service. And in Gigi, who's energetic and friendly by nature, guests will find someone who will make sure their green tea and rice cracker welcome amenity arrived, that the Nobu room service was up to par and that they will have reservation for Nobu downstairs in place before their arrival. Another bonus? There's only 181 rooms in the hotel, guaranteeing guests will be able to get Gigi's full attention. We'll call it as we see it--it's a woman's touch we can appreciate!
Now if only Gigi had an "s" on the end of her last name....
Fantasy Friday / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Desserts / Las Vegas Hotels / Nevada Hotels / → All Tags
Fantasy Friday: The $750 Cupcake at The Palazzo Las Vegas
The cupcake craze, we are convinced, will never end. And nor should it! It's the perfect bit of dessert in easy-to-eat packaging. But this one we've heard about? Goes in the Fantasy Friday file, for sure. This one costs $750 and no matter our lust, we'd be afraid to touch it. Called Decadence D’Or, it's served at Sweet Surrender at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino Las Vegas and everything about it screams excess. Especially the ingredients, which cost more than some people pay in rent and car payments in a month.
It’s made with a chocolate cake laced with ganache filling created from a special Valhrona chocolate called Porcelana, rich French A.O.C butter, and Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar (which apparently is a big deal that takes over a year to harvest). Then edible gold flakes are hand-applied to the frosting and topped with a hand-blown sugar fleur-de-lis filled with Louis XIII Cognac (which costs $2K a bottle!). How is it served? No paper cup here, pshaw. You'll receive it on curved cracked-gold plate and bowl. Mercy!
Room Service / Nobu Hotels / Viva Vegas / Hotel Openings / Luxury Hotels / Nobu Matsuhisa / Celebrity Chefs / → All Tags
Sushi in Bed: Why We're Extra Excited for Nobu Hotel
Yesterday we gave you 10 good reasons to sleep over at the first-ever Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Today, we'd like to expand on one of those reasons--room service. After all, if you're gonna build a hotel around your successful restaurant brand, the room service options should be nothing short of phenomenal.
Fortunately, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa created the room service menu himself, instead of passing the duty off to other chefs. He's even expanded beyond sushi and sashimi into breakfast. So now that you're on the edge of drooling over your computer, let's get eating.
For breakfast, you can start with a Tamago yaki ($23), a Japanese style omelette with your choice of ingredients from tomato and cheese to unagi and king crab. Or you could go with Eggs Matsuhisa ($24), done with roasted asparagus, bonito egg sauce, ikura rolls and spicy tuna. If you want to keep it more traditional, order up the blueberry and yuzu soba pancakes or the green tea waffles (both $22) served with bananas, strawberries, yuzu whipped cream, miso butter and maple syrup. Traditional Japanese and American breakfasts are also available as well as general bakery/pastry items.
