NV Travel Guide - Page 20

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Harrah's Stops Spending Money Like Drunken Sailor, Delays Caesars Expansion

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
January 13, 2009 at 9:43 AM | by | Comments (0)

We'd been hearing whispers about some Vegas developments moving full speed ahead, recession be damned, what with all this nonsense about a company in talks to build the world's largest hotel right on the Vegas strip (with a planned 6,745 rooms) and such.

But reality seems to be hitting even the most attractively over-the-top escape-the-economy casinos in Vegas now: Trump International Hotel and Tower is giving up its second tower and the MGM Mirage is having issues with their planned Project CityCenter. At one point, the CEO of Harrah's even admitted that "one of the challenges that has plagued the casino industry for a long time is that we spend money like drunken sailors."

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Hard Rock Now Has $55 Rooms That You Can Actually Book

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4455 Paradise Rd [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
January 9, 2009 at 2:30 PM | by | Comment (1)

Earlier in the week we called out the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas for advertising $59 room rates that you couldn't actually book. But today we've learned that there are some $55 rooms left in January and February. Yay!

Those rates are good for mountain view king rooms and mountain view rooms with two queen beds. Views of possible sex acts in the pool will cost you $80 a night. The $55 room rates are only available for two more days so you got to act quick to secure them. Of course, these aren't available on Fridays and Saturdays.

Dates for $55 rooms:
· January 11-14
· February 9
· February 15
· February 22-26

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MGM CityCenter's Harmon Hotel and Spa Put On Hold

January 7, 2009 at 9:14 AM | by | Comments (2)

With all the bad news coming out of Las Vegas lately, this bit on the massive MGM CityCenter, which is set to open in late 2009, has us not at all surprised. From the press release:

MGM said Wednesday that its joint venture with Infinity World Development Corp., CityCenter Holdings LLC, is postponing the opening of the Harmon Hotel & Spa hotel on the Las Vegas Strip to late 2010. It is also cancelling The Harmon condominium component, which was slated to have 200 residential units. The company expects to save about $600 million from the action.

And we wouldn't be surprised if more and more planned condo-hotels around the country start dropping their residential components as well. Not that many people can afford a second home these days. The rest of CityCenter is still on track for its opening next year, although we suspect a few other components might get dropped along the way.

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Element Las Vegas is the Westin's Much Prettier Sibling

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 10555 Discovery Drive [map], Summerlin, NV, United States, 89135
January 6, 2009 at 4:23 PM | by | Comment (1)

The Element Las Vegas became the second Element Hotel to open last month and we were anxiously awaiting photos all over our holiday vacation (Not really.) While Santa Claus didn't bring us any, a very nice tipster sent us this glossy photo of the hotel's exterior. We actually thought it was a rendering at first but upon closer inspection, we think it's kind of legit. (Larger picture can be seen here.)

Like Aloft is a spin-off of W Hotels, Element is a spin-off of Westin Hotels--created for extended-stay travelers who want nicer, relaxing digs while they are traveling and working.

So far, there aren't any reviews on TripAdvisor to check out but if they are anything like the Element Lexington property, this hotel will be doing A-OK in 2009.

Rates are currently going for about $165 a night.

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Hard Rock Offering $59 Rooms That You Can't Book

January 5, 2009 at 9:42 AM | by | Comments (2)

It's no secret that room rates have been dropping in Las Vegas these days. Gone are the $299 room rates of 2006. Almost every hotel is offering rooms near the $100 mark or less and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is no exception.

The hotel has recently been hyping its $59 Winter Special. The only problem is when you go online to book, there are no rooms available for $59 in January, February or March. The closest you get to that is $63 for tonight and tomorrow. The rest of the weekeday rates hover around the $103.20 mark. Some weekends (which the deal is not valid for) even peak at $299 a night again.

And that's not all. The Hard Rock charges a $7 per room, per night resort fee which is charged when you arrive at the hotel. Boooo.

If your heart is set on the Hard Rock, pop on over to Expedia (or another booking engine) where we found a room rate of $69 a night during next week. We also found a room at the Flamingo for $50 next week. And if you're looking for a really cheeeaaap weekday rate, the Stratosphere does have rooms open for $25 a night.

[Photo: Somewhat Frank]

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What Went Down at The Venetian and Palazzo NYE Parties

January 2, 2009 at 9:45 AM | by | Comments (0)

We sort of wish we'd been ringing in 2009 with a collection of entirely random celebrities that nobody has really heard from since 2002 just so we'd have a fun story to tell our friends today. Think about how cool it would have been to brag that you partied with Mena Suvari, David Spade, Pauly Shore (!) and Coolio in one night.

Such a scenario would have been possible if we'd been in Vegas to celebrate the arrival of 2009 at The Venetian and The Palazzo, where Carmen Electra served as "mistress of ceremonies" at TAO and Fergie hosted and performed the first NYE celebration at LAVO.

At LAVO, we hear Fergie gave a concert prior to midnight, and then ran over to her man Josh Duhamel for a kiss before the two of them "partied the night away." Meanwhile, over at TAO at The Venetian:

Carmen Electra hosted the New Year's Eve festivities [...] Immediately after ringing in the New Year, Carmen went to her table by the dance floor and graciously posed for photos with fans and onlookers. She then danced the night away with Rob getting 2009 off to a great start. Brody Jenner was also celebrating with girlfriend Jayde Nicole and mom Linda Thompson [...] Brody and his mom rocked out to the sounds of DJ Vice and hyped up the packed house of club goers.

So there you have it; while you were busy with whatever you were doing on New Year's Eve, you could have been partying it up with Brody and his mom. And Pauly Shore.

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People's Choice Award :: Palazzo Las Vegas

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3339 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas , NV, United States, 89109
December 31, 2008 at 10:49 AM | by | Comments (0)

People's Choice Award: Palazzo Las Vegas

It's been an interesting year for the Palazzo Las Vegas which was the most popular hotel in 2008 here on HotelChatter. When the place finally opened last December, much of it was under construction and the rooms weren't quite ready.

Then we wandered through the casino in mid-January and it was dead. On a Friday night. Before the recession had even kicked in. Yet once the Palazzo started to open up their luxury shopping mall and new restaurants, the tide started to turn a bit.

Celebrity sightings came quick and fast after that. We managed to spend a few days in the hotel in April, experiencing all the goodies the hotel had to offer. And there's a lot. Barneys. Christian Louboutin. Ferrari. Jersey Boys. Cut. Sushi Samba.

Despite the luxury in the stores and the fine cuisine on the plates, the rooms leave a lot to be desired. Aside from questionable decor, we also questioned the craftmanship of the furnishings.

While we were there, everything seemed to be in place but they didn't actually stay in place. A handle fell off the cabinet to the minibar when we pulled to open it. And we heard another guest had her water turned off in mid-shower. Yikes.

The good news is that a chance to stay at the Palazzo will be much less expensive in 2009 as rates keep plummeting in Las Vegas. A room of $119 can be yours in January.

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Checking In on The Emperor's Wife

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
December 29, 2008 at 3:32 PM | by | Comment (1)

When we last checked in on Elaine Wynn, Jason Kidd had given her his U.S. Olympic Gold Medal. Um. Right. So what is Steve Wynn's wife up to now that Encore Las Vegas has just opened?

Well according to the LA Times, the emperor's wife is busying herself with helping the flailing Las Vegas economy. Mrs. Wynn has a real job at Wynn Resorts as a director and she oversees all the retail shops at the hotels. And what a fun job it must have been to select the stores for Encore.

The project, billed as the Wynn hotel's "sexy little sister," includes several boutiques -- Hermès; the new Chanel Ultra-Luxe boutique (the first in the U.S.); the edgy multibrand Ensemble with new styles by Ossie Clark, Thomas Wylde and Philipp Plein and vintage finds such as a 1966 Paco Rabanne Lucite and metal chain-link dress ($10,780); In Step, a temple to over-the-top shoes such as Nicholas Kirkwood's platinum crocodile spaceship-like stilettos ($7,995); and Wynn and Company Jewelry, home to those sliced diamonds.

What's probably not fun? Trying to sell all those luxe goods in a recession. All of this extravagant inventory was ordered before the economy started to tank so the Wynns will have to be more careful about what they order the next time around.

Still, while the Wynns are scaling back in some places (they canceled a black-tie gala for the opening of Encore), they still firmly believe in giving guests a brief chance to experience the high life. As Elaine herself says, "If people can't afford to indulge themselves, they can still appreciate the artistry." We'll try to restrain ourselves.

[Photo: Wally Skalij for the LA Times]

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Room Rates in Las Vegas Get a Little Steep

December 26, 2008 at 10:41 AM | by | Comments (5)

Planet Hollywood casino area.

Lately when we've been talking about Las Vegas we've only been talking about two things: the craptastic Believe show from Criss Angel and the amazing deals you can find at hotels on the Strip, thanks to the downturn in the economy.

But this New Year's Eve is starting to look a lot like the Vegas heyday of years past. Room rates are not totally out of control but they are much more beefed up than they have been in the past few months. And some hotels are even claiming to be already sold-out.

We've rounded up some of the New Year's Eve rates for hotels on and near the Strip for you after the jump.

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Zen and XS at The Opening of Encore Las Vegas

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
December 23, 2008 at 10:10 AM | by | Comments (2)

The highly-anticipated Encore Las Vegas finally opened last night at 8:00 pm, and we received a report from a super-secret HC operative on the scene. Eager guests — presumably Wynn loyalists who were psyched to see what Steve Wynn had up his sleeve for the followup to his hugely successful (and perennial HC fave) Wynn Las Vegas — lined up and braved the chilly weather in Vegas to be the first through Encore's doors.

From our tipster:

Guests waited hours on line to get in. Forget about the line into the main entrance, the line within Wynn wrapped completely around the Wynn casino, through the Wynn shopping esplanade and out the side door. Hundreds of security officers and employees were doing crowd control within and outside of the hotel. Steve Wynn emceed as invited casino guests placed the inaugural bet at 8pm on the dot.

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Encore Las Vegas Will Open Tonight

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
December 22, 2008 at 11:42 AM | by | Comment (1)

It's the moment we've been waiting three and a half long years for: Encore Las Vegas opens tonight at 8pm!

But my, my, my how things have changed since last year when we first learned of Encore's opening date. Back then, we easily expected Steve Wynn to ask for and promptly get a room rate of $300 and up during the week for one of the 2,034 all-suite rooms. Yet Wynn is deeply concerned about opening a hotel in one of the worst tourism slumps that Vegas has ever experienced and one where occupancy rates at the Wynn Las Vegas have dropped to 53 percent.

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The Mentalist at Hooters Is Offering Comp Show Tickets

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 115 E. Tropicana Avenue [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109
December 19, 2008 at 12:10 PM | by | Comment (1)

It's been a while since we wrote about Hooters Las Vegas but the hotel casino is still alive and kicking. And if you have no intention of wasting your money on Criss Angel's shiteous "Believe" show (even after the 40 percent discount), then head over to Hooters to see The Mentalist (aka Gerry McCambridge--not the guy who plays "The Mentalist" on TV.)

Why? For starters, this magician Twitters. Awesome. Second, he's offering comp tickets to his nightly 7pm show at Hooters on his website. More awesome. Anything free in Vegas in this economy is fine by us!

But interestingly, he has no beef with Criss Angel. According to Las Vegas' own gossip pirate, Norm Clarke reported The Mentalist dragging Criss Angel and his girlfriend Holly Madison up on stage during one of shows and asking if Angel wanted to propose (see "Sightings.") More proof that it was legit? The Mentalist Twittered it. Perhaps HotelChatter has a new crush?

Have you seen The Mentalist? How does he compare with Danny Gans, Criss Angel and "The Mentalist" TV show? Let us know.

[Photo: The Mentalist]

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