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Business Travel Guide: Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas isn't just a place where people come to play, it's also a sophisticated, well-oiled convention-center machine. In addition to the monstrous Las Vegas Convention center, almost all hotel casinos have their own vast areas for meetings, so it's no wonder Vegas hosts some of the largest and most widely attended conferences in North America. In Vegas, virtually all business is show business. The local economy, driven by hotels, gaming and recreation, accounts for 80 percent of Nevada's taxable revenue, and seven of the city's top ten employers are casinos. Now that's entertainment.


Facts to Know Before You Go

Transportation:

Rental Cars – Most of what happens in Vegas happens on the Strip or Downtown, and almost anything is a short cab, limo or monorail-ride away. For business in neighboring areas, like Henderson's Lake Las Vegas, we recommend a rental car. Most national car rental chains such as Avis, Budget and Hertz can be found at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.
Taxis and Shuttles – Taxis are metered and accept credit card payments. A ride from the airport to the top of the Strip will run you about $16, but expect to pay between $20 and $25 for a trip Downtown. For those willing to share an airport shuttle with up to 20 passengers, a ride from a hotel on the Strip can be less than $10.
Limousines – Limousines are a popular way to travel in Vegas and can be arranged at the airport without reservations. The minimum fare is generally around $35.
Monorail – The Las Vegas Monorail travels the entire length of the strip from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. It runs between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday. A single ride costs $5, and passes good for up to three days are available.

Information:
The Las Vegas Business Press is published weekly and covers business news from Southern Nevada. Both the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun cover general news and both have daily business sections.

For more on Sin City travel,
see our guide to the Best of Gayot's Las Vegas


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Where to Stay

Alexis Park Resort Hotel
375 E. Harmon Rd. (Koval Ln.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-796-3300
www.alexispark.com
Alexis Park Resort Hotel

Set within twenty lushly landscaped acres with a sprawling courtyard as its centerpiece, this all-suite resort offers a quiet alternative to the Strip's bustle. Although within walking distance of the Strip, the property is casino-free. There's not a slot machine in sight. Some of the suites are two stories with fireplaces, and all feature European wet bars, high-speed Internet access and refrigerators. On-site facilities include a bar and grill, a fully equipped health spa and an exercise room. This property is popular among business travelers for its audio-visual and secretarial services as well as its flexible meeting space for up to 1,600 people.

Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-731-7110, 877-427-7243
www.caesarspalace.com
Caesars Palace

Since it opened in 1966, Caesars Palace has been practically synonymous with Las Vegas, and this Las Vegas icon survives thanks to its ability to constantly reinvent itself. New towers, such as the most recent Augustus Tower, keep going up around the property, adding to the over 3,300 rooms onsite. The Augustus Tower rooms themselves are modern and luxurious with amenities such as 42-inch plasma screen TVs and oversized soaking tubs for optimum relaxation. Some 240,000 square feet of meeting and convention space houses events and gatherings of all sizes, with rich appointments for a truly executive feel. Entertainment is always top notch, with headliners such as Bette Midler or Cher in residence at the Colosseum (see Off the Clock section). Dining can be as casual or as formal as you choose, with options such as Payard Patisserie & Bistro, California-inspired cuisine from Bradley Ogden, New York's legendary Rao's and Restaurant Guy Savoy.

Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Four Seasons Dr. & Russell Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-5000

www.fourseasons.com
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas

Four Seasons took a gamble and opened the only non-gaming hotel on the Strip, occupying the top four floors of Mandalay Bay. In this haven, you'll find a serene lobby lounge, one of the best spas on the Strip and a gorgeous tranquil pool. Dining includes the Verandah for indoor/outdoor meals plus high tea every afternoon. Guest rooms feature special touches such as bathrobes and L'Occitane bathroom amenities (Bulgari in the suites). All rooms also come with wireless Internet access, DVD players and video conferencing capabilities. Couple these in-room amenities with secretarial services, translation assistance and meeting rooms with wireless Internet, and you have the best business hotel in Vegas.

Las Vegas Hilton
3000 Paradise Rd. (Riviera Blvd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-732-5111

www.lvhilton.com
Las Vegas Hilton

Opened by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian in 1968 as the International, this hotel pioneered some of Las Vegas' top entertainment, including Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley. Adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the hotel now draws a large business crowd. Its own 220,000-square-foot meeting space includes the pillar-free Conrad and Barron rooms that seat nearly 9,000 guests. Among amenities in the 3,000-plus rooms are high-speed Internet connections and visual strobes for the hearing impaired. A high-tech business center also offers shipping, binding and computer rentals in addition to the expected copying and fax services. Among the many dining options are Benihana and the Hilton Steakhouse.

The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
Las Vegas,  NV 89109
702-733-5000

www.venetian.com
The Venetian

The 63-acre resort re-creates the romance, Old-World charm and festival-like atmosphere of old Venice. Rooms, the most spacious in town, are done in a rich blend of burgundy and gold with velvet-canopied beds and floral armoires. Even larger, suites have sunken living rooms and enormous marble bathrooms. All rooms have high-speed Internet access, while a business center provides computer rentals, shipping services and photocopies.


See our list of Las Vegas's 10 Best Business Hotels

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort & Casino
HOTEL SPECIALS
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort & Casino
This beautifully renovated resort hotel is serene, located on the lake amidst the trees of the North Shore. It has been reinvented as a 1920s style lodge, with high beam ceilings, overstuffed chairs and huge fireplaces. more...

Where to Dine

Aureole
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Tropicana Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-7401
www.aureolelv.com
American/French/Contemporary 16/20
$$$$$

CUT at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
Dine at this Mandalay Bay restaurant just to see the unique four-story wine tower. Showgirl-style wine "angels" ascend the tower with the help of cables and pulleys to choose your trophy bottle. The changing menu features small plates to share, such as scallop ceviche with crispy shallots and a spicy Serrano vinaigrette, or rich and savory beef tortellini in a truffle port wine sauce. Choosing dessert may be difficult—the chocolate torte with a warm liquid center is tempting, but wouldn't it be fun to order one of the notable dessert wines and watch the "angel" rappel the tower to get your choice?

CUT
The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Buccaneer Blvd.)
Las Vegas,  NV 89109
702-607-6300
www.palazzolasvegas.com

Steakhouse/Contemporary
15/20
$$$$$

CUT at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
There seems to be a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in almost every hotel on the Strip, but none have received more fanfare than CUT at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino. CUT is Puck's steakhouse concept gussied up with contemporary treatments. From 35-day dry-aged prime steaks from Nebraska to true, beautifully marbled Japanese Wagyu, this is some of the best beef you'll find in Las Vegas. Non-steak entrées include double chops of Kurobuta pork, and fresh big-eye tuna. Sweet endings to the meal include fruity cherry beignets and creamy almond panna cotta.

Michael Mina Bellagio
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8199
www.michaelmina.net
Seafood/Contemporary
17/20
$$$$$

Michael Mina Bellagio
This elegant restaurant delivers among the very best cutting-edge cuisine on the Strip. How such pristine dishes manage to explode with flavor wows us every time. It's difficult to pick an entrée when the choices range from smoked bacon and herb-crusted turbot with fingerling potatoes to a truffle butter-poached wild salmon with shrimp and pea lasagna. We therefore suggest ordering a five-course tasting menu, one of which is vegetarian. That's the fastest way to attain Michael Mina bliss. Among à la carte sweet finales are a dessert sampler, and a chocolate cheesecake.

Picasso
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8105
www.bellagio.com
French/Contemporary
18/20
$$$$$

Picasso at the Bellagio
Famed chef Julian Serrano left San Francisco for the Bellagio's contemporary restaurant, where guests are surrounded by Picassos—not reprints, but $50 million worth of the real thing. What's on the plate is dramatically presented and delicious. Surrender to such delicacies as warm lobster salad with mangoes; langoustine pulled live from a tank, then grilled and drizzled with porcini oil; sautéed foie gras with Madeira sauce; squab breast cut into tiny slices and moistened with jus spooned from a tiny copper pot; and truffle-crusted lamb with Parmesan potatoes. In a town full of splendid fine-dining restaurants, this one is hard to top.

Valentino
The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109

702-414-3000
www.valentinorestaurant.com

Italian
16/20
$$$$$
 

Valentino
Wine aficionado Piero Selvaggio, whose restaurants are renowned for their superb wine lists, has decorated his stylish Valentino as a monument to its 24,000 wines from around the world. Located inside The Venetian, the furnishings and artifacts are, appropriately, from Italy, including the terrazzo flooring, Venetian glass lighting and soft leather chairs. Among the imaginative appetizers, we like the crab salad with warm artichokes in a fig-balsamic sauce. Main courses include striped bass with saffron sauce and veal osso buco with saffron rice. To make the most of a splendid dinner here, we suggest choosing one of the multi-course tasting menus.

 
Off the Clock

Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
702-731-7604
www.harrahs.com

Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

There are some 4,300 seats in the Colosseum and Cher fills almost every single one of them during her shows. Joined onstage by eighteen dancers and aerialists, Cher puts on a high-energy show of her greatest hits, including "Believe" and "If I Could Turn Back Time," in some of the most dazzling, breathtaking costumes—even by Vegas-showgirl standards.

"O" - Cirque du Soleil
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8105
www.cirquedusoleil.com

Synchronized Swimming at

Cirque du Soleil promotes its spectacular "O" as an aquatic celebration of life, love and death. And oh, what a celebration it is! Taking its name and theme from the French word eau for water, the extraordinarily talented cast performs in, on and above the water in a show that dazzles all the senses with its colorful tableaus and state-of-the-art synchronization, backed by the magnificent music of a ten-piece orchestra. The quality of "O" and its spectacular ever-changing settings have made this one of the most popular shows in town since its debut in 1998.

The Reflection Bay Golf Course at Lake Las Vegas
75 Montelago Blvd.
Henderson, NV 89011
702-566-7618
www.lakelasvegas.com

The Reflection Bay Golf Course at Lake Las Vegas

Located in Henderson's posh Lake Las Vegas Resort, this 7,261-yard, par-72 course meanders along the lake's picturesque shoreline. This was the first public golf course in Vegas designed by Jack Nicklaus and it is renowned for its incredible views and world-class golf school. Double-loaded fairways, strategically placed bunkers and carries over water and arroyos make for a challenging game. Although it's a 30-minute drive from the Strip, the peaceful resort is a great place to play.

Scenic Airlines
2705 Airport Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89169
800-634-6801, 702-638-3300
www.scenic.com

Short trip? No problem. See as much as you can, as fast as you can, with this bird's-eye tour. With door-to-door service, Scenic Airlines will show you Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon—and you'll be back at your hotel within three hours. Although the airline offers a dozen tours, some as long as three days, those pressed for time will appreciate this whirlwind trip.

Red Square
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Tropicana Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-7401
www.mandalaybay.com

Red Square

After a day in the city of capitalist decadence, take a trip behind the Iron Curtain to Red Square, Mandalay Bay's swanky Soviet-style lounge. The Communism-themed nightspot comes complete with a headless statue of Lenin, an extensive caviar menu, a bar topped with a sheet of ice and a frozen locker chilling more than 100 brands of vodka. Guests don fur coats and caps, then brave the walk-in freezer to hand-pick their poison.


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