Las
Vegas is a sophisticated, well-oiled convention center machine.
The city has more than a dozen such centers, usually connected
to casino/hotel complexes, and 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%
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 as little as $4.
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 $30.
Monorail
– Launched in July 2004, the Las
Vegas Monorail travels the entire length of the strip
from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. It runs daily between
8am and 2am. A single ride costs $3, and passes good for
up to ten rides are available.
Set
within 20 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 grille, 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 1,200 people.
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.
Guestrooms 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.
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 which 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.
Mirage
Las Vegas
3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Spring Mountain Rd.)
702-791-7111
An
erupting volcano, indoor rainforest, 20,000-gallon
aquarium and a climate-controlled “min-zoo”
transform this desert resort into a tropical paradise.
Renovated in 2002, each of the 2,763 South Seas-themed
rooms features custom-designed artwork. Business
travelers should consider the mini-suites with broadband
Internet access, printers and speaker phones. Although
guests staying in standard rooms are relegated to
dial-up, all rooms do include oversized work desks,
and an extensive business center offers everything
from cell-phone and computer rentals to secretarial
services and shipping. They’ll even print
up business cards with as little as two hours notice.
Dining options include Italian, Hawaiian, Chinese
and Brazilian food, but for a business dinner, opt
for the French restaurant, Renoir.
The
Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
702-733-5000
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.
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 recreated into 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.)
702-632-7401
15/20 $$$$$
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 such upscale
comfort-food dishes as shell steak with caramelized onion-potato
tart. A pepper-seared tuna arrives with green-onion risotto,
and the popular filet mignon often is accompanied by a
marrow and parsley custard. 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 with your choice?
The
“Bam!” man, Emeril Lagasse, brings his style
of Louisiana seafood to the Strip. It’s fitting
that the MGM
Grand, a hotel named after a movie studio, should
have a TV chef celebrity as its “star” attraction.
The BBQ Shrimp is his signature dish, and it seems when
we look around the dining room, almost everybody orders
it. Don’t limit yourself, because most other selections
actually show more creativity and flavor: Louisiana
crabcakes, turtle soup and lobster cheesecake with creole-spiced
tomato coulis. Come expecting spicy, pricey and showy
dining, but expect satisfaction, too. Save room for
a hefty slice of banana-cream pie.
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 acquire Michael Mina bliss.
Among à la carte sweet finales are a dessert sampler,
and a marbleized chocolate cheesecake. Sommeliers Caleb
Dial and Joe Phillips oversee the exciting wine list.
Picasso
Bellagio Las Vegas
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
702-693-8105
18/20
$$$$$
Famed
chef Julian Serrano left San Francisco for the Bellagio’s
contemporary restaurant where guests are surrounded by
Picassos---not reprints, but $50 million worth of the
real thing. What’s on the plate is dramatically
presented and delicious. Surrender to such delicacies
as warm lobster salad with mangoes; langoustine pulled
live from a tank, then grilled and drizzled with porcini
oil; sautéed foie gras with Madeira sauce; squab
breast cut into tiny slices and moistened with jus spooned
from a tiny copper pot; and truffle-crusted lamb with
Parmesan potatoes. In a town full of splendid fine-dining
restaurants, this one is hard to top.
Renoir
Mirage Las Vegas
3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Spring Mountain Rd.)
702-791-7353
16/20
$$$$$
With original Renoirs from hotelier Steve Wynn’s
art collection gracing the walls of this restaurant, an
evening here is both a visual and a culinary treat. If
you can’t decide among the offerings, try the chef’s
special five-course tasting menu, which often includes
a sauté of foie gras with aged balsamic vinegar,
one of his signature dishes. A four-course vegetable tasting
menu capitalizes on fresh seasonal produce to provide
specials such as asparagus cannelloni with spinach and
morel mushrooms. Both tasting menus are paired with fine
wines from the excellent cellar. Truly a great dining
experience at the Mirage
Las Vegas.
Valentino
The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
702-414-3000 Book
a table
17/20
$$$$$
Wine aficionado Piero Selvaggio, whose restaurants are
renowned for their superb wine lists, has decorated his
stylish Valentino as a monument to its 24,000 wines from
around the world. Located inside The
Venetian, the furnishings and artifacts are, appropriately,
from Italy, including the terrazzo flooring, Venetian
glass lighting and the soft leather chairs. Among the
imaginative appetizers, we like the crab salad with warm
artichokes in a fig-balsamic sauce. Main courses include
striped bass with saffron sauce and veal osso buco with
saffron rice. To make the most of a splendid dinner here,
we suggest choosing one of the multi-course tasting menus.
808
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
702-731-7604
16/20
$$$$$
Named
after Hawaii’s area code, 808 combines the freshest
seafood of the Islands with French, Italian, Chinese,
Japanese, Thai and Indian techniques. This 100-seat eatery
can be found inside Caesars
Palace and is decorated with exotic woods and a simulated
riverbed which extends from the entrance to the gleaming
exhibition kitchen. We like the “New Wave”
bento box of assorted appetizers: ahi sushi, day boat
scallops, firecracker salmon and a pot sticker. The sublime
mahi mahi is served with lime-ginger beurre blanc and
stir-fried vegetables. For dessert, try one of the chef’s
own blends of Kona coffee French-pressed to order tableside.
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 is renowned
for its incredible views and world class golf school.
Double-loaded fairways, strategically place 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 Drive
North Las Vegas
702-638-3300
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.
Now that she’s sold more albums worldwide than
any other female artist ever,
this world-famous French Canadian diva has taken the
next step: Permanent Vegas. Much like her male predecessors
Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Wayne Newton, she can rest
easy and let her fans come to her. Dion can now be found
flying, dancing and belting out tunes year-round at
Caesars
Palace. A New Day, her Cirque du Soleil-inspired
show, is colorful and surreal, with a flying orchestra
and North America’s largest LED screen to back
her up.
“O”-
Cirque du Soleil
Bellagio Las Vegas
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8105
Cirque
du Soleil promotes is 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 10-piece orchestra. The
quality of ‘O’ and its spectacular every-changing
settings have made this one of the most popular shows
since its debut in 1998.
Red
Square
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Tropicana Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-7401
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 communist-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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