Wynn Las Vegas Sets New High For Room Rates
Palms Plans Third Tower For Condos
UPDATED: 9:27 am CST March 7, 2005
Just how expensive will rooms at the new Wynn Las Vegas Resort be?Just for fun, I checked the online reservations for Wynn and the two Strip hotels that are expected to be its primary competition, Bellagio and The Venetian. I looked up a standard room for two people on a Friday and Saturday in May and then another in June. Here's what I found:The Venetian was the cheapest rates, coming in at $349 to $399 per night on the May weekend and $219 to $259 per night on the June weekend. Bellagio was next in line, with room rates running around $400 to $450 per night on the May weekend and $260 to $300 per night in June.Wynn: $429 to $519 per night for the May weekend and $299 to $389 per night in June.The comparison is totally unfair, but on those same weekends the Stratosphere was offering standard rooms for $134 per night in May and $94 per night in June.
Aiming to capitalize on a growing trend, officials with The Palms have announced plans to build a 50-story luxury condominium/hotel tower.The new tower, expected to be completed by 2008, will feature 599 units, ranging in size from 600-square-foot studios apartments to 7,000-square-foot penthouse suites. Prices would go from $500,000 to $7 million. The owners of the units would have the option of putting them into a rental pool when not in use, allowing the hotel to sell them as upgraded hotel rooms, with the owners getting a share of the rental.Even before a shovelful of earth has been turned (and before a formal announcement) the units are already 50 percent sold.This will be the third tower for the property just west of The Strip on Flamingo. A 40-story hotel tower is under construction that will add 347 rooms, showrooms, nightclubs (including the Playboy-branded one at the top of the tower) and a recording studio. That tower is expected to open in early 2006.
There's an interesting new promotion going on at Harrah's. If you're going to be in Vegas between now and April 16, just walk into Harrah's or sister property Rio and swipe your Total Rewards player's club card at the rewards center. You could instantly win a "hidden" jackpot of up to $25,000. There will be multiple winners at each location. People will win cash or other prizes worth varying amounts.Plus, up to five people at each Harrah's nationwide will be entered into a chance to win $1 million at a special drawing held at Harrah's New Orleans on April 17.You don't have to actually go into Harrah's for a chance to win. For more information and an opportunity to win a trip to New Orleans and a shot at that million bucks, log onto Harrahs.com.
One of the reasons I love the Lake Las Vegas area is the unique events held in the beautiful lakeside shopping and entertainment complex known as MonteLago Village.On March 26, Alexander Perfumes and Cosmetics will celebrate its second anniversary with the Canines on the Catwalk Pet Parade, a daylong event designed to spoil pooches and people.There's going to be a special "mutt 'n' greet" with a Vegas celebrity dog, a pet parade, raffles for gift baskets from Alexander and other boutiques (with proceeds going to the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), gourmet dog bones and treats for sale (with a portion of the sale also going to the NPSCA), and, perhaps most exciting, free Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory samples for everyone.Although probably not the dogs.Even if you're not bringing Fido with you to Vegas, this sounds like a really cool event for dog lovers. You can get more information on the MonteLago Village Web site.
There was big news in the Las Vegas newspapers last week as it was reported that the Greek Isles hotel and casino was sold to a group of developers who planned to knock it down and build a giant condo complex.Bigger news came the next day when the same local papers reported that it wasn't actually true. The developers made the announcement, but the deal wasn't actually done. In fact, it seems the deal was dead. Officials with the hotel said they had been in negotiations, but the whole thing fell through months ago, so to say the announcement came as a bit of a surprise is an understatement. Threats of lawsuits are being thrown around.It's interesting to note this is not the first time a big announcement about the hotel proved to be less than accurate. Once known as the Debbie Reynolds for its star owner, the hotel was at one time going to be torn down to build a World Wrestling Federation-theme property, but that obviously never happened.
A personal event in my life this past week took on an ironic Vegas twist that I thought I'd share, if for no other reason than it could help one of you folks from suffering the same fate.I found out last week that someone had managed to capture my debit-card account and numbers through some tricky techno-thievery in Los Angeles and had managed to completely empty my checking account.The thief decided the ATMs in L.A. weren't good enough, so he (or she) ran off to Vegas to drain the rest of my account at ATMs there. It's bad enough that I got robbed in the first place, but that someone used my money to have fun in Vegas is especially galling.The good news is that the person kept going back to the ATM machine to take out more, so I guess he wasn't winning anything in the casino -- something that often happens to me when I take out money from Vegas ATMs.Luckily, my bank and the local authorities have been very helpful, and I should recover everything I've lost (unlike when I lose it in Vegas).Everyone reading this should be very careful with where you use your debit card. The police tell me this new scam -- where thieves can simply swipe a device through the machine right after you've used it and capture your information -- is exploding, especially in California. They recommend that you use credit cards or cash whenever you can, and if you have to use a debit card, only use it at major businesses like large grocery stores where the cashier is actually paying attention to what is going on and not at gas stations or convenience stores where they often don't.
Aiming to capitalize on a growing trend, officials with The Palms have announced plans to build a 50-story luxury condominium/hotel tower.The new tower, expected to be completed by 2008, will feature 599 units, ranging in size from 600-square-foot studios apartments to 7,000-square-foot penthouse suites. Prices would go from $500,000 to $7 million. The owners of the units would have the option of putting them into a rental pool when not in use, allowing the hotel to sell them as upgraded hotel rooms, with the owners getting a share of the rental.Even before a shovelful of earth has been turned (and before a formal announcement) the units are already 50 percent sold.This will be the third tower for the property just west of The Strip on Flamingo. A 40-story hotel tower is under construction that will add 347 rooms, showrooms, nightclubs (including the Playboy-branded one at the top of the tower) and a recording studio. That tower is expected to open in early 2006.
There's an interesting new promotion going on at Harrah's. If you're going to be in Vegas between now and April 16, just walk into Harrah's or sister property Rio and swipe your Total Rewards player's club card at the rewards center. You could instantly win a "hidden" jackpot of up to $25,000. There will be multiple winners at each location. People will win cash or other prizes worth varying amounts.Plus, up to five people at each Harrah's nationwide will be entered into a chance to win $1 million at a special drawing held at Harrah's New Orleans on April 17.You don't have to actually go into Harrah's for a chance to win. For more information and an opportunity to win a trip to New Orleans and a shot at that million bucks, log onto Harrahs.com.
One of the reasons I love the Lake Las Vegas area is the unique events held in the beautiful lakeside shopping and entertainment complex known as MonteLago Village.On March 26, Alexander Perfumes and Cosmetics will celebrate its second anniversary with the Canines on the Catwalk Pet Parade, a daylong event designed to spoil pooches and people.There's going to be a special "mutt 'n' greet" with a Vegas celebrity dog, a pet parade, raffles for gift baskets from Alexander and other boutiques (with proceeds going to the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), gourmet dog bones and treats for sale (with a portion of the sale also going to the NPSCA), and, perhaps most exciting, free Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory samples for everyone.Although probably not the dogs.Even if you're not bringing Fido with you to Vegas, this sounds like a really cool event for dog lovers. You can get more information on the MonteLago Village Web site.
There was big news in the Las Vegas newspapers last week as it was reported that the Greek Isles hotel and casino was sold to a group of developers who planned to knock it down and build a giant condo complex.Bigger news came the next day when the same local papers reported that it wasn't actually true. The developers made the announcement, but the deal wasn't actually done. In fact, it seems the deal was dead. Officials with the hotel said they had been in negotiations, but the whole thing fell through months ago, so to say the announcement came as a bit of a surprise is an understatement. Threats of lawsuits are being thrown around.It's interesting to note this is not the first time a big announcement about the hotel proved to be less than accurate. Once known as the Debbie Reynolds for its star owner, the hotel was at one time going to be torn down to build a World Wrestling Federation-theme property, but that obviously never happened.
A personal event in my life this past week took on an ironic Vegas twist that I thought I'd share, if for no other reason than it could help one of you folks from suffering the same fate.I found out last week that someone had managed to capture my debit-card account and numbers through some tricky techno-thievery in Los Angeles and had managed to completely empty my checking account.The thief decided the ATMs in L.A. weren't good enough, so he (or she) ran off to Vegas to drain the rest of my account at ATMs there. It's bad enough that I got robbed in the first place, but that someone used my money to have fun in Vegas is especially galling.The good news is that the person kept going back to the ATM machine to take out more, so I guess he wasn't winning anything in the casino -- something that often happens to me when I take out money from Vegas ATMs.Luckily, my bank and the local authorities have been very helpful, and I should recover everything I've lost (unlike when I lose it in Vegas).Everyone reading this should be very careful with where you use your debit card. The police tell me this new scam -- where thieves can simply swipe a device through the machine right after you've used it and capture your information -- is exploding, especially in California. They recommend that you use credit cards or cash whenever you can, and if you have to use a debit card, only use it at major businesses like large grocery stores where the cashier is actually paying attention to what is going on and not at gas stations or convenience stores where they often don't.
The Full Story
- Wynn Las Vegas Sets New High For Room Rates Green Valley Ranch Remains Excellent Choice Borg Invasion Attractive For 'Star Trek' Fans Vegas Q&A: Where Is Best Place To Find Specials?
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.The Full Story
- Wynn Las Vegas Sets New High For Room Rates Green Valley Ranch Remains Excellent Choice Borg Invasion Attractive For 'Star Trek' Fans Vegas Q&A: Where Is Best Place To Find Specials?
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
