Latest Las Vegas News and Information

One of my favorite shows in Las Vegas, Spamalot, is closing down on July 13th. The show was based on the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail and has played over 500 performances at Wynn Las Vegas.

The show originally opened on Broadway in 2005, and like many other Broadway shows, didn’t bring in audiences as large as was hoped. The Producers and Mamma Mia! have both also recently closed.

Wynn is planning on replacing the show with entertainer Danny Gans starting February 2009. The entertainer is currently doing his one man show at the Mirage.

Click here to purchase Spamalot tickets before the show goes away.

The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum that opened up seven years ago inside of The Venetian in Las Vegas is set to close on May 11th. The Museum’s contract with The Venetian comes to an end on that date, and there are no plans to renew it. No reason was given for not renewing the contract.

The good news is that the Museum is not going to charge admission between now and when it closes. This is a very good opportunity to see a fine art museum for free.

One night only!

See Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z live in concert Saturday, April 19th at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

HEART OF THE CITY TOUR

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to book a room at MGM Grand Las Vegas.

ENJOY A FERGALICIOUS WEEKEND - Friday March 21st - Saturday March 22nd

Enjoy a Fergalicious weekend at Mandalay Bay all for only $525*. A value of approximately $805.

Offer includes:
- Two room nights with a complimentary Suite upgrade
- Two top tickets to see Fergie**

Promotion Runs:
March 21, 2008 - March 22, 2008

Offer Expires:
March 28, 2008

Click here to view more details and to BOOK ONLINE.

Las Vegas is still booming. The number of projects under construction and planned is amazing. This is a list of the major projects that will be completed in the next 3 years or so. These 7 projects total $30.6 billion and over 30,000 new rooms.

Encore at Wynn Las Vegas: $2.2 Billion, 1818 Rooms, opening December 2008

This is an addition to what many consider the most luxurious resort on the Las Vegas strip. It will have 1,818 rooms (suites), 222 over-sized suites, 70,000 sq ft of gaming space, 6 restaurants, 8 bars and lounges including a nightclub, 11 retail outlets, 2 pools and a 50,000 sq ft spa. This is all in addition to what already exists at the current hotel, Wynn Las Vegas. Combined, this will be an amazing expanse of high-end resort amenities.

Cosmopolitan: $3 billion, 2,998 rooms, opening late 2009

Unlike most of the Las Vegas developments under construction, this project is on a fairly small parcel of land with only 400 feet of strip frontage for the 8.5 acre site. But smaller does not mean less in this case. Located just south of Bellagio, this project has some impressive stats:

• 150,000 sq ft of convention and meeting space
• A 70,000 sq ft casino
• Over 300,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant, and entertainment space
• 50,000 sq ft fitness center and spa
• 1,800 seat theater

CityCenter (MGM Mirage Inc.): $7.8 billion, 7,850 rooms, 15,900 jobs, opening late 2009

This is the grand-daddy of of Las Vegas developments. Located where the Holiday Inn Boardwalk used to stand, it is the largest privately owned project ever undertaken in the U.S. The pace of the development is incredible. The number of cranes in this space is overwhelming, it is hard to even count how many cranes are being used. Within the CityCenter space there will be 5 individual hotels/residences. In total there will be about 7,000 hotel rooms and condos in this development.

• CityCenter - 4,000 room, 60 story Hotel
• Mandarin Oriental - 400 room Hotel/Residences
• The Harmon - 400 room Hotel/Residences
• Vdara - 1500 unit Condo/Hotel tower
• Veer - Twin towers, each with 350 unit luxury condos
• 165,000 sq ft casino
• 500,000 sq ft of retail and entertainment space
• 300,000+ sq ft of convention and meeting space
• 2,000 seat theater
• 70,000 sq ft spa
• 7,500 car parking garage
• Fire station
• monorail
• On-site power plant

Fontainebleau: $2.8 billion, 3,889 rooms, opening late 2009

The 63 story Fountainebleau Resort will stand on the north end of the strip next to the Rivera. It is where El Rancho and Algiers casinos used to be.

• 3,800+ hotel rooms/condos
• 100,000 sq ft Casino
• 60,000 sq ft spa
• 3,200 seat performing arts theater
• 180,000 sq ft of retail space
• 393,952 sq ft of meeting space
• 19 fine dining and casual restaurants
• 20 bars and lounges
• 20,000 sq ft ultra-modern nightclub

Echelon (Boyd Gaming Corp.): $4.8 billion, 5,300 rooms, opening late 2010

Located north on the strip where the Stardust and Westward Ho casinos used to stand, Echelon will have 4 individual hotels with a combination of upscale rooms and suites.

• Echelon Resort - 3,300 rooms
  • Resort Tower with 2,600 rooms
  • Suite Tower with 700 suites
  • spa facilities in each tower
  • 140,000 sq ft casino
  • 25 restaurants and bars
  • 2 theaters: 4,000 seats and 1,500 seats
• Shangri-La Hotel - 400 rooms and suites
  • 20,000 sq ft spa
  • meeting space
  • 2 restaurants
• Delano Hotel - 600 rooms and suites
  • destination nightclub
  • lobby bar
  • Asia de Cuba restaurant
  • spa and fitness facilities
• Mondrian Hotel - 1,000 guest rooms and suites
  • distinctive bar and restaurant
  • meeting and conference space
  • private pool and recreation area with Skybar
• 825,000 sq ft of meeting space
• 350,000 sq ft of shopping

Las Vegas Plaza (Elad IDB): $5 billion, 3,500 rooms, opening 2011

The Las Vegas Plaza is going up where the recently imploded New Frontier hotel once stood. It will be modeled after its namesake Plaza hotel in New York City.

• Seven towers containing 6,700 rooms (4,100 hotel rooms and 2,600 resort condominium units)
• 175,900 sq ft of casino area (making it the largest casino on the strip and second largest in the valley)
• 134,500 sq ft of restaurant area
• 347,887 sq ft of retail area
• 539,607 sq ft of convention space
• 50,000 sq ft of health club space
• 1,500 seat theater
• 227,038 sq ft of open space on the roof top of the podium that includes the pool areas

Crown Las Vegas: $5 billion, 5,000 rooms, opening 2011

This towering hotel was originally proposed to be 1,888 feet tall, but the FAA would not allow a tower that tall only 2.5 miles from McCarren Airport. The new FAA-approved height of the tower will be 1,064 feet. This will be the tallest building in Las Vegas (the Stratosphere tower is taller, but not classified as a building) and the tallest hotel in the USA. It will be located on the north end of the strip, where the old Wet and Wild used to be. The original plan had 5,000 hotel rooms, but since the tower height has been reduced they might build twin 1,064 foot towers to accommodate all the rooms.

Attention Monty Python Fans!

There will be a one-night-only screening of Monty Python’s Life of Brian in the Grail Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on Thursday, February 21. This will be the only theatrical screening in America of the re-mastered movie, the night will also feature a cocktail reception and a special appearance by SPAMALOT star John O’Hurley.

This screening celebrates the release of Monty Python’s Life of Brian: The Immaculate Edition on DVD and Blu-ray Disc(TM).

Tickets are $30 each, with proceeds going to Nevada Public Radio. Call (702) 952-5537 or Buy Tickets Now!

NASCAR Weekend at the Sahara!

Clint Bowyer Signing
NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer will be signing autographs and taking photos with fans from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, 2007 in the NASCAR Entertainment Center at the Sahara Hotel & Casino. Bowyer currently pilots the #7 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Come join the fun and meet all-star driver Clint Bowyer plus the beautiful Jack Daniel’s Girls!

NASCAR Racewear Sale
Visit the NASCAR Racewear shop at the Sahara Hotel & Casino for a vast collection of the latest NASCAR driver merchandise, authentic racing jackets and more. Pick up one-of-a-kind, exclusive items or shop the huge sale, just in time for NASCAR Weekend!

NASCAR Cafe
NASCAR Cafe offers an entertaining dining experience and tasty grill favorites, including juicy hamburgers, spicy chicken wings and barbecued pork sandwiches. Dine amongst authentic NASCAR stock cars and the world’s largest Pontiac Gran Prix stock car, designed by Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR Cafe broadcasts all NASCAR races live and in surround sound throughout the restaurant and bar, bringing guests as close to the race track as possible.

Cyber Speedway
Turn your race car dreams into heart-pounding reality in the NASCAR Cafe Entertainment Center’s 35,000-square-foot Las Vegas Cyber Speedway racing simulators. This is as close as it gets to the real deal - with speeds reaching as high as 220 mph! So if you have a need for speed, start your engines… Height requirement is 48″ NASCAR Race Week Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Check out NASCAR weekend hotel packages and deals.

FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE FEBRUARY EVENT SCHEDULE

February 22-24
Taste & Sounds of Soul. Celebrate Black History Month and Fitzgeralds 6th Anniversary with this block party of top-notch local restaurants and performers, national musicians and authors.

February 29-March 2
Race Jam. The party’s on Fremont Street when race fans come to town. Race Jam features free nightly headliner entertainment, interactive NASCAR activities and vendors.

FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE FEBRUARY EVENT SCHEDULE

March 15 Fitzgeralds St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
March 26 Las Vegas Corporate Challenge Competition
March 27 Mint 400 Fanfest

After being closed for 3 week because of a fire on the roof, the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas re-opened its doors today at 10:30am. All of Monte Carlo’s restaurants, shows, bars, and meeting facilities are open for business, except for the buffet and the brew pub. These will be re-opened as demand picks up, but no later than February 22nd. Right now 1,200 rooms are open for guests. 1,300 more will be open in a week and the remaining 500 will be open some time later, after undergoing complete renovations.

“Today we celebrate the spirit of Monte Carlo,” said Monte Carlo President and COO Anton Nikodemus. “After three weeks of hard work and dedicated effort, we are back where we belong — doors open, staff at their posts and welcoming customers. Today is a day of celebration for our Monte Carlo resort family, our guests and our employees alike.”

Lance Burton is re-opening his show today, and in appreciation of the work the emergency responders did during the fire, many of them will be guests of the magician at this show.

Monte Carlo is obviously trying to get people back to stay with them, and they are offering some great deals.

Monte Carlo is planning on re-opening the hotel on Friday, February 15th. That will mean the hotel will have been closed for three weeks after the January 25th fire closed the hotel. They will be opening 1,200 rooms on the 15th, and then will be adding an additional 1,300 rooms a week later. The 500 remaining rooms, located on the top levels of the hotel, will be closed for mor extensive renovations.

Monte Carlo has a page of information about the temporary closure.