GENERAL
MOTORS WILL ROAR INTO LAS VEGAS this spring with The
Drive, a hands-on driving attraction billed as an autotainment
experience adjacent to the Strip. The 11-acre facility, which will
be located at the corner of Paradise Road and Sahara Avenue, will
offer two professionally designed driving courses -- one a
high-performance loop, the other an off-road adventure over dirt
terrain -- that participants can negotiate in their choice of GM
vehicles. For the performance course, which will offer a half-mile
paved route with jogs and turns, participants can choose to drive a
Chevy Corvette, Pontiac GTO, Cadillac CTS-V, Pontiac Solstice,
Cadillac STS-V or Saab 9-3 convertible. On the off-road course,
which includes a tunnel, hill climb, sloped banks, moguls and other
obstacles, drivers can choose the Hummer H2, Hummer H3, Chevy
Silverado Diesel or the 2007 models of the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon
Denali, Cadillac Escalade or Chevy Suburban. Would-be drivers must
be at least 18 years old and have a valid drivers license, and
on-site Breathalyzer tests also will be part of the mandatory
registration process. Professional drivers, acting as passengers,
will accompany each participant to help them get the most out of
their driving experience. The Drive also will feature locations for
spectators where they can watch drivers navigating the courses and
take photos.
DURING THE
TIME THAT DRIVE is open, which according to land-leasing
terms between GM and the Sahara Hotel & Casino will be a
minimum of six months, GM will be a marketing and advertising
partner of the Las Vegas Monorail Co., lending its brand presence
to the monorail station at the Sahara. That station is currently
the northernmost point of the monorail system.
AN ORANGE
FIREWORKS DISPLAY at 9 p.m. this Thursday will kick off
the opening of the Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas. Earlier in the
evening, the 696-room property, formerly known as the San Remo
hotel-casino, will welcome 40 Hooters calendar girls, NFL Hall of
Famer Dan Marino and model Brook Burke. Other activities planned
for opening weekend include a celebrity blackjack tournament; a
pool party and pig roast; and pre-Super Bowl Chalk Talk. For more
information about the property or to make reservations, call (866)
LVHOOTS or visit www.hooterscasinohotel.com.
THE
493-ROOM HYATT REGENCY Lake Las Vegas Resort is getting a
$4 million face-lift. When the project is completed, all of the
propertys guest rooms will feature new furniture, textured walls,
draperies and carpet as well as new bedding, while bathrooms will
receive a fresh look and will offer the chains new Portico bath
products. Corridors throughout the property also will be perked up
with new carpeting and custom wall sconces.
CASINO
MONTELAGO, also located at Lake Las Vegas, is celebrating
the upcoming Super Bowl weekend in a big way. The facility will
host a free autograph session for members of its Club Uno frequent
player program with Max McGee, Fuzzy Thurston and NFL Hall of Famer
Paul Hornung -- all members of the Super Bowl I champion Green Bay
Packers. The session is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on
Saturday in the Il Caverna Lounge. For more information, visit www.casinomontelago.com.