LAS VEGAS -- A $500 million Mediterranean-style hotel, residential
condominium, retail and office complex will rise next year within
the 2,245-acre Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort property that is
located 17 miles outside the city in Henderson.
Situated on 50 acres in a western corner of the 320-acre private
lake, the Village at MonteLago will showcase a 350-room luxury
Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton's 40,000-square-foot casino will be built to
provide commanding views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Relatively small, the one-room casino will suggest the intimate
atmosphere of Europe's Monte Carlo and be accessible from a grand
staircase leading from the village plaza.
Vine-covered trellises and balconies, balustrades, ornate
bridges and gardens will suggest a Mediterranean setting throughout
the village.
Operating under Nevada gaming laws, the casino will offer
blackjack, roulette and other table games, plus nickel, quarter and
dollar slot machines, according to a Lake Las Vegas
spokeswoman.
A 30,000-square-foot spa will be adjacent to the hotel, and 80
luxury condominiums associated with the Ritz-Carlton are planned,
the spokeswoman said.
Central to the scheme will be a bridge fashioned after the Ponte
Vecchio in Florence, Italy, spanning the western end of the
lake.
Part of the Ritz-Carlton, the structure will feature 75 hotel
rooms with lake and mountain views and designer boutiques.
An Intrawest Village will provide 820 more luxury condos, plus
125,000 square feet to be occupied by boutiques, restaurants and
cafes and 50,000 square feet of office space, the spokeswoman
said.
White beaches, almost a mile of lakeside walkways and boat docks
will create an atmosphere reminiscent of Tuscany, Portofino and the
casino area in Monaco.
Water taxis will be available.
The Village at MonteLago involves an agreement among
Transcontinental Properties Inc., the developer of Lake Las Vegas
Resort; the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. of Atlanta, Ga.; Intrawest Corp.
of Vancouver, and Cook Inlet Region Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska.
The development group also includes the Lake at Las Vegas Joint
Venture outfit.
The partners expect to break ground by the end of the year and
open in late 2001.
Meanwhile, plans for a reservations service are under
discussion, the spokeswoman said.
The existing $4.4 billion Lake Las Vegas Resort community opened
last year as a playground for vacationers, residents and conference
groups within driving distance of the Las Vegas Strip.
Created from the construction of a 120-foot earthen dam, the
lake is a setting for swimming, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking
and also is stocked with game fish to challenge anglers.
The Lake Mead recreational area is located two miles away.
The resort's Hyatt Regency, situated on 21 acres of lakeside
properties, offers 496 hotel rooms, a casino, a fitness center, a
par-72 Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and a Camp Hyatt
children's program.
Meeting groups constitute 70% of the Hyatt clientele, according
to Robert Purdy, director of sales and marketing.
The hotel provides 40,000 square feet of indoor function space
for meetings and banquets.
A meetings dividends program enables Gold Passport members to
earn up to 50,000 bonus points per meeting.
As part of a new customer service initiative, Hyatt provides a
meetings concierge to assist delegates.
Anxious to expand its family business, the Hyatt is featuring a
Lake in the Sun on Sale rate.
The rate is $145, single or double occupancy, during Labor Day
weekend.
The same program, which enables people under age 18 to stay
free, is available through the end of September.
An $88 travel agent awareness rate also is available.
A Slice of Paradise incentive program gives travel agents one
personal night at any Hyatt property for a client booking of four
consecutive nights.
Hyatt Regency operates its own reservations system and
participates in package deals with America West Vacations, Gogo
Tours and Travel Impressions.
Lake Las Vegas Resort
Phone: (800) 564-1603 or (702) 567-1205
Web: www.lakelasvegas.com/index6.htm
Hyatt Regency
Phone: (800) 55-HYATT
Web: www.lakelasvegas.hyatt.com