LAS VEGAS -- actually, Nevada -- is set to welcome
its first Westin hotel on July 1. Located in the former Maxim hotel
and casino, the 825-room Westin Casuarina Hotel & Spa, which is
undergoing a $75 million renovation, will offer a
21,000-square-foot casino with 400 slot machines and 10 table
games, an 11,000-square-foot spa and 14,310 square feet of meetings
space. Room rates have not yet been set, but they will be
commissionable to agents at 10%. In addition, the property will
offer discounted rates for agents and will host fam trips. For more
information about the property, which is not taking room
reservations yet but is booking meetings, agents can call (702)
836-9775.
THE RITZ-CARLTON Lake Las Vegas is a 349-room
hotel -- the first Ritz-Carlton in the Silver State -- that opened
last month as part of the Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, just
17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. One section of the hotel that
spans the lake is a three-level bridge modeled after the
Pontevecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. It contains 77 hotel rooms
and links the property to the MonteLago Village, a mix of retail
shops and restaurants set to open in May as well as the
40,000-square-foot Casino MonteLago, which will open in April. The
hotel also features two restaurants, 36,000 square feet of meetings
and event space and the 30,000-square-foot Spa Vita di Lago. For
more information, call (800) 241-3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com.
THE LAS VEGAS CONVENTION and Visitors Authority
(LVCVA) is spotlighting the cultural diversity of the city's
resorts and attractions through a 60-page multicultural guide. The
publication highlights seven groups -- African-American,
Asian/Pacific Islander, European, Hispanic, Jewish, Middle Eastern
and Native American -- and includes a calendar of ethnic and
cultural celebrations held in the city through August. It also
includes contact information for area ethnic organizations and
attractions. The guide is available for free at LVCVA visitor
information centers and at travel trade shows or by calling (702)
892-0711.
PALMS CASINO RESORT, a 430-room property, now
features two 1,200-square-foot "playpen suites," designed for
private parties, with retro 1960s' color schemes, custom fabrics, a
stripper pole, a king-size Murphy bed, mirrored walls and ceilings
and a wooden dance floor. The suites also offer a connecting
bedroom with two double beds and two full bathrooms. Packages,
which include limousine transfers to and from McCarran Airport and
a $150, one-time room service credit, run $1,000 per night mid-week
and $1,500 on weekends. The suites are commissionable on a
case-by-case basis. For more information, phone (866) 725-6773.
THE PALMS, which has a 14-screen Brenden
Theatres complex, will host the CineVegas Int'l Film Festival June
13-21. In its fourth year, the 2003 rendition will feature
screenings of independent films, conferences and workshops as well
as a celebrity blackjack tournament. Ticket prices range from $50
for a student pass to $650 for the Sands Pass, a ticket package
that allows full access to all festival events. For more details,
call (702) 368-2890 or visit www.cinevegas.com.