Travel agents gathering for the ASTA World Travel Congress can make
a safe bet on a week filled with excitement in Las Vegas.
Casinos will vie for the delegates' attention against theme
parks, shopping malls, restaurants and area excursions. In fact,
agents might just find that Las Vegas is the ideal place to find
the right mix of business and leisure.
Outside the Las Vegas Convention Center, where delegates will
attend workshops and seminars, and listen to ASTA speakers, a world
of activity awaits.
Desert Passage mall
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority,
more than half of the city's 33.8 million annual visitors indicate
they spend time shopping, spending an average $166 per trip.
International visitors splurge for $254.
A new place to drop some cash is the Desert Passage mall, which
was unwrapped at the grand opening of the Aladdin Resort &
Casino last month.
The 500,000-square-foot, mile-long mall encircles the resort and
features 130 retailers including Tommy Bahama, Napoleon, Billy
Martin's, Aveda, Hugo/Hugo Boss, Royal Selangor and Bernard K.
Passman, Clinique and Sephora.
Big-city restaurants that have opened branches in the mall are
the Commander's Palace of New Orleans, Anasazi of Santa Fe, the
Blue Note Jazz Club of New York, Bice of Milan, Lombardi's and
Josef's of Dallas, and the Beluga Bar and Prana supper club of Los
Angeles.
Spectacular in its scope, the shopping complex draws 50,000
daily visitors.
Reminiscent of the exotic markets of Morocco and India, shops
are etched into an eight-story "mountainside" fronting a re-created
North African harbor berthing a full-size freighter that is
subjected to special-effect "thunderstorms."
Moroccan acrobats and musicians, Arabian and East Indian
dancers, jugglers and body painters entertain.
More shopping
Other retail shops, designer boutiques and high-end department
stores flourish in a concentrated area along the Strip.
The two-level Fashion Show on Spring Mountain Road features 140
boutiques, plus the Williams-Sonoma, the Sharper Image and
Discovery Channel Store specialty shops.
Owner-developers Rouse Co. and TrizecHahn Corp. are planning an
expansion that will make the retail center among the 10 largest in
the country in 2001.
The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace are old friends to Las Vegas
regulars, with statues of Zeus and Bacchus setting the mood for an
uninhibited spree in Louis Vuitton, Plaza Escada, Gucci, Guess and
Christian Dior.
A replica of St. Mark's Square and a waterway with gondolas add
to the ambience at the Venetian's upscale Grand Canal Shoppes. Some
74 stores line the cobblestone streets.
And visitors browsing the French boutiques in the Le Boulevard
district of Paris-Las Vegas can savor the aroma from nearby wine,
cheese and pastry shops.
Dining tidbits
Delegates who want to grab a bite at a famous eatery will
appreciate Wolfgang Puck's Chinois Cafe or the celebrated Spago
restaurant.
Buffets abound, offering champagne, jumbo shrimp, caviar, chops,
crepes, omelets and a cornucopia of delicacies.
The cold seafood, salads, breads, bouillabaisse, grilled
vegetables, meats and pastries at the Paris-Las Vegas buffet, where
reservations are advised, is a virtual visit to France's Provence
($21.95).
Bally's specializes in meal-size Chinese ribs, steak, prime rib,
rotisserie chicken, fish and pasta ($52.95).
Similarly lavish spreads are offered at the elegant Bellagio
($18.50), the nostalgic Brown Derby at MGM Grand ($37.50) and the
Venetian ($45), with more moderately priced buffets available at
many other places in town.
Agents who would as soon pass up the pate in favor of pastrami
on rye will want to check out the new Corner Deli, located at the
entrance to the shopping concourse in the Regent.
Slowing down
Winding down from all the excitement is possible in public and
resort spas where guests can select from the newest treatments for
the mind, body and spirit.
Shiatsu and Swedish massages to soothe tired muscles, herbal
wraps, aromatherapy and reflexology, steam rooms, saunas and
full-service beauty salons are available.
One notable newcomer in town is the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the
Venetian. Watsu pools, plus a medical and wellness center, are
among the amenities at the Canyon Ranch Spa Club, which was rated
among the top 10 by Conde Nast Traveler.
Thrills
ASTA delegates can recharge aboard the Big Shot and High Roller
thrill rides 100 stories above the ground at the Stratosphere's
tower.
If that doesn't get the adrenaline pumping, MGM Grand
Adventures' 70-mph Skyscreamer, a cross between skydiving and hang
gliding, surely should.
Or, delegates can cool down splashing around at the 16-acre Wet
'N' Wild Water Park.
Entertainment
The hottest shows in town, say Vegas insiders, are comic and
impressionist Danny Gans at the Mirage; the EFX visual and
pyrotechnical presentation starring Tommy Tune at the MGM Grand;
the Cirque du Soleil's Mystere circus acts at Treasure Island, and
the Blue Man Group comedy and music revue at the Luxor.
Golfing
Las Vegas offers 26 public or semi-private courses. The Badlands
Golf Club, the city's first public 27-hole facility, has been
listed among Nevada's top 10 courses by Golf Digest magazine. Tiger
Woods earned his first PGA Tour win at the Las Vegas National Golf
Club.
The Legacy Golf Club's 10th-hole tee boxes are shaped like
spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts.
The Painted Desert course is distinguished by native desert
vegetation.