Business Travel Las Vegas, NV (USA)

Casinos, Shopping and Entertainment on The Strip

What happens in Vegas? Well, for many of the nearly 40 million who travel to Las Vegas each year, it’s four days and three nights of luxury resorts and casinos, nearly every type of entertainment and show, shopping at some of the best stores, world class dining and chefs, indulgent spa treatments, hotel swimming pools and golf.

Las Vegas is definitely a world class destination. About 27% of its visitors arrive from Southern California, and another 13% are international visitors. What brings so many people to The Strip in Vegas?

• More than 40 hotels
• More than 275 restaurants
• More than 20 resort malls
• More than 150 shows
• More than 100 attractions and activities
• More than 60 golf courses (Vegas area)
• 23 wedding chapels on The Strip; 56 in Vegas

For those who haven’t been there lately, the days of cheap buffets, discount entertainment and practically free hotel rooms are gone. Of course, it’s still possible to find hotel rooms to fit all budgets and some can go to Freemont Street and capture some of the original Las Vegas experience. But Las Vegas today, particularly the 3.5 mile stretch along Las Vegas Boulevard known as The Strip, has expanded the number of luxury hotels and hotel rooms.

And the Vegas nightlife has also changed. Vegas is filled with elaborately themed clubs, offering signature drinks and an “anything goes” attitude.

Many factors contribute to the shift in Vegas. At 94% in 2007, Las Vegas enjoys one of the highest occupancy rates of any city in the world. Las Vegas continues to expand and more resorts and hotels are scheduled to open their doors, promising to offer an increased number of options for both leisure and business travel.

Those who plan travel to Vegas are always curious about what to expect as it relates to their “gaming” habits in casinos, and how much to budget. It may be interesting to know that 84% of all visitors said they gambled while in Las Vegas. The average gaming budget among all visitors who gamed was $555, and visitors spend about 3.4 hours gambling during their stay. This, according to 2007 data from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

Interesting, more than 23,800 meetings, conventions and incentive programs were held in Las Vegas in 2007, accounting for about 16% of total visitors and an economic impact of $8.5 billion in non-gaming revenue. And this doesn’t taken into account the number of small group/social events that are held there as well. In fact, more than 120,000 weddings are performed in Vegas.

Popular Business Travel Hotels in Las Vegas

Aria Hotel Las Vegas, Bellagio Las Vegas, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa, The Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino, The Venetian Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel and Spa, Wynn Las Vegas.

Popular Restaurants in Las Vegas

Boucon at The Venetian (Thomas Keller), Buffet at Bellagio, Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian (Emeril Lagasse), Olives at Bellagio, Postrio at The Venetian (Wolfgang Puck), Sinatra at Encore, Switch at Encore,Tao Asian Bistro at The Venetian, Valentino at The Venetian, Wazuzu at Encore.

Popular Event Venues/Activities in Las Vegas (includes shopping and nightlife)

Blush Nightclub at Wynn, Gallery of Fine Art at Bellagio, “O” Cirque du Soleil, Bellagio Spa and Salon, Blue Man Group at The Venetian, Canyon Ranch SpaClub, Encore Esplanade, Fashion Show Las Vegas, Jersey Boys at The Palazzo, Le Reve at Wynn, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian, Tao Nightclub at The Venetian, The Bank at Bellagio, The Encore Spa and Salon, The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, The Shoppes at The Palazzo, Tryst Nightclub at Wynn, Via Bellagio, XS Nightclub at Encore.

Las Vegas Celebrity Chefs

Historically, major hotel-casinos featured "gourmet rooms" in order to cater to high rollers’ tastes. Each restaurant created an ambiance designed to transport diners to a world far away from the action of the casinos. However, by the late ’90s, high-end eateries became the rage with their appeal extending beyond just high rollers. Las Vegas hotels recruited some of the top chefs in the world to open and run restaurants inside their properties. Today, Las Vegas has the most comprehensive collection of the world’s top chefs and television icons. Continuing to satisfy Las Vegas visitors’ appetites, they include – in alphabetical order:

• Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas)
• Mario Batali (B & B Ristorante and Enoteca San Marco at The Venetian)
• Daniel Boulud (Daniel Boulud at Wynn Las Vegas)
• David Burke (David Burke at The Venetian)
• Kim Canteenwalla (Society Café at Encore)
• Tom Colicchio (Craftsteak at MGM Grand)
• Alain Ducasse (Mix at Mandalay Bay’s THEhotel)
• Todd English (Olives at Bellagio)
• Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill at Mandalay Bay)
• Bobby Flay (Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace)
• Jean-Marie Josselin (8-0-8 at Caesars Palace)
• Joseph Keller (Bistro Zinc at Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas)
• Hubert Keller (Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay)
• Thomas Keller (Bouchon at The Venetian)
• Emeril Lagasse (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand and Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian)
• Mark LoRusso (Botero Steak at Encore)
• Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque at Bellagio at Sirio at ARIA)
• Steve Martorano (Café Martorano at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino)
• Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
• Jean-Philippe Maury (Jean Philippe Patisserie at Bellagio and JP Patisserie at ARIA)
• Maurizio Mazzon (Canaletto at the Venetian and Il Fornaio at the New York-New York and Green Valley Ranch)
• Michael Mina (NOBHILL TAVERN and SEABLUE at MGM Grand, MICHAEL MINA at Bellagio and Strip Steak at Mandalay Bay and American Fish at ARIA)
• Tom Moloney (AquaKnox at the Venetian)
• Rick Moonen (RM Seafood at Mandalay Place)
• Bradley Ogden (Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace)
• Charlie Palmer (Aureole at Mandalay Bay and Charlie Palmer Steak at The Four Seasons)
• Francois Payard (Payard Patisserie at Caesars Palace)
• Marc Poidevin (Switch at Encore)
• Wolfgang Puck (Spago and Chinois at The Forum Shops at Caesars, Postrio at The Venetian, CUT at The Palazzo, Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at MGM Grand)
• Joël Robuchon (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Joël Robuchon at The Mansion at MGM Grand)
• André Rochat (Alizé at the Palms, Andre’s Monte Carlo)
• Guy Savoy (Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace)
• Piero Selvaggio (Valentino at The Venetian and Giorgio and Ristorante at Mandalay Place)
• Julian Serrano (Picasso at Bellagio)
• Theo Schoenegger (Sinatra at Encore)
• Kerry Simon (CatHouse at Luxor, Simon at Palms Place)
• Alessandro Stratta (Alex at Wynn Las Vegas)
• Joachim Splichal (Pinot Brasserie at The Venetian)
• Jet Tila (Wazuzu at Encore)
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Prime at Bellagio and Jean Georges Steakhouse at ARIA)
• Michael White (Fiamma at MGM Grand)
• Takashi Yagihashi (Okada at Wynn Las Vegas)

by Rob Hard

Article Photos © 2008 Rob Hard / RH Communications, Inc.

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