While thinking of Las Vegas, you’ll likely imagine mid-western retirees with
glazed eyes playing the slot, feathery and glittery showgirls, the spectacle of
the $8.95 all-you-can-eat banquet, and The Strip--neon ablaze, looking
otherworldly as it appears in silhouette against the night sky.
But the Las Vegas of today has quietly morphed into a serious business travel
destination. If you’ve attended a conference or trade show there recently,
you’ll know what I mean: The convention center is at least as aesthetically and
technologically sophisticated as its counterparts in Europe. The quality of the
food and beverages at hotels and independent restaurants is superb. The
special-events professionals have the talent, infrastructure and imagination to
create big budget, over-the-top spectacles as well as quiet, refined affairs.
I found all this out for myself when I went on a familiarization tour
sponsored last month by MGM
Mirage, which owns several Las Vegas mainstays--Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand,
Bellagio, Luxor and New York New York among others.
Surprising Sophistication in Sin City
The hotels--what a surprise these were to me on my last visit. When I had
last been in Sin City during the 1980s, I elbowed my way through horribly smoky
lobbies jingling with the canned tinkle of gaming machines even to get to the
front desk. Hotels had room counts in the thousands, and I had to walk for what
felt like miles to get from the elevator to my room.
The lobbies now are gorgeous and set the stage for guest rooms that look like
stills from an Elle Decor photo shoot: They have a clean, mostly contemporary
design with lavish touches--high thread-count duvet covers instead of polyester
bedspreads, upscale bathroom amenities, and interesting rather than
off-the-shelf artwork on the walls. As a nod to the number of conventioneers
Vegas draws, the rooms also accommodate working professionals: Desks are
spacious, task lighting is at hand and there are outlets galore for various
plug-ins.
And while there are still hotels whose room counts are above 4,000, the trend
is more toward more modest architectural footprints. If a hotel adds room count,
it’s in a tower, and new buildings are more on the boutique size.
The Harmon Hotel, set to open in 2009, is a case in point. It will have 207
units.
You Get a Lot of Hotel for the Money
The number-one reason to hold meetings in Las Vegas may be affordability.
You get a lot of hotel for the money. Room rates are well below the industry
average, and an enormous variety of hotels offers accommodations at various
tiers. That includes four-star properties, such as The Signature rooms at the
MGM Grand, which are
no-smoking and no-gaming. As for airfare, several discount airlines (such as
Southwest Airlines,
JetBlue Airways,
Virgin America and
Spirit Airlines)
serve Las Vegas, and their presence has had a dampening effect on prices of the
major airlines. Go in the off-season, and you can snag great bargains.
Reason number two is the convenience. I don’t mean Las Vegas' proximity to
population centers on the West Coast--which are a quick flight away. I mean
convenience for program planners. If you’re arranging a special event, you have
umpteen choices for a setting. You can hold a private cocktail party at the
Brooklyn Bridge at New
York New York or at any of several
Mandalay Bay
attractions: the Mandalay Bay Beach (which even has sand and waves), the Shark
Reef Aquarium or the Eye Candy Sound Lounge and Bar. The latter has three sound
stations adjacent to the dance floor, where guests can use their iPods to
collaborate with the lounge’s DJ or pit their play-lists against their
colleagues'. Groups of up to 300 people can take over all or part of the lounge
for private functions.
The World's Best Dining
Want to organize a "dine-around?" The choices are staggering, especially
since many of the world’s finest restaurateurs have set up Las Vegas outposts:
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion at the MGM Grand), Alain Ducasse (Mix
at TheHotel at Mandalay Bay), Tom Colicchio (Craftsteak
at the MGM Grand), Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu
at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino), Emeril Lagasse (Emeril’s
New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand). Bobby Flay (Mesa
Grill at Caesar’s Palace),
Daniel Boulud Brasserie (Wynn Las Vegas), Wolfgang Puck (Spago
Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Prime
Steakhouse at Bellagio) and Charlie Palmer (Aureole
at Mandalay Bay). Need help with planning a big event?
MGM Mirage
Events is available to assist with props, graphic design, invitations,
floral fashions and entertainment.
Another spot tailor-made for groups is
Tuscany Kitchen at Bellagio, the first exhibition kitchen of its kind in the
city. Flexible packages have been created to accommodate 15-60 guests that are
offered a group cooking demonstration or tasting event using the hotel’s
culinary talent. Don’t worry about overindulging; the Bellagio has a spa that’s
also been created with groups in mind. The workout facility is extraordinary,
and there are enough treatment rooms (56) to make sure attendees won’t have any
trouble getting an appointment.
I was so impressed with the new, improved Vegas that I’m organizing my own
event--a girlfriend getaway--for mid-January. I’m channeling my inner planner
and am dreaming up the itinerary now. There will be lots of dining, a visit to
Ethel M’s and at
least one deep coconut surrender (it’s a massage, not a dessert, but it’s a
confection nonetheless). The rest of the details, I’m happy to say, will have to
stay in Las Vegas.