Headline News

New Aria and Vdara Hotels now accepting bookings for 2010

Two new highly anticipated properties, the 4,004-room Aria Resort & Casino and the 1,495-suite Vdara Hotel, are now accepting group bookings for 2010 and beyond.  Both hotels are part of the visually stunning MGM-Mirage CityCenter project, an “urban metropolis” set on 67 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo hotels on the Las Vegas Strip.

The 61-story Aria  is scheduled to open December 16. Among its many amenities will be 300,000 sq, ft. of meeting and pre-function space,  150,000 sq. ft. of gaming, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and lounges and an 80,ooo sq. ft. spa. Aria will also feature an 1,800-seat theater that will be home to a Cirque du Soleil production that celebrates the musical legacy of Elvis Presley.

In addition to 10,000 sq. ft. of conference space, the 57-story Vdara will include the Silk Road restaurant, Bar Vdara and the 16,000 sq. ft. Vdara Health & Beauty spa .

Aria and Vdara will be innovative standard-bearers for environmental sustainability. Both properties are seeking LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

For more information about Aria, contact Gail Fitzgerald, senior vice president, hotel sales & marketing at (702) 590-7171 or email her at gfitzgerald@arialasvegas.com.  To learn more about Vdara, contact Tara Russell, vice president of hotel sales and marketing, at (702) 590-2328, or e-mail her at TRussel@vdara.com.

Leading DMC Baskow & Associates expands speaker and housing services

Baskow & Associates, an award-winning and highly-credentialed destination management company that serves a global clientele from the Fortune 1000, has added a speakers bureau and expanded its housing and registration services.

“We’ve always booked speakers for clients,” says CEO/owner Jaki Baskow, who founded the company 33 years ago. “But because the role of a speaker is so much more important these days, we decided to provide a speaker booking service every day.”

Baskow’s roster includes Rudy Reutigger, the would-be Notre dame football star immortalized in the hit movie Rudy, and Eva Longoria-Parker, star of Desperate Housewives. “She’s an amazing woman,” says Baskow. “Beyond the woman and the actress is an incredible entrepreneur. She talks about how to win in today’s world.”

An expanded housing and registration division of Baskow & Associates provides turnkey online registration services that can be customized for individual clients. Services include web design, online surveys and web hosting. Clients have access to 24/7 management reports via a secure web portal.

“Clients especially like our call center services,” says Alec Sonenthal, senior account manager for housing and registration. “We act as an extension of their meeting team.”

Baskow also offers on-site registration services.

For more information, contact Jaki Baskow at (702) 547-5101 or by e-mail at jaki@baskow.com.

JW Marriott Las Vegas: 10 years of quiet excellence

For planners who want to make good use of Las Vegas but shun the Strip, this gem offers an oasis of luxury — and value.

By John Buchanan

JW Marriott rooms average about 560sqft

Rooms average about 560sqft

The 548-room, AAA Four Diamond JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, rendered in Spanish Revival style and sprawled across 54 acres of lush grounds, is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. But it is still a relatively well-kept secret among planners who relish Las Vegas as a destination, but want to avoid the Strip as home base.

Located in Summerlin, about 25 minutes from McCarran International Airport and 20 minutes northwest of the Strip, the JW Marriott offers a formidable portfolio of benefits and perks aside from the comfort and sophistication of its sleeping rooms, which include luxury bedding, whirlpool baths and European showers.
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Unique venue: Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art

In one of the city’s most incongruous and pleasant surprises, you can serve an art-inspired menu and deliver intellectual stimulation.

By Carol Thomas

Showcasing magnificent works of art.

Showcasing magnificent works of art.

It’s not often that planners discover a truly unique venue, particularly one that jolts one’s sensibility about time and place. But that’s exactly what happens at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.

Although the 2,746 sq. ft. exhibit space, which is currently showcasing the works of “Lichtenstein, Warhol & Friends,” is not incongruous with the stately, sublime elegance of the 3,933-room, AAA Five Diamond, Mobil Four Star Bellagio, it is blatantly incongruous with the rest of Las Vegas, with the obvious exception of Wynn Las Vegas (Steve Wynn developed Bellagio as one of his early Las Vegas triumphs). That reality is reinforced by the fact that the gallery at Bellagio is the only gallery of fine art in the entire city.
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Hot-dogging the Strip: legendary ‘Pinks’ to debut at Planet Hollywood

Pink’s Hot Dogs, the legendary Los Angeles wiener emporium that has wowed Hollywood celebrities with its simple but divine products for 70 years, will debut a Las Vegas outpost in August at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

“With its celebrity kitsch, quality of food and great value, this is a perfect time to bring the iconic Pink’s brand to Las Vegas,” says Billy Richardson, CEO of the new Pink’s Las Vegas and also creator of LBS: A Burger Joint.

The 1,900 sq. ft. Pink’s Hot Dogs Las Vegas, located inside Planet Hollywood but also accessible directly from the Strip, will offer 14 products, including its time-tested top dogs – the Stretch Chili Cheese Dog, Chicago Polish Dog and Rosie O’Donnell Long Island Dog. In addition to hot dogs, Pink’s will offer classic American burgers and chips and salsa. And in a bow to the culture of its new home, Pink’s will offer alcoholic beverages.

The restaurants will have indoor and outdoor seating.

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