Las Vegas' Latest and Greatest Resort

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

18 Jan 2008 11:00 PM

It's been nearly three years since the Strip in Las Vegas has welcomed a new hotel and The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino plans to make the wait well worth it for guests.

The $1.9 billion resort opens its doors to the public this weekend with a massive celebration complete with fireworks, a Diana Ross concert and a private dinner cooked up by the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali.

The Palazzo is now the tallest hotel tower in Vegas (featuring some 3,000 guest rooms) and some say it is slightly more elegant than its iconic sister property The Venetian Resort. Together, they boast 7,100 suites. Since the entire hotel is run by a central reservation system, the combined properties now form the world's largest hotel by room count. And speaking of records, according to the company, when combined The Palazzo, The Venetian and the Sands Expo and Convention Center form the world's biggest indoor structure at 19 million square feet.

Both The Palazzo and The Venetian resorts have Canyon Ranch SpaClubs and restaurants from Puck, Batali and Lagasse. They are also home to Tony Award-winning musicals. In the spring Jersey Boys opens for a permanent run at The Palazzo while The Venetian has a Vegas-sized version of Phantom of the Opera.

But, make no mistake the two resorts are not identical. The Palazzo boasts a striking 60-story glass atrium and a 25-foot waterfall and offers the most highly anticipated addition to Las Vegas' already ultra-luxe shopping options with the debut of Sin City's first Barneys New York, complete with its own valet and entrance on the Strip. The 450,000-square-foot retail area also boasts such Vegas firsts as boutiques by Christian Louboutin, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Michael Kors.

The Palazzo's guest rooms are furnished with sleeker colors and textures as opposed to The Venetian's old, embroidered fancy fabric. Resort managers say The Palazzo caters to visitors who are more comfortable in accommodations that have a more modern cleaner feel.

And despite Vegas now being home to more than 137,000 hotel rooms, owners of The Palazzo say they have no doubt they will be able to fill their property to capacity in the months to come.

Guess you should make your reservations now.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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