Saturday, July 25, 2009

Mandarin Oriental Hotel to Open December 2009 in Las Vegas at CityCenter

MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LAS VEGAS SET TO DEBUT IN DECEMBER
Prestigious Luxury Hotel and Residences to Open in New CityCenter Development

HONG KONG – July 13, 2009 – Opening in early December 2009, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas will be a sophisticated sanctuary of modern elegance in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Ideally located at the entrance of CityCenter, the extraordinary urban resort destination, the 47-story, non-gaming hotel is poised to bring spectacular accommodations, superlative dining, an unparalleled spa, and the legendary service of the renowned Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to Las Vegas for the first time.

Designed by the award-winning architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, with contemporary interior design by Adam D. Tihany, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas offers 392 spacious and luxuriously appointed rooms and suites and 227 residences. The hotel’s impressive “Sky Lobby” is located on the 23rd floor, providing a stunning arrival experience with glittering views over the Las Vegas skyline. Every guestroom will have exceptional technological enhancements, including keyless door locks and automated control panels that allow guests to manage the lighting, room temperature and entertainment systems at the touch of a button. Three lavish presidential suites are featured on the hotel’s top floors, each measuring over 3,200 square feet.

A host of stylish dining and cocktail venues will be offered at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, including a celebrated signature restaurant and an all-day dining establishment, MOzen Bistro, which will feature authentic Asian dishes and multi-national fare. Located on the 23rd floor, Mandarin Bar will offer a vibrant, boutique atmosphere with stunning views setting the backdrop for a night on the town. The intimate Tea Lounge will be positioned adjacent to the Sky Lobby to provide guests a scenic meeting place for a refreshing beverage. For those on the go, Amore Patisserie, located directly on Las Vegas Boulevard, will serve a variety of gourmet foods, pastries, coffees and teas.

The two-level, 27,000-square-foot Spa will be a prominent feature of the hotel, with 17 treatment rooms, multiple relaxation and water experiences, an expansive Fitness Center and dedicated yoga studio. The Spa will provide a tranquil environment and a completely holistic experience based on the union of modern techniques and Eastern traditions. Guests of the hotel and Residence owners will also enjoy a magnificent pool facility with 20 cabanas and a Pool Café, serving seasonal, light fare.

With more than 12,000 square feet of elegantly designed function space, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas will offer the ideal setting for intimate gatherings or for as many as 600 guests. Conveniently situated on the hotel’s third level and flooded in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the 7,650-square-foot Oriental Ballroom and the hotel’s three smaller function rooms are all equipped with state-of-the-art technology systems, and spacious pre-function areas. A dedicated event planning team will ensure every function is executed with the uncompromising attention to detail for which Mandarin Oriental is famed.

“Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas will provide consistently dedicated service levels and a haven of serenity for guests visiting our newest destination. We look forward to our opening this December and bringing Mandarin Oriental’s renowned levels of service to this important leisure destination,” said Rajesh Jhingon, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.

About Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels, resorts and residences. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, 41 hotels representing over 10,000 rooms in 25 countries, with 17 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and 10 in Europe and North Africa. In addition, the Group operates, or has under development, 13 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, connected to the Group’s properties.
Photography of Mandarin Oriental is available to download, in high and low resolution, in the Photo Library of our Media section, at www.mandarinoriental.com.

About CityCenter
CityCenter is an unprecedented urban metropolis that will open in late 2009 on 67 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) and Infinity World Development Corps, a subsidiary of Dubai World. CityCenter will feature ARIA, a 61-story, 4,004-room gaming resort; luxury non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental and Vdara Hotel; Veer Towers, the development’s only strictly residential buildings; and Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. Vdara, Mandarin Oriental and Veer Towers will include approximately 2,400 residences total. Additionally, The Harmon, a 400-room luxury boutique hotel, is slated to open at CityCenter in late 2010. CityCenter also will feature a resident Cirque du Soleil production celebrating the timeless musical legacy of Elvis Presley; and an unparalleled Fine Art Collection with works by acclaimed artists including Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer, Nancy Rubins, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, among others. CityCenter is a design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and eight internationally acclaimed architectural firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Helmut Jahn, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Viñoly, Foster + Partners*, Studio Daniel Libeskind*, Rockwell Group and Gensler. Charting a new course for responsible growth in Las Vegas, MGM MIRAGE is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification at CityCenter. As planned, the 18-million-square-foot, multi-use project will become one of the world’s largest environmentally sustainable urban communities. For more information about CityCenter, please visit www.citycenter.com.

* As a consultant to AAI Architects, Inc.

-end-

For further information, please contact:
Corporate Office
Jill Kluge (jillk@mohg.com)
Group Communications – Global
Tel: +44 (20) 7908 7810

Sally de Souza (sallydes@mohg.com)
Group Communications – Asia
Tel: +852 2895 9160

Catherine Roberts (croberts@mohg.com)
Group Communications - Europe
Tel: +44 (20) 7908 7812

Danielle DeVoe (ddevoe@mohg.com)
Group Communications – United States
Tel: +1 (212) 830 9380
www.mandarinoriental.com

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Venetian Suites in Las Vegas


Venetian Suite, Las Vegas
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
Five luxury hotel casino properties on the strip that get a lot of buzz as "THE place to stay in Las Vegas" are the Wynn and her new companion property the Encore, the Venetian and her companion Palazzo Las Vegas, and the Bellagio.

If you find fault with the rooms in any of these places you probably need to get your head examined (or you are way too wealthy).

Our Venetian king bed suite was even more splendid than the online photos suggest and an incredible bargain at the $109 "Twitter Special" rate offered there every few weeks.

The beautiful bath complete with double sinks and a TV made this a splendid room but it was combined with a beautiful king sized bed area next to a sunken living room with a large couch, desk, and table. The room was spotlessly clean and elegantly appointed.

Note as usual that if you can adjust your Las Vegas visits to mid-week where there are no holidays or major conventions you will enjoy a *huge* savings on luxury rooms which are often less than half the weekend costs. Even rooms of regular quality such as those at the older strip hotels like the Sahara or Tropicana are going to be cheaper mid-week. Where you should expect to pay $150 for the Venetian mid week you'll probably find rooms at the Sahara for under $50. Note though that Las Vegas mid week offers you the kind of luxury you can't enjoy elsewhere at any price, so I think a good "budget with style" strategy is to stay in luxury on weekdays and move to a modest priced hotel for the weekends.

Venetian Hotel Suite, Las Vegas

Our Suite at the Venetian in Las Vegas was really impressive with a sunken living room/office area below the bedroom. The bathroom was huge and elegant with two sinks, deep tub, shower, makeup corner.

These suites are usually an amazing bargain Sun-Thursday but the price will rise to $250+ per night on the weekends. For a great vegas vacation get a good airline deal and go *mid week* to enjoy many of the same hotel amenities as the big players for about 1/2 the cost.

Bellagio Fountains and Paris Hotel

This is a great shot taken by my friend Tom from *behind* the Bellagio Fountains inside the Bellagio looking out to Paris Las Vegas with Bally's on the left.

The Bellagio Fountains are one of the "must see" attractions when you are in Las Vegas with a spectacular water and music show throughout the day for most of the day through about midnight.

Other amazing attractions inside the Bellagio are the nature conservatory, sculpted glass ceiling by Chiluly, a massive chocolate fountain, and Cirque du Soleil's spectacular show "O" where the performers constantly test the limits of human acrobatic magnificence with unbelievable jumps, dives, and synchronized acrobatics.

This acrobatic and artistic virtuosity, combined with surreal imagery and music in one of the world's most sophisticated and ultra-engineered stage settings, makes "O" one of the world's most exciting and amazing stage shows.