Venetian August Special - Suite, Two Phantom Tickets, Credits for $119 weekdays.

Visiting Las Vegas could hardly be more affordable than it is this summer as the economy continues to hammer away at profits and first rate Las Vegas venues continue to drop prices in an effort to lure customers to the casino. Venetian Special

The Venetian suites are fantastic (Palazzo's too but I have not stayed there), and Phantom of the Opera is a spectacular play filled with great music. You'd normally pay about $150 for two tickets to this show, so your room is basically "better than free" with this amazing deal.

Obviously your best bet in Vegas is "not betting", but no rollers and low rollers can have a great time in other venues which offer some of the world's best values in terms of vacation bang for the buck.

I just returned from a Travel and History family trip to Europe where we'd often spend $150 and more on nice but modest rooms in big cities like Paris. I could not help but think of the Venetian Suite my wife and I booked last year at $109 plus many credits, which was larger and far more spectacular than any we had in Europe. Of course Paris Las Vegas can't really match "real" Paris (except that it's much cleaner), but in terms of great hotels and amenities at small cost it is hard to beat Las Vegas during discounted times. NOTE - Las Vegas on the weekends / Holidays / and During the Computer Electronics Show CES 2011 or other major events can get VERY expensive, though you'll usually find bargains even in the high season as soon as you venture out from the major venues such as Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn and more along the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas Travel Bargains Galore this Summer

We've noted before that the Las Vegas Economy is suffering mightily from the economic problems that continue to challenge the whole world. However as an entertainment consumer this means some amazing travel bargains for you in one of the world's most amazing cities.

Hotels are offering great to spectacular deals this summer all over the city. In the bargain category you'll find rooms at the budget/ quality hotels like Circus Circus and Palace Station for about $30 per night - often *including* a buffet or two! But why not splurge when the splurging is cheap? Top Las Vegas hotels are having regular deals with beautiful, luxurious suites in the $100 per night range. This often includes some casino play (and generally in my experience the higher end hotels are more "honest" with these credits. For example at the Venetian our slot credits amounted to approximately their face value, where at lesser places the "free play" is often on machines that rarely pay out). Generally you should subtract the actual value of credits and meals from your room cost to get the real value of your room or package deal - though the actual value can be different from the face value claimed by the hotel.

We recommend you start at Kayak.com to find some great prices. Also consider Hotwire.com, especially if you'd like a high-end place and are not picky about which one. However I've found Hotwire is not such a great bargain finder in the Las Vegas area where rates vary enormously from event to event and from day to day. If at all possible you want to hit Vegas mid-week when no major events are in the city. At that time you'll generally pay a *fraction* of the cost for your great room - discounts can be as much as 80% at many hotels where weekend rooms during big events can run $500 per night, down to $100 per night during slow times.

So if you want to live like a celebrity for a few days, consider a quick trip to Vegas this summer.

Las Vegas Economy 2010

The Las Vegas Economy - from gaming to housing to jobs - has suffered greatly since the economic meltdown that hit the USA and continues to slow progress around the globe.

Here, from University of Las Vegas' Center for Business Research, are several resources discussing the current conditions and prospect for Las Vegas as well as the entire state of Nevada:

http://cber.unlv.edu/snecon.html

Latest Nevada business conditions

Current Clark County economic data
Quarterly Indicators: Southern Nevada Business Confidence Index
Las Vegas Housing Market Conditions

Economic Outlook

Economic Overview of Metropolitan Las Vegas
CBER's Annual Economic Outlook
CBER's Midyear Economic Outlook

Las Vegas Pool Tours

Destination 360 has a great feature with virtual tours of over 20 of Las Vegas swimming pool hotspots. Although many people never manage to make it out to the pool during a Las Vegas trip, you should make this part of your plans because the pool architectures alone are worth a visit, especially at the newer premium pools you'll find at Mandalay Bay, the Palazzo Las Vegas, and many more.

Click HERE for the pool tour

Todd English P.U.B. opens at Crystals CityCenter

Now THIS is a Pub people! The new Todd English PUB has opened at Crystals in CityCenter Las Vegas, promising an upscale experience with a raw bar, carvery, and huge selection of draught beers from around the world.

The Las Vegas news has a great article with pictures here.

Crystals is the amazing new retail outlet within CityCenter, MGMs middle strip development that almost was sidelined as the global - and Las Vegas - economies nearly collapsed in 2008/2009. However after injections of cash from CityCenter partner Dubai World, the project is now nearing full completion with Aria Resort and Casino, Mandarin Oriental, Vdara Hotel, and Crystals shopping all going strong.

Viceroy in the Aria Resort

Viceroy in the Aria Resort
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

On your next Las Vegas Trip be sure to tour the new Aria Resort and Casino, Vdara Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Crystals Shopping, and the other new venues located in the beautiful CityCenter developement next to the Bellagio (and easily accessed via a free tram from the Bellagio).

MGM is in the final stages of completing CityCenter and the Aria and Vdara and Crystals are all open with some beautiful interior work.

------- Wynn and Encore Hotels, Las Vegas ------

Wynn and Encore Hotels

Two of Las Vegas' Most Exclusive Venues

No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a look inside and out at Steve Wynn's fabulous Wynn Hotel, one of the key landmarks along the central part of the Las Vegas Strip - the hotspot of Las Vegas Boulevard and home to many of the world's largest and most beautiful hotels.

Wynn Las Vegas | Encore Las Vegas

Steve Wynn's Las Vegas success story is more interesting than that of any big time gambler.

His amazing properties have set new standards worldwide. Wynn parlayed his stake one of Las Vegas early casino hotels, the "Golden Nugget", investing in larger projects including his groundbreaking luxury masterpiece the Bellagio which was later sold to MGM Grand. Wynn built his current masterpiece the Wynn with those profits and followed up with the Encore several years later, one of the more recent additions to the Las Vegas Strip Scape.