The Venetian3355 Las Vegas Boulevard SouthLas Vegas, Nevada 89109 Owner: Las Vegas Sands A Little About The Venetian Venetian competes directly with Bellagio to attract the highest of the high rollers. The top-tier high-roller suites at Venetian are larger than the entire casino at many of its more pedestrian neighbors. All of the earthly pleasures you could ever want are there for the asking. Of course, if you want to spend your Vegas vacation in one of these castles in the sky, you'll need to spend your afternoons betting $50,000 per hand or more. Such is the bargain that Venetian makes with its most exclusive guests. Venetian is owned by a fellow named Shel Adelson through his company, Las Vegas Sands. Word is that the post-September 11 downturn in the economy has hit Venetian harder than most places since it depends more on high rollers for its livelihood. Stay tuned to see whether Venetian remains independent. Opulence is unavoidable from the moment you enter Venetian. The 3,036 guest rooms are all suites, featuring a sitting area with a couch and chairs, two televisions, a small desk with a phone and a data port, two queen beds or one king bed, and a mini-bar refrigerator. (If you have to ask how much they charge you to raid the booze, you shouldn't even open the door.) The bathrooms are almost as large as the ones at Bellagio, with a huge shower, a separate soaking tub and wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling marble. On the occasional week night when you can get a room at Venetian for $150 per night or less, they're probably the single best value in Las Vegas. The casino has 120,000 square feet of table games, slots, and the newest and most fancy video machines. As much as the management would like to keep the table limits at $10 or higher, you can often find $5 tables here in the early afternoon or late at night. You can expect them to up the limit as soon as your table reaches critical mass, but they will grandfather you at the old limit. There's a lot to see and do at Venetian. The Canal Shops are at least as swanky as what you find at The Forum Shops or Via Bellagio. The gondola ride is kind of a rip-off, since they get you for $15 a head for a 20 minute cruise that takes 10 minutes to walk. The wandering troupes of performers are annoying as hell, but the Baby Boomer tourists love them. The two Guggenheim museums at Venetian bring an almost surreal enclave of culture and civility to the middle of Sin City. And if creepy wax sculptures of celebrities are your bag, Madame Tussaud's wax museum is right up your alley. (It's pronounced "Too-sew," by the way, and they get really snooty on you if you screw it up!) The Canyon Ranch Spa is said to be one of those places where you can die happy, but make your reservations in advance! Submit your own comment on The Venetian. |