Vegas Hotel News for November 29, 2007

Just a few quick Vegas notes of interest for this week regarding upcoming hotel developments and renovations:

• Palazzo, the Venetian’s new tower, has pushed back the soft opening date one week from December 20 to December 28. No reason has been given for the delay, but all those who had reservations from the 20th to 27th are being contacted about switching their reservations to elsewhere on the Venetian property. The grand opening celebration is still on track, though, for the weekend of January 17-19. Between December 28 and the grand opening, some of the tower’s nine restaurants, including Charlie Trotter’s steakhouse and Emeril Lagasse’s Creole restaurant Table 10, will open. The Canyon Ranch Spa and Jay-Z’s 40/40 nightclub will also open during this month. The 50-store Shoppes at the Palazzo will open during the grand opening weekend, on January 18, and the Vegas version of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys has already started selling seats for performances beginning April 4, 2008.

• A new expansion project by the Silverton is a continuation of the resort’s upgrade plans announced earlier this year. The $130 million project will include three new restaurants, a 1,500-space parking garage, an additional 35,000-square-feet of casino space and a massive entertainment and aquatic venue that will house five pools, cabanas, bars, and a concert venue capable of housing up to 2,000. The completion date is slated for sometime in 2009.

• The Crown Las Vegas has been downgraded even further by an announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration that it will not approve the tower’s plans if it rises above 1,064 feet. Original plans called for the tower to be one of the tallest free-standing structures in the U.S., at 1,888 feet. It was then scaled back to 1,550 feet, but the FAA says that height will still prove to be a danger to the flight paths at McCarran Airport. Construction on the resort can’t even begin until the height is approved by all parties involved.

• Construction has begun, however, on the new M Resort, south of Mandalay Bay, at the intersection of S. Las Vegas Blvd and St. Rose Parkway. The project is being spearheaded by Anthony Marnell III, and the first phase of the resort is reportedly modeled after The Rio, which was built his father. Slated to be finished in spring 2009, this first phase, which includes an 11-story tower with 390 rooms, a 90,000-square-foot casino, eight restaurants, a 20,000-square-foot spa and a 100,000-square-foot pool area, will open ahead of both Encore and CityCenter.

• Speaking of CityCenter, the budget for the project has been raised by another $400 million to a new total of $7.8 billion. The additional funds are reportedly needed to cover the costs of additional building materials, such as steel and concrete, than had previously been budgeted for.

• Starting mid-February next year, all of the rooms and suites at the Mirage will be remodeled. The project will include new mattresses and bedding, new light fixtures and new A/C units. King-bedded rooms will be changed to a citrus yellow and ruby red color scheme, while the double-queen rooms will be a mulberry wine and saffron yellow color scheme. Executives at MGM-Mirage say the entire remodel will be done by December 2008.