Many call it the city that never sleeps, others call it sin city, but I simply call it by her name:
Since I was a child I was in full amazement of how big all the buildings looked. I loved the hearing of the coins coming out of the slots and the sounds of what I thought were video games.
Now coming back from a 3 year absence to Las Vegas I reaffirm once again why Las Vegas will always be one of my favorite cities.
The Story
Being my dads first Sunday off in ages, my family and I were brainstorming of activities we could do. I had suggested originally the new Santa Monica Place that opened a few days prior. My brother then suggested the Santa Ana Mainplace since we had not gone there before. Since we were looking for a place to roam around and shopping my dad said that we should visit the Fashion Outlets at Primm Valley. My mom followed with the following statement that would change the planning altogether, “Might as well go to Vegas since we will be there”. And the rest is history. (Mind you guys that this all happened SATURDAY night @ 9:00 PM)
24 hrs in Paradise
Its 4:00AM and the Felix Family is en route to Las Vegas, Nevada. During our 4 hour trip we got to see a true masterpiece in the making, sunrise in the desert. We were all pumped up during the trip and we arrived to Las Vegas at 8:30AM. The idea was to roam the city and check out the newest hotels to us. Our first adventure began in Downtown Las Vegas at the Fremont St Experience. It was really cool to see the origins of the city of entertainment. Since I am a true techie I began to log the locations I visited through @foursquare and once checking in The History Channel’s account had tipped that one of the hotels nearby ( The Golden Gate Hotel ) is the oldest standing hotel in operation. It was so happy to know a new fact about the city through social media! After walking around for a good hour we decided to head to the Strip.
Aria, Crystal, and Vdara : Elegance
One of the places I was really interested in visiting during these 24 hrs was the newest section of Las Vegas. Aria, Crystal, Vdara, and the Mandarin Oriental make part of the new section of the Strip called CityCenter Las Vegas. Just by the looks from the outside it gives the impression of an urban city. Parts of the Crystal reminded me of the Walt Disney Concert Hall that we have here in Los Angeles. Inside Aria, you can see and feel right away the elegance of a Las Vegas Resort. After roaming for a while we went outside and noticed that they had a monorail service to all of the sections of th CityCenter and we continued our journey to Vdara. I had never heard about this hotel until we had arrived to Las Vegas. When we entered there was a very relaxing feeling and a scent of flowers around the resort. That was the first time I had noticed in a Las Vegas resort that had a fragrance all over their hotel. The CityCenter also includes a residential area and are up for sale, which I would like to have once I become a billionaire [just like the song] .
Excalibur & Luxor : Pioneering the way of Social Media
It was 1PM and it was time to eat! My family decided to go and eat at the Roundtable Buffet at the Excalibur. When I checked-in at the Excalibur on my dad’s BlackBerry, there was a section I had not seen and it was a SPECIAL Deal link on the check-in. I found that so cool to have tips and specials once you check-in. After eating at the buffet [which by the way, it was really good given the price] we set forth to check its neighboring hotel, The Luxor. Once again, when I checked-in to the hotel i was given a special discount just by saying I was at the hotel on @foursquare. I had later found out that @luxorlv [Luxor’s official Twitter page] had mentioned me. As a marketing student and enthusiast/user of social media I am fascinated of how these multi-billionaire entities that are known worldwide use social media to their advantage and the strategies that they use. I congratulate both Excalibur and Luxor and the rest of the MGM Resorts International for using social media to attract people to their resorts.
The Palazzo & The Venetian: Simply Bellisimo
If you have not visited either resorts you are in for a treat! The Venetian brings out the marvel of this city surrounded with water with its beautiful renaissance paintings. Home of the Blue Man Group and Phantom, it attracts many guests who want to have a very relaxing time. One thing that I did not do this time but have done in the past is their gondola rides. Yes, the Venetian has gone to replicate the world-famous gondola rides and it takes you inside and outside of the resort! Both resorts impressed me as well when I checked in on @foursquare and had special deals for their hotels! A great tip for this resort is that it is FULL of great locations to take pictures! Their Grand Canal Shoppes makes you believe you are at the REAL Venice as the sun is setting down! Look closely and you might see the Human Statues that are simply AMAZING!
Wynn , Encore & Bellagio : Standard Luxury in Las Vegas
I did not know this until coming back home but the man behind the new luxury feel to Las Vegas is none other than Steve Wynn. I am amazed at what he has done not only for being part of the most luxurious resorts ever created but to have the ability of reinventing himself and the resorts and bringing them to the next level. For those who do not know Mr. Wynn, he was the one who built the Golden Nugget, the Mirage, Treasure Island, The Bellagio, and his last two Wynn Las Vegas, and Encore Las Vegas.
The Wynn & Encore are to me the creme de la creme to luxury hotels. They have EVERYTHING you can think of, from relaxing rooms, great scenery[, the hottest new clubs [Tryst], one of the best rated shows [Le Reve ] , the best pools [and a club surrounding the pool] , and even a Ferrari Dealer[which you have to pay $10 to enter unless you are a Ferrari owner]! Just enter to their website and you see what I am talking about!
To end this AMAZING day full of adventure and awe we stayed to see iconic Las Vegas attraction, the Bellagio Fountains. This is something I encourage EVERYONE to visit at least once in their lifetime because it is really beautiful, romantic, and inspiring. You might have seen the fountains in action in the last scene of my favorite movie [Ocean’s Eleven]! I have heard that this location in particular is known as an engagement spot to young couples!
I really hope to come back to this beautiful city [ on my 21st Bday!] and relive all these amazing moments!
Have you visited Las Vegas lately? What is your favorite thing to do there? Gamble? Party? Relax? What hotel do you prefer?
Check out my Flickr stream of the pics I took of Las Vegas!
Through the Eyes of a Marketer 