The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, Las Vegas

The Venetian hotel is a 5 Star high quality hotel and like all the hotels in Las Vegas it is a spectacularly decorated and themed hotel based on Venice with a canal that goes from a lagoon on the outside right through the middle of the hotel and various squares restaurants and shopping malls inside.
Nothing can prepare you for the brilliant and opulence of the hotel. Looking at pictures and its web site you are ill prepared for what you are ...
...you arrive at the arrivals area of the hotel foyer. It is a covered area and the porters and car directors are dressed in traditional black trousers, striped T-shirts and straw hats giving the impression that they are gondoliers. The area is quite busy and you need to have your wits about you as cars constantly drive in and drop off passengers and pick up passengers leaving the hotel. There are pedestrian walk ways which I would advise you to keep ... more

The Venetian hotel is a 5 Star high quality hotel and like all the hotels in Las Vegas it is a spectacularly decorated and themed hotel based on Venice with a canal that goes from a lagoon on the outside right through the middle of the hotel and various squares restaurants and shopping malls inside.
Nothing can prepare you for the brilliant and opulence of the hotel. Looking at pictures and its web site you are ill prepared for what you are about to see. After a short trip from the Airport you arrive at the arrivals area of the hotel foyer. It is a covered area and the porters and car directors are dressed in traditional black trousers, striped T-shirts and straw hats giving the impression that they are gondoliers. The area is quite busy and you need to have your wits about you as cars constantly drive in and drop off passengers and pick up passengers leaving the hotel. There are pedestrian walk ways which I would advise you to keep to.

There are potted flower displays and lovely old fashioned lamps that make it feel as you have stepped back in time and you are in a different world leading up to the main doors. Once inside you are immediately gasping for breath due to the sight that greets you.

IN the centre of the foyer there is a water display after which there is the check in area with a massive mural on the wall behind the check in desk. Every where you look there are gold leaf finishes. There is also a concierge desk where you can ask for advice book shows are car hire restaurant bookings etc. I have never checked in at this desk but have checked in upstairs at the Venezia towers. There is a lift to the right of this check in desk which takes you up to the foyer of the Venezia towers.
The check in desk and staff are quite efficient and you are never kept very long even when there are a lot of people checking in. This area is fitted out in Period furniture and over looks the pool area.

To reach your rooms you have to approach and show your room card to the security officer who are on duty 24/7 which is quite nice as it makes you feel quite secure. The corridors are vast and almost always empty so having that extra feeling of security and safety is a bonus. There are four lifts to whisk you up to your floor. Even inside the lifts they are tastefully decorated with nice lighting, wood panelling, mirrors and decorative tiled flooring. On reaching your floor you come out of the lift and have to look for the wing in which you will find your room.

There is thick carpeting in the hallways which dampens down the footsteps of other guests. On reaching our room we used the electronic key to gain entry via the double doors. Once inside again you are taken aback at how big the rooms are. These are not just hotel rooms these are all suites and they vary in size. The suite we had had a massive foyer area which had a table in it. In fact this area was a wasted area unless of course you wanted to store your suitcases here which is what we did. You then enter the bedroom area which contains either a King sized bed or two queen beds. There is an armoire and bedside cabinets and a large flat screened television on the wall. The bed roomed area is on a slight elevation overlooking the sitting room and it has a galleried feel to it but in reality it is only two steps down.

The sitting area is tastefully furnished with sofas, a coffee table, armoire containing a safe and fridge, another flat screen television. There are chairs, a table and a writing desk. There are different lamps and lights you can use to create the perfect ambiance. There are various magazines on the coffee table and what’s on in Vegas magazine. There a fax phone and internet connection for $10 dollars a day which I think is very expensive. There are panoramic windows which either look out over the strip, the pool area or out towards the surrounding mountains.

Next to the bedroom is the massive walk in wardrobe and marbled bathroom. There is a large powerful shower, a large bath and a his and hers sink. The water was always piping hot and always at good pressure. I loved the shower as it was multi directional with shower heads at different levels. The fittings are all gold coloured and it looks very tasteful indeed. The towels are white soft and fluffy and a couple of dressing gowns in the wardrobe.

The rooms are very comfortable and are a peaceful haven away from the phrenetic pace of Las Vegas and the casino. However the hotel management don’t want you in your room they want you out and spending your money.

The casino is a resort and it has swimming pool areas which are tastefully designed all in keeping with the Italian theme with columns and statues of Roman goddesses, privet topiary all over the place making it feel as if you are somewhere in Italy.

The facilities inside the resort are amazing. Along the canal there are various shops selling quite expensive clothes art work and all kinds of upmarket things. The ceiling is painted light blue with fluffy white clouds giving you the impression that you are outside although you are inside. The canal ends in St. Marks square where there are a lot of restaurants and at different times of the day various displays of miming figurines or music ensembles to entertain the hoards of visitors to the hotel. You are free to enter any of the hotels along the strip to view what is inside because you are sure to spend some money inside.

There are various food outlets with prices ranging from cheap to very expensive. One of the restaurants I would highly recommend is the Grand Lux café right near the casino. The prices are mid range and fairly reasonable however bear in mind you are in America and portions are massive with a capital M. There is also a food court where you can buy fast food type delights such as pizza, burgers, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican food. There are coffee outlets and ice cream vendors all over the place.

The casino is vast and is running 24 hours a day. There will always be someone in the casino either trying to win back the money they have lost or whiling away the hours playing on the one armed bandits.

There are all kinds of tables from Roulette, poker, roll the dice and a big wheel. The hotel tries anyway and by means of getting money off you. There are no clocks anywhere in the hotel so that you can get carried away and all of a sudden you realise it is 3 AM and yet it seems like it is still daylight. There are no windows either so you can never gauge the time of day as the hotel just keeps rolling whatever the time of day.

There are also shows staged in the hotel in purpose built theatres. Andrew Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the opera, the blue man group and theJersey boys.

There is a Madam Tussauds wax works just over the Rialto Bridge at the front of the hotel and guests can receive discounts to visit it. There is also a small art gallery from the Guggenheim museum.

I have stayed in both the Venezia towers and the main building several times and there is little to distinguish between either. That being said I have stayed in other hotels on the strip and always gravitate back to the Venetian and have always received excellent service. At times it can seem a bit impersonal because of the vastness of the hotel but overall I still think it is the best hotel in Las Vegas for me anyway.

I would recommend this hotel to everyone visiting Las Vegas. Deals are sometimes much better by booking direct with the hotel. Check out their web site. WWW.Venetian.com

Room rates range from special deals of $99 dollars a night upwards which if you can get a deal like this is excellent value for money bearing in mind 4 people can effectively and comfortably sleep in the room which works out roughly about £13-14 a head per night based on four people.

The only thing is that it is fantastic hotel and quite amazing, very ornate and opulent whilst although the website is brilliant it does not prepare you for how vast this hotel is. Believe me someone will have to pick your jaw up from the floor when you first walk in!!!
 

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