High Life in the Desert
Your clients can vacation in Vegas like they're the 1 percent

From Sky Suites to Skylofts to Emperor Suites and Luxury Villas, Las Vegas properties offers plenty of choices for your luxury travelers. Vacation Agent recently spoke with top Vegas hotels and resorts to get the lowdown on some of the city’s best high-end accommodations and amenities.
And, remember: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…until you post it all on Facebook.
Aria Resort & Casino (866-359-7757, www.arialasvegas.com) features its famous AAA Five Diamond Sky Suites, ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 square feet. First of all, it’s worth mentioning that Aria didn’t forget the basics before swaddling the 442 Sky Suites with luxurious amenities. Sky Suite beds are known for their comfort. In fact, the hotel narrowed down its choice of beds by asking 200 colleagues to come in and test 100 beds, then vote.
Beyond that, the Sky Suites have advanced technology that actually welcomes guests into the room. Once you open the door, the lights and TV automatically come on and the curtains open. You can then electronically control the temperature, as well as bolt the door from your bed.
The layout has also received rave reviews from guests and hotel general managers alike. Aria’s goal is for guests to have a “unique, unusual sense of calm upon arrival,” said Paul Berry, vice president of hotel operations for Aria.
If you’ve heard of Vegas, chances are you’ve heard of the Fountains of the Bellagio (888-987-6667, www.bellagio.com). The Fountains — which have made numerous appearances in movies and TV shows — are truly a sight to behold. The centerpiece treats guests to a water show, with changing colors accompanied by music.
“That really is a signature for the Bellagio,” said Fletch Brunelle, vice president of hotel sales and marketing.
Naturally, the Fountain View Rooms are popular. In addition to giving guests a front-row seat to the Fountains, the rooms have 40-inch flat-screen TVs, minibars and a rich design. The Grand Lake View Suite is the cream of the crop, located right on the Fountains.
Also on the high end are Bellagio’s nine Luxury Villas ranging from 6,500 to 8,000 square feet. The Tuscany-inspired properties include private entry, a full-service bar, a private salon and a personal workout room. Each villa also has a pool, fireplace and garden.
Guests will also want to check out the Presidential and Chairman suites, which offer panoramic views of the mountains surrounding Las Vegas.
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (877-632-5000, www.fourseason.com/lasvegas) recently renovated 424 of its guestrooms and suites with a design that’s inspired by the Art Deco style.
Guests should check out the hotel’s variety of suites, including the Presidential Strip-View Suite, which features 2,225 square feet of space, complete with panoramic views, a 55-inch flat-screen LED TV and elegant four-poster beds.
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas also renovated its lobby, which now features the new indoor/outdoor bar, PRESS. “I am most excited about the hotel’s new bar, PRESS,” said Erica Johnson-McElroy, director of public relations. The bar features charging docks and workspaces with outlets to accommodate guests who want to sip handcrafted cocktails and munch on small plates and desserts while plugging in their devices.
Oh yeah, and it also boasts a large patio overlooking the hotel’s private pool; this space includes sofa seating, custom lighting and fire pits. “The patio is unlike any other in Vegas,” Johnson-McElroy says.
At Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas (866-526-6567, www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas), the Emperor, Mandarin and Taipan suites separate themselves from the rest.
The Emperor — the hotel’s largest suite — encompasses 3,000 square feet. Located on the 21st floor, high above the Las Vegas Strip, it has a contemporary décor with an Oriental touch. This suite includes Bang & Olufsen TVs and audio systems, a kinesis wall and exercise bike, an interactive entertainment system that integrates iPods and MP3 players, high-definition digital content on demand and fast Internet service.
After earning the Forbes Five Star Award for its restaurant, spa and hotel in January, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas is no stranger to positive feedback.
“The word ‘oasis’ is probably used more than anything else,” says General Manager Cliff Atkinson. Atkinson feels the word fits the hotel perfectly, noting how you can live the Vegas lifestyle, yet still have a “quiet retreat” to come back to at the end of the night.
He also said that having a smaller 400-room hotel allows Mandarin Oriental to create a more unique, personalized experience for guests, while also being nimble enough to adjust to guests’ changing tastes.
“Today’s luxury traveler sees so much. They don’t want to have the same experience,” Atkinson added. “It’s the little things that have a big impact on the guest’s experience.”
The Skylofts at MGM Grand (877-646-5638, www.skyloftsmgmgrand.com) is one of the first “hotels within a hotel” in Las Vegas. The one- to three-bedroom Five Diamon Skyloft suites on the top floors of the MGM Grand are famous for their magnificent sweeping views of the city.
MGM Grand Vice President Lezlie Young notes, “One of the most common comments from a guest is, ‘The view is amazing.’ You know you’re in Las Vegas — there’s no denying.”
On top of that, the Skylofts boast an award-winning design by Tony Chi, “blending the crisp lines of contemporary with a softer palette,” as Young puts it. That design includes an infinity-edge spa tub in each of the Skyloft suites, which also have living and dining areas. Some Skylofts offer media rooms, butler pantries and billiard rooms.
The MGM Grand is also known for its top-of-the-line Skyline Terrace Suite, a two-story luxurious room that features a 786-square-foot, open-air balcony overlooking the -Strip skyline.
The Stay Well guestrooms — started as a pilot in 2012 — provide a complete wellness experience, including a Vitamin C shower, energizing lights, an optional aroma infusion and a healthy menu. “This is just another way that we demonstrate that we listen,” Young says, noting that the Stay Well rooms are “wildly successful.” So successful that Stay Well at MGM Grand was expanded last year from 42 to 171 rooms and suites to encompass the entire 14th floor of the hotel’s main tower.
The Mirage (800-374-9000, www.mirage.com) showcases its 16 Villas, each a unit of personalized, private luxury. Not only are guests/owners at the Villas granted private entry, but they also receive 24-hour butler service. Each villa — located away from the main building for more privacy —includes a private pool, all DirectTV packages and AppleTV (to stream movies).
There is also a separate kitchen exclusively for Villa occupants, complete with a full staff who will prepare food from existing restaurants, as well as custom items. The kitchen focuses on organic, healthy food, including sustainable meats and fishes.
There is even an outdoor kitchen featuring a “barbecue butler,” says Franz Kallao, vice president of hotel operations at the Mirage.
For the kids, the hotel makes sure to provide toys, video games and remote control boats. And for the ladies, the Mirage features specialized face washes and eye creams, as well as the popular and trendy Clarisonic brushes.
To top it off, guests at the Villas receive “departure gifts,” which can range from travel blankets and pillows to iPad holders.
The Monte Carlo (888-529-4828, www.montecarlo.com) has Hotel32, a luxurious boutique hotel on the top floor with 50 rooms, ranging from 400 to 2,000 square feet. The serene rooms include hydrotherapy tubs, a Creston multiuse remote control and chromatherapy (use of light to create a pleasant mental state).
Heck, the rooms even have chromatherapy showers, which allow guests to change the lighting, pressure and temperature.
If you are looking to unwind, the stylish Lounge 32 offers great views of Vegas, as well as comfy sofas and a unique centerpiece.
You’ll also want to check out the 1,200-square-foot Lofts. Each includes a 50- and 42-inch plasma TV to watch in the morning while you are having your coffee from the popular Jura espresso machine.
The Monte Carlo also provides Hotel32 guests with a personalized Suite Assistant for their entire stay. “We hear time and time again what a great service that is,” says Randy Boynton, vice president of marketing at the Monte Carlo. “The interaction that Suite Assistants have with the customers is almost like reengaging with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.”
When you combine the Las Vegas Sands-owned properties of The Venetian, The Palazzo and the Sands Expo Center, you have the world’s largest Five-Diamond resort.
You can’t get any better than the VIP and Prestige guest experiences at the Venetian (877-883-6423, www.venetian.com) and the Palazzo (887-883-6424, www.palazzo.com). Not only do Prestige guests receive a private check-in, 24/7 concierge service and a pillow menu to choose from, but they are also given exclusive, personalized service. That includes anything from turning a suite into a dance floor to driving to California to do a smog check (yes, the staff actually did that once). Not to mention, guests receive access to the award-winning Canyon Ranch Spa, one of the largest day spas in the world.
The entire Venetian/Palazzo property has more than 7,000 suites. In fact, it’s an all-suite property, meaning that the “standard room” is a 750-square-foot luxury suite. Despite this fact, Wi-Fi and cell phone access is surprisingly smooth.
The property also features more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, helmed by world-renowned chefs such as Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali and Buddy Valastro.
Nathaniel Gray, PR coordinator for the Venetian and the Palazzo, also spotlights the exciting Lagasse’s Stadium sports book, which includes plush couches in a stadium-like environment. “It’s one of the top places in the world to watch sports,” Gray said. “If you can’t go to the game, go to Lagasse’s Stadium.”
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