The Vegas Box – what happens in Vegas can finally stay in Vegas

by Scott Carmichael on

If you are a regular visitor to Las Vegas, you’ll probably have a list of items you pack, unpack and repack every time you visit.

The Vegas Box is a new product designed to store those products and keep them in safe storage at a local climate controlled facility. The process is simple – you sign up for $99 and will get your Vegas Box delivered to your hotel. Then, when you are ready to leave, you arrange for the box to be picked up, packed full of all the items you don’t want to carry home.

Then, next time you return to Vegas, you contact the folks behind the service and have them deliver your box back to your hotel. Less stuff in your bags means less bulky luggage and no excess or checked bag fees.

At first the service seemed quite insane – but the more I think about it, the more brilliant it seems. Sadly, I don’t get to visit Vegas quite enough, and I’m not enough of a high roller for the Casino Manager to store my stuff for me, but I know several people that make monthly trips to Vegas who could really benefit from this.

The box costs $99/year with 2 deliveries. Additional deliveries are $20 (which includes a pickup as well). To learn more about the service, or to sign up for your own Vegas Box, check out their web site.

Russia plans Las Vegas clone in Siberia

by Justin Delaney on

Siberia is known for many things. Long train rides that cover almost 6000 miles, massive tigers that hunt wild boar in snowy enclaves, and a lake whose depths reach deeper than any other lake in the world. Oh and cold. Wintry, unrelenting, freezing cold weather drapes Siberia in snow and below freezing temperatures for roughly half of the year. It is a place so remote and foreboding that if you look up “Siberian” on dictionary.com, you will be greeted with this definition:

“any undesirable or isolated locale, job, etc., to which one is assigned as punishment, a mark of disfavor, or the like.”

Despite this damning etymological association, Russia plans to build its version of Las Vegas in the wintry depths of Siberia. This Las Vegas East has been given the moniker “Siberian Coin,” which sounds more like a local band from Moscow than a mecca of gambling. The Altai region of Siberia will host the ambitious project located near the boarder of Kazakhstan and China. Russian developers have budgeted about $1 billion for the cause which includes the construction of 15 casinos and 30 hotels. According to Businessweek, outside experts expect the project costs to total $50 billion.So why Siberia? Several years ago, “President” Vladimir Putin banned casinos in all major Russian cities, restricting gambling to the far flung reaches of the Russian Federation. Overnight, successful Moscow gaming parlors shuttered their doors forever, and it is estimated that the edict cost Russia about half a million jobs. So far, casinos have been built in three faraway locations: Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, Azov City, and Primorsky in the Far East. None have been very successful. While hopes for the “Siberian Coin” are high, its fate may follow a familiar trend due to the sheer remoteness of its geographical location. Siberia is known for many things, but it will be a long uphill battle before gambling is added to that list of associations.

Nobu to open hotel in Las Vegas

by Matthew Firestone on

When it comes to sushi on this side of the Pacific, few American-based restaurants can compete with the likes of Nobu. Capitalizing on this celebritydom, chef Nobu Matsuhisa has recently announced plans to open up his first Nobu-branded boutique hotel in Vegas.

With 26 restaurants on five continents – three of which have been awarded highly-coveted Michelin stars – you’d think that Nobu and his partner Robert De Niro would be content to rest on their laurels. On the contrary, the Nobu Hospitality group is currently preparing to make an aggressive expansion into the boutique hotel market.

And what better place to inaugurate a new entertainment venture?

The answer is none other than Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a recent press release, the oldest tower at Caesar’s Palace is set to undergo a renovation by the same interior design team that brought you City Center.

The resulting transformation will thereafter be known as the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas.Although Nobu already operates a restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, to date there are no Japanese themed hotels on the Las Vegas strip. Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking. “But wait…haven’t you forgotten about the Imperial Palace?”

Trust me. There is nothing authentically Japanese about the Imperial Palace!

In stark contrast, the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will emulate the minimalist interior of the restaurant chain while attracting a smart and savvy clientle. With only 180 rooms, it will also strive to offer the highly personalized service that characterizes the hospitality industry in Japan.

In their words:

“With a renowned location in Caesar’s Palace, the luxury Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will be a destination for style-makers and trendsetters, offering an immersive, fun and social experience. [Guests] will enjoy private check-in and the unique benefit of room service from Nobu’s acclaimed culinary team.”

One of the most unique aspects of the business deal is that the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will be completely surrounded by Caesar’s Palace – not at all unlike how the Vatican City is completely surrounded by Rome.

For guests at the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas, this puts the casinos, shops and entertainment at Caesar’s within easy reach. For everyone else, this not only sets the bar for future boutique hotel ventures, but also signals that post-recession Vegas is still alive and well.

Haven’t yet experienced the gastronomic wonder that is Nobu? Stop by a branch near you, and sample the black cod with miso that first put this superstar restaurant on the culinary map.

** Caesar’s Palace image courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons Project. All other images are from Nobu: The Cookbook, and are reproduced here for the purpose of critical commentary. **

Trump Las Vegas hotel offers a “paws massage package” for you and your pooch

by McLean Robbins on





Sure, traveling with your pet is nothing new – but what about heading to the spa with your favorite four-legged friends? Trump Las Vegas, one of the first Las Vegas hotels to
welcome pets, is now offering a guests a Paws Massage Package, which includes a 30-minute rubdown for guests and a 30-minute massage for your pooch. The $150 package is performed in the comfort of your own suite.

Misty, star of Marley & Me, was one of the first to recieve the service. The pooch gave it four paws up, or so we’re told.

The hotel goes out of its way to be pet-friendly, equipping rooms amenities including a plush dog bed, gourmet treats, a water bowl and fresh bottled water. The hotel will also donate a portion of the $200 cleaning fee for every dog that stays at the property to the Nevada SPCA No-Kill Animal Sanctuary.

While we’re not sure our own pup is going to be the best companion for a rubdown, (he’s a bit vocal about his tummy rubs) we’d love to hear your thoughts about this service – is it something you want to try?

Las Vegas to get a London Eye-like Ferris wheel & amusement park

by Joel Bullock on




In an effort to boost Las Vegas’ family appeal, Clark County commissioners have approved plans to build a new amusement park on the Las Vegas Strip. Located at the former site of the Cloud Nine Balloon near Mandalay Bay, the 9-acre attraction will include shops, restaurants, and several roller coasters.

The new amusement park’s biggest draw will likely be a massive $100 million dollar Ferris wheel in the vein of the London Eye. Like that attraction, developers hope Vegas’ wheel will be as popular and as iconic. The 500-foot tall Ferris wheel will feature air conditioned, family room-sized gondolas. The amusement park and Ferris wheel are set to open in 2013. Las Vegas’ KTNV has more.

This seems to be part of a growing trend as similar observation wheels have been proposed at the New Jersey Meadowlands and in downtown Atlanta. Cities likely see them as strong revenue producers thanks to the success of the London Eye, one of London’s top tourist attractions.

[Image credit: Flickr user – Wilfried.b]