Meeting News - September 8, 2008 - (Page 50)

Destination Insider: Las Vegas Riviera, An Original Tenant on the Strip, Gets a Makeover New renovation refreshes inventory, positions property as overflow choice for neighboring meetings venues One of the last original hotels on the Strip, the renowned Riviera Hotel and Casino is in the midst of a $20-million renovation that is remodeling guest rooms and convention facilities. Phase I was recently completed; now, more than half of property’s guest rooms have been remodeled to include new wall coverings and carpet, new bathrooms with ceramic tile, marble vanities and bath fixtures. New room amenities include flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi, iPod/MP3 alarm clock radio and refrigerators. When completed in November, 1,846 rooms of the Riviera’s 2,075 rooms will be designated as non-smoking. Additionally, The Riviera Las Vegas features 160,000 sf of convention, meeting and banquet space. The facility can be reconfigured for multiple meetings of up to 5,000 people. The Royal Pavilion portion of the convention center, which opened in February 1999, comprises approximately 60,000 sf; it features meeting, convention and banquet space, teleconferencing, wireless Internet and satellite uplink capability, and 12 skyboxes. The convention space at the Las Vegas, Venetian and Mandalay convention centers and others has enabled Las Vegas to attract and book new conventions that may have had date and exhibit space conflicts in the past Proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center also plays a part. A first look at the new Riviera guest room. Desert Oasis Pays Off Green Dividends for Groups Located five minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, the Springs Preserve is a green environment that not only offers a serene and diverse venue for groups but also saves energy. Since opening in June 2007, the Springs Preserve saved 6,336,000 gallons of water by replacing the artificial grass with sod with in its 1,800seat outdoor amphitheater. It also produced enough electricity from its 2,200 solar panels to power about 80 homes for an entire year. The Preserve features working green building designs and other examples of environmentally friendly construction, the Springs Preserve utilizes solar panels to generate over 75 percent of power needed to run the attraction. Seven buildings on the property are designed to achieve LEED Platinum Certification and conserve 84 percent more water than buildings with standard water uses. These buildings are designed to be the first Platinum rated buildings in Nevada and will be the first buildings as part of a public attraction to earn such a designation. The Preserve has 180 acres of gardens, galleries and interactive exhibits, with more than 50,000 sf of indoor and outdoor green meeting space and group rates for groups of 10 or more. It also features the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck, his first eco-friendly, quick service eatery to open in 50 MeetingNews September 8, 2008 Las Vegas. Owned by Springs Preserve and operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering, the 6,800-sf cafe features American cuisine and showcases organic ingredients from regional artisan producers and growers, and complements the Preserve’s commitment to sustainable living. “Can” Do: New Theme Property Opened in August Retro-themed Hotel Option Opens Off the Strip A new hotel with a unique name and shape came to town last month. Replacing the Nevada Palace Casino in East Las Vegas, the $250 million East Side Cannery Casino & Hotel provides 307 guest rooms, 20,000 sf of meeting space, a spa, a 65,000-sf casino with 2,000 slot machines and 26 table The East Side Cannery Casino & Hotel games, five restaurants, a bingo hall, a half-acre pool area complete with cabanas, a Jacuzzi, and a lounge on the top floor that will overlook the valley. The 16-story hotel tower is designed to resemble a silo. Standard rooms filling the tower are 450-sf rooms and they include plasma-screen TVs. The corner suites are 600 sf. and there are five 900-sf executive suites on the top floor. “Eastside Cannery is an exceptional addition to Cannery Casino Resorts,” said company cofounder Bill Wortman.“We feel that this property is a great asset to the Boulder Highway gaming market.” Cannery Casino Resorts, owns and operates the Cannery Casino & Hotel in North Las Vegas; the Rampart Casino within the Resort in Summerlin, also home to the JW Marriott Resort; and the company operated Nevada Palace. It also owns and operates the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County, PA. www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - September 8, 2008

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