The Venetian - Resort, Hotel, Casino - Las Vegas 

www.venetian.com The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, visitors dont have to travel to Italy to stroll through St. Marks Square and over the Bridge of Sighs or take a gondola ride on the Grand Canal.  The Venice of the Medicis is replicated in meticulous detail at this luxury Las Vegas hotel; aged stonework, imported marble and skilled craftsmanship create a refined and magnificent reproduction. All the music, dining, nightlife, entertainment and art that characterized the Italian Renaissance are equally celebrated at The Venetian, making for a fun-filled and exhilarating Las Vegas vacation.  With its soaring, frescoed ceilings, marble pillars and rich carpets, this Las Vegas resorts lobby is extravagant, owing to its soft gold and cream palette.  The palatial atmosphere is sustained throughout the all-suites accommodations, which run upward of 650 square feet and feature bedrooms and sunken living areas appointed with stately furnishings and luxurious textiles.  Modern amenities in these Las Vegas suites include flat-screen televisions, DVD and CD players, high-speed Internet connections and automated Roman blinds. Sprawling en suite marble baths have Roman soaking tubs and separate glass showers, twin sinks and decorative finishes, like golden hardware and ornamental mirrors. There is no shortage of authentic Italian restaurants at The Venetian, including Trattoria Reggiano, Enoteca San Marco and Mario Batalis trendy B&B Ristorante. Flavors from France are served at the upscale Bouchon courtesy of chef Thomas Keller, while pan-Asian fare is prepared at Ralph Scamardellas Tao.  Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck deliver cuisine from the new world at Delmonico Steak House and Postrio, respectively. Snack bars, bakeries and in-suite dining are also available, as well as the ultimate in health food prepared at the Canyon Ranch Café and Grill. Aside from pouring stellar wines, several bars, lounges and nightclubs offer beer, signature cocktails and martinis.  Tao Nightclub and Lounge offers a sophisticated ambience and scenic terrace to the Las Vegas nightlife scene, while V Bar has a lively happy hour and nightly DJs. Occupying 112,000 square feet, The Venetian Las Vegas Casino is a palace of gambling decorated in an opulent Renaissance style and boasting 139 table games and high tech slots of all limits and payouts.  The marble-floored Venetian Poker Room is home to 39 tables and a separate high-stakes area.  Winnings can be spent on clothing, gifts, fine artwork and everything in between at the Grand Canal or Venetian Resort Shoppes.  The Venetian is home to world-class entertainment, including Broadway smash hits,  such as Phantom of the Opera and performances by the Blue Man Group;  DENZEL WASHINGTON WAX FIGURE in LAS VEGAS the on-site Madame Tussauds Wax Museum brings guests face to face with their favorite celebrities, historical figures and sports heroes. On level four of the Venetian Tower, a carefully manicured expansive recreational area boasts three swimming pools, spas and several cabanas.  At the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, a full menu of wellness treatments ensures the relaxation and restoration of body and mind.  The chapel at The Venetian is a picturesque spot for a Las Vegas wedding; the resort offers packages and services to facilitate a memorable experience. The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Harrah's and The Palazzo on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, NV, United States, on the site of the old Sands Hotel. The hotel tower contains 36 stories and rises 475 feet (145 m). The Venetian is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. The Venetian also serves as the seat of the corporate headquarters for its parent company. This hotel features a life-like replica tower of St Mark's Campanile in Venice, Italy. The Venetian is (along with the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center and The Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort) part of the largest five-diamond hotel and resort complex in the world with 4,049 suites, 4,059 hotel rooms, and a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) casino.

History On November 26, 1996, eight years after it was bought by Sheldon Adelson, the Sands Hotel was imploded to make way for The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Ground was broken April 14, 1997. The resort opened on May 3, 1999 with flutter of white doves, sounding trumpets and singing gondoliers, with actress Sophia Loren joining The Venetian Chairman and Owner, Sheldon G. Adelson, in christening the first motorized gondola. Built at a cost of $1.5 billion, it was one of the most expensive resorts of its kind when it opened. A brief time line of the hotel's history: September 24, 1997 — Announcement that the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes will be managed by Forest City Commercial Management. November 14, 1997 — $1,000,000,000 financial package secured. August 18, 1998 — Venetian Resort tops out. August 24, 1998 — Venetian begins accepting room reservations, by phone and on-line. May 3, 1999 — Grand opening of first phase of complex. October 7, 2001 — The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum opened within the resort, featuring its first collection: Masterpieces and Master Collectors: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings. August 30, 2002 — The museum opened its second collection: Art Through the Ages: Masterpieces of Painting from Titian to Picasso. May 15, 2003 — Museum opens third exhibit: American Pop Icons. June 27, 2003 — The Venezia at the Venetian opened as an additional tower, adding 1,013 suites and a new wedding chapel. November 7, 2003 — Museum opens exhibit: A Century of Painting: From Renoir to Rothko, featuring paintings by Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso, van Gogh, Renoir, and others. March 19, 2004 — "The Nevada Gaming Commission Thursday imposed an agreed-upon $1 million fine on The Venetian for rigging contests and violating state gaming regulations but only after chastising other state agencies for not pursuing the case more vigorously. Chairman Peter Bernhard and Commissioner Art Marshall, who called the violations the "most serious" they have dealt with during their tenures on the commission, criticized the state attorney general's office and the Gaming Control Board for taking a year to bring the eight-count complaint before the commission. ... "This is the most serious complaint I've seen since I've been on the commission. The issues go to the heart of the integrity of the industry," Bernhard said. ... The Asian high roller at the center of the case, was preselected to win a Mercedes-Benz. The complaint said a Venetian executive who rigged the drawing with a cohort hid the winning ticket in his shirtsleeve and pretended to draw it randomly from a batch of entries before announcing the "winning" ticket." October 10, 2005 — Blue Man Group officially opens at the Blue Man Theatre. June 24, 2006 — Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular opened at a new Paris Opera House styled theatre at The Venetian. September 2, 2012 — Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular will close. September 30, 2012 — The Blue Man Group show will close and relocate to the Monte Carlo. [edit]Film history In films The implosion of the old Sands to clear way for the Venetian was used as the crash landing site in the movie Con Air. A suite from the Venetian is featured as a location in the 2005 movie Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous Various Venetian locations were settings for the introductory scenes of the 2001 movie, Rat Race. The exterior of the Venetian is portrayed in the movie Resident Evil: Extinction. There is a dramatic zombie attack scene which takes place on the Venetian's replica of the Rialto Bridge. In music videos The music video "Shots", by LMFAO featuring Lil John, was performed at the Venetian.[4] In television The casino in the Venetian has been used in filming scenes for CSI. "Building the Venetian" was the subject of an episode of the show MegaStructures. The Venetian appeared in a scene of the 26th episode of season one of The O.C.. The Venetian appeared in a scene of the twenty-fifth season of The Real World: Las Vegas (2011). The Venetian appeared in the opening of Miss Universe 2010. [edit]Clubs [edit]TAO Nightclub TAO was reporting the second highest revenue in 2011 according to the Nightclub & Bar Top 100 for 2011.[5]. With an Asian-inspired theme filled with rich woods and stone, TAO features a 20 foot tall Buddha statue, an infinity pool with koi, eight private sky boxes with mini-bars, a 40 foot long outside terrace with views of the strip, state-of-the-art lighting and audio systems and two dance rooms. [edit]TAO Beach Located on top of TAO Nightclub, TAO Beach is the Venetian's day club pool party. Their seven VIP cabanas each house a plasma TV, DVD player, Xbox 360, a fully stocked mini-fridge and a private safe for valuables. [edit]Allegations In 2004, the Venetian agreed to pay a $1 million penalty to settle a 12-count Gaming Control Board complaint, including rigging a drawing for a Mercedes-Benz car to be won by a predetermined entrant, a player who had lost a large amount in the casino.[8] The executives involved were fired