FWIW, this place kinda grows on you. We have been here for 4 nights. At first we didn't like it and discussed moving (assorted kaka like no ventilation in the elevators, fire alarm tests (common in new places, I gather), awful parking lot egress (through the main porte cochere), annoying cashout on VP machines (can't get your bucket in to catch the coins and so small a large hand has difficulty getting in), shower door that doesn't properly close so the water kinda floods the area outside the stall, the general "construction site" issues, etc. But we're both glad we stayed and agree this will be a heck of a nice place when finished (and is already one of the better places). The plusses: GREAT rooms (appx 700 sf with a "living room" with a sofa and two stuffed chairs, coffee table, workdesk with fax/printer, small formal table with 3 chairs; bedroom area up two steps from the sitting area (each area has its own 25-inch TV), large safe (can hold a laptop), marble foyer, large marble bathroom (separate shower and tub, dual sinks/vanity and separate sit-down vanity, separate water closet); GREAT restaurants (Grand Lux Cafe is possibly the best "coffee shop" in any casino; Star Canyon has a fantastic, delicious, creative menu, several other seemingly good choices including Pinot which we shared a nice lunch at with V, JMT and JC), good VP (lots of 9/6 and 8/5 Bonus in most denominations with .4 cashback that can get to be as much as .5). Also, we learned how to get out to Koval from the garage without the painful-at-peak-times drive through the porte cochere (follow the signs for the "team member" exit). All in all, we'd definitely stay here again.

Bill in Santa Monica, CA

Some additional thoughts (from Ellen):

I was eagerly anticipating a visit to the Canyon Ranch Spa, since my mother is a loyal Canyon Ranch enthuasiast (and goes to their Lenox, MA location 1-2 times a year) and I've been listening to her raves for years.

Like the rest of the Venetian, they're building a beautiful, luxurious facility with a well-trained staff -- but it's still a work in progress. The whirlpool and cold dip still are not open, and many services are not being offered because they haven't yet hired the "right" staff. I decided to try a Swedish massage, and was somewhat disappointed. Despite the "new age" background music and the dim lights, there was overwhelmingly loud construction noise, making it difficult to relax and enjoy the massage.

Unless you want to use the facility for workouts and classes, my recommendation is to postpone a "spa experience" until ALL work is completed and staff hired.

Note, Spa management recognizes that there are problems and is discounting day passes to the spa until work is done. "Treatments" (such as massages) are still at full price.

Ellen

Bill & Ellen: Thanks for the notes and comments on the Venetian. Hopefully it won't be much longer before construction is complete. I really liked what I saw there, both in the casino and the rooms. Did you see a lot of families there? I read somewhere that Adelson is pushing the idea that the V welcomes families as opposed to the Bellagio being anti-kid. How is the pool?

Using Koval is a great tip, IF you see the sign. It is easily missed, as I found out when leaving the V on Wednesday.

V, you missed the sign for Koval because you had a poor co-pilot<G>
Everything Bill said was true about the Venetian. And leeky shower doors seem to be the norm in Las Vegas since I had leeky doors twice at Caesars.
I just throw an extra towel on the floor. Maybe that's why they give you so many towels.

[This message has been edited by John (edited July 23, 1999).]

Bill, the one thing that I didn't like was that the refrigerators weren't useable. We like to get some juices, beer, cheeses, etc and keep them in the room. Since the Venetian has the refrigerator stocked with items for sale, there is not any room for the store bought items. I wonder if they would bring a refrigerator to your room if you asked for one. It would be hard to even fit bottles of medicine in the stocked refrig if I remember correctly.

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John
Moderator Dining Forum
jcrabs@raex.com

Hi Bill,

Good to see you again and meet Ellen.
We also had a problem with the bathroom flooding. A 55 minute wait for the valet on Tuesday afternoon didn't make me very happy. There is "mall valet" which is open during mall hours which is very quick.

Getting in and out of the Venetian via the strip is terrible, and I found the Koval access when we were checking out too.

Elevators were always crowded and check in was also slow, but the rooms are very nice. I'll try to add more good and bad comments shortly.

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Mark V

Mark, V has the solution to the long wait at the valet. It's a version of your system for getting good seats at a show. After telling us it would be a 20 minute wait for the limo V was driving, he rechecked our number and found that it was the next car to be brought up. Amazing!!<G>

John, it's amazing what a few bucks will do getting into or out of the valet parking. When we left the party at MSS, we arrived at Mandalay Bay for the Chicago show with about 10 minutes to spare.

Pulled into the valet line, only to see the dreaded VALET FULL sign. So I pulled out a "lincoln" and prepared to show my "room key". Didn't need it though. When asked if I was a hotel guest, I replied "YES!". And that was that. Took me at my word. But the guy was young, he'll learn.

Anyways, should have done the tipping before I got my car from the Venetian valet, but It the afternoon and the whole thing caught me by suprise.

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Mark V

John,

Supposedly those minibars have sensors that allow them to automatically charge you if you so much as remove the item to look at it and put it back a couple of seconds later. Sheesh.

On a separate note, check out on Friday was so horrific that we might not stay there again on business. Point being, on biz travel we need the folio but on leisure travel it's no biggie as long as it's correct. The TV thing was down as was the fax-back thing. The checkout line was an hour long at least....they will have a great place when they are truly up and running. They just aren't yet.


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Bill in Santa Monica, CA

Mark, the wait at the valet caught me by surprise also, but not Veronica. She's amazing. She doesn't take no for and answer and does wonderful things with the "greenbacks". I learned a lesson from her. Be aggressive. Those are the people who get what they want in Las Vegas. I knew this but didn't practice it enough. Of course V had rented a stretch limo to drive so they thought we were high rollers.

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John
Moderator-Dining Forum
jcrabs@raex.com

Bill, I'm glad you got your identity back. You look much more like yourself now.

There are a lot of little things that I do not like about the Venetian. I'm hoping enough people complain about them to have them straightened out in time. That fridge is one thing I don't like.

The terrible marking of the Koval exit is something that I DO like. If everyone knew about the Koval exit, it would be as crowded as the strip exit.

Ellen,Thanks for your info.on this place.It sounds like it has a future.I'll take a peek on our Oct.meeting and look it over.I like trying new places but it's good to know a little bit about it beforehand! Thanks again and hope to see you in Oct. Bob NY

John: IMO, the way people get what they want in LV is to SHOW THE MONEY! It really doesn't have much to do with being agressive; assertive maybe, but agressive is usally a negative. I think if you just SHOW the dollars first, that will get their attention really fast and then you can ask for the favor.

[This message has been edited by Veronica (edited July 25, 1999).]

With a few edits here and there, this is a reprint from the Venetian trip report I posted on Eclix.

I requested a room on the fourth floor, adjacent to the pool, for easy access to and from the pool, but it also turned out to be a great floor for easy access to EVERYTHING. It was great. The rooms are wonderful; totally luxurious, spacious, and beautiful. The only drawback is the fact that I was in a room with 5 males, and the bathroom doors don't lock. No big deal, we just dealt with it by the "honor" system. Lucky for us, the Venetian was host to a national jazz dance championship. There were adorable teenaged girls everywhere. My boys met girls at every stop they made. They were invited to a private party in one of the ballrooms, and the emcee was M.C. Hammer! They were also invited to a breakfast. We barely saw them.

The lounge show at the Venetian was one of the best I'd ever seen. Great music, great dancing, and just fabulous entertainment.
My husband (David) had great luck at the "21 Madness" table. In one 90 minute session he hit 11 blackjacks, all with his $1 side bet in play. The average (extra) win was $24. (For those of you not familiar with Madness 21, you get to press a button that activates a wheel thing, and where it stops, you win the dollar amount shown.)

As far as the cocktail waitresses, they all seemed very nice, and young and pretty. The girls who served drinks out by the pool were all totally friendly. One even sat and took her break with me! She was from my hometown and we actually knew the same people. That was fun. David really didn't say much about their outfits. I think the Rio shows a lot more skin. (?)

The shopping mall in the hotel is nice. Not too many stores were open, but of the ones that were, I have the exact same stores in my mall.

The food court in the casino was pretty good, especially the ice cream place. Don't miss that. My favorite meal was a shrimp and calamari salad at the Italian deli. The coffee shop is actually a Cheesecake Factory. I sent the boys across the street to the buffet at Treasure Island so we could have a nice romantic dinner in the hotel. The boys RAVED about the buffet. And to be honest with you, we never did make it to our dinner because we just lost tract of time and were having a blast at the tables. I had even called Star Canyon ahead of time to let Stephen Pyles (owner/chef) know we were coming. Stephen is a contributor to my creme brulee book and a friend. But I flaked out. What is it they say about mice and men? The best laid plans...

Unquestionably, I would stay at the Venetian again, although the pool area at Mandalay is much better. So Venetian when the weather is chilly and Mandalay when it's warm.

The flight home was pretty awful. We had a "missed approach" into LAX, and my ears were plugged badly. My right ear cleared with a painful, loud, bang/swish sound that mad me yell out. It took 4 days to feel better although it still feels like something is going on in there. I will make an appointment with my ENT doctor this week. Next time I fly I will sip water, chew gum, yawn, and steam my ears.

Debbie

Hi Debbie. Welcome to TalkVegas. Nice job on the report. I saw 2 rooms at the Venetian and both were very nice. I also saw all those teenage girls from the dance competition. They were all over the place. I can see why your sons liked it. Glad you have a good time. Joe and Veronica and I were looking at the menu at Star Canyon and it looked pretty good. I want to try it on my next trip. What did you like about the pool at MB? The pool at Venetian looked nice. I did not see the pool at MB.


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John
Moderator-Dining Forum

Thanks for all the info on the Venetian. I learned something last night reading my Casino Player magazine. They say that the Venetian is only half built. There will be another tower with another 3,000 room, another casino, and more meeting/banquet rooms!

jm

Debbie, Wow! Great review I guess you liked the place.Glad to hear that. I'll look it over on my Oct.trip.Nice to see you over here.Hope to see you at the Oct.meet? Two friends of mine have written cookbooks lately.I guess everyone eats? I know I do but hate to cook!TTYL
Bob NY