IDEAS: Las Vegas Encourages Excessive Celebration in New Campaign

Las Vegas is getting a shiny, towering new hotel when the highly anticipated Fontainebleau Las Vegas — a project years in the making — finally opens its doors Dec. 13. And with it comes an all-new loyalty program for people looking to play or stay at the new 67-floor resort on the north end of the Strip.

Dubai’s home-grown hotel group FIVE is looking at potentially expanding beyond the emirate into the world’s largest hospitality markets. This includes a potential resort in party haven Las Vegas and in the conservative Gulf kingdom Saudi Arabia.

Go2Africa recently announced what purports to be the world’s most expensive wildlife safari. For $690,000, a family of four will visit six African countries (including Kenya, South Africa and the Seychelles) over 24 days. The luxurious accommodations range from tented safari camps to beachfront villas, and remote wellness retreats. The package also includes hot air balloon rides, gorilla trekking—even a personal film crew to document the journey.

High-speed rail in the United States may soon be a reality. The White House recently announced the allocation of $8.2 billion in funding for several key rail projects including a Las Vegas to Los Angeles corridor; a Raleigh, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia, route; new service throughout California’s central valley; and more. The investment is a component of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” Agenda.  While high-speed rail has been a popular wish among travelers for many years, the allocation of funding helps put the project in motion, with one administration official sharing with Travel + Leisure that the Las Vegas to Los Angeles route could be completed in advance of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “If you’ve ever seen the standard of passenger rail service in Japan, Germany, Spain, or Italy, and come home and wondered, 'Why can’t we have these nice things?’ This is the beginning of the answer to that. Help is on the way,” Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, told T+L during a press briefing on the announcement.  Buttigieg said that the lack of investment in new rail services over the last several decades is a trend that is now being reversed and that while change won’t happen overnight, travelers will see improvements within a few years.  Over 35 rail projects were named as part of the funding announcement, including: 

A $780-million off-strip property, Durango Casino & Resort offers 209 desert-chic guest rooms, a state-of-the-art sportsbook, and an elevated food hall experience you don’t want to miss.

The narrative in the month leading into the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was mostly negative. If it wasn’t locals complaining about disruptions caused by the Herculean construction effort, it was “ordinary fans” bemoaning the highest ticket prices (by far) on the F1 calendar. And when these high-priced tickets and hotel packages didn’t sell out—many being discounted in the weeks leading up to the race—critics were all-too-eager to call it a bust before even seeing cars on track.

Following TSA's rollout of self-service facial recognition technology at select airports this summer, the agency is piloting its first passenger self-service screening in January.

There’s always something going on in Las Vegas, and that’s especially true now. The Sphere, an architectural wonder, is open for concerts. Fontainebleau, a 67-story luxury megaresort, will make its debut later this month. Then, in February 2024, Allegiant Stadium will host Super Bowl LVIII. But, of course, one of the most perennially popular things to do in Sin City is to gamble, and now, a new report from Casino.org, suggests which casinos may be the luckiest in Las Vegas.

Lakeside at Wynn Las Vegas has this week introduced a unique dry-aged fish program to its extensive seafood menu. The program marks the first of its kind on the Las Vegas Strip.

The carefree lifestyles of the French Riviera and the Las Vegas Strip have come together by way of the LPM Restaurant & Bar. The brand new eatery has officially opened its doors at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas this week. The restaurant and bar aims to transport guests to Côte d'Azur by way of a modern French-inspired menu and has already been celebrated by World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Destination Canada has joined forces with Nicole Byer, host of the Netflix show ‘Nailed It!’, on a series of short videos designed to teach viewers ‘how to winter the Canadian way.’

Las Vegas, the Official Host City of Super Bowl LVIII, has launched a petition on Change.org urging football fans to encourage excessive celebration during the city’s first foray into hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. The petition was accompanied by a music video featuring former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Grammy-nominated artist Tobe Nwigwe. The petition is a nod to the fact that while professional sports often restrict excessive celebrations, they are always encouraged in Las Vegas. “Whether you are on the Strip, in the stadiums, or just here for a good time, Las Vegas will forever be the home of excessive celebration,” reads the petition in part.