More Places to Log On Without Paying Up – CES, Vegas 2010

We hope you brought your wireless card with you.

If you’re headed to Vegas this weekend for CES or the Adult Entertainment Expo, chances are you’re gonna need a WiFi connection for all your uploading, downloading, Twittering, Facebooking, blogging, and other, ahem, recreational activities.

The bad news is that in the privacy of your hotel room, expect to pay at least $10 a day to sign on. Sadly, there really no hotels where in-room WiFi is free. There are, however, plenty of public options. You just have to know where to look.

Our big sis HotelChatter has culled together a list of tried and true WiFi hotspots on the strip based on our own experiences as well as the knowledge of Vegas expert @24K aka Chris Rauschnot, who is constantly up and down the Strip reporting on the scene–all from his cellphone.

So the next time you find yourself in Vegas for a conference or just some good old debauchery, here’s where you can get connected.

Are you reading this from a free WiFi spot in Vegas right now? Tell us where you’re at.

Where to Find Free Hotel WiFi in Las Vegas

Wynn and Encore
· Pizza Place at Wynn (formerly Sugar and Ice)
· Terrace Point Cafe

Palazzo and Venetian
· Coffee Bean in the Venetian’s food court (signal may be weak the further out you are from Coffee Bean.)
· Cafe Presse in The Shoppes at Palazzo
· Dal Toro restaurant

Vdara
· In-rooms: WiFi is included in the $15 resort fee. It’s blazing fast and the $15 also gets you two water bottles in your room, a newspaper, access to the fitness center and valet parking.

Aria
· Possibly upstairs (We say “Possibly” because during a media day we were Twittering away from our laptops at the Sirio restaurant on the second floor. However, the rest of Aria was murder on our iPhone 3Gs.)

New York, New York
· ESPN Zone

Planet Hollywood
· Hawaiian Tropic Zone in the Miracle Mile Shops
· Coffee Bean in the Miracle Mile Shops

The Palms
· Near the High Limit area
· Coffee Bean in the food court (signal may be weak the further out you are from Coffee Bean.)

Marriott Residence Inn (Paradise Road)
· Everywhere in the hotel

M Resort (Off Strip)
· In the lobby

Element Las Vegas (Off Strip)
· Everywhere in the hotel.

Mirage
· In-room. WiFi is included in the $15 (plus tax) resort fee.

Elsewhere in Vegas
· Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf shops: Not only a sweet Starbucks alternative but has free WiFi at all of their LV locations.
· Whole Foods at Town Square: A few miles out but still on Las Vegas Boulevard. We like the booths by the entrance and the quinoa sandwiches of course.
· McDonalds: Making your happy meal even happier.
· Apple Stores: The closest one is across the street from Wynn at Fashion Show Mall but it gets very crowded and there’s not much space.
· McCarran Airport: Totally free and fast.
· Drai’s Afterhours club: In the north seating area. Yes a nightclub. Just don’t pull out your laptop. That might not be so sexy.

More Resources:
· Las Vegas Advisor’s list of free WiFi spots all over Las Vegas. Interestingly, pools on the Strip have free WiFi.

Via:  Julianna – VegasChatter

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Nicole and Joel Will Take Over Lavo for New Year’s Eve

All the stars are coming out for the New Years Eve soirees in Sin City this year. We’re kinda surprised that Paris, LaLohan and Brit Brit haven’t staked claim on hosting any parties – yet. There’s still time and we know these three never pass up an opportunity to kick up their Louboutins in Vegas. Here are three more options to add to your NYE party consideration list:

The Spectacular Spectacular NYE featuring Paul Oakenfold at Rain at Palms. General admission tickets cost $75 (not completely outrageous). Jump to $225 for a host bar from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. with Ketel One Vodka and Perrier Jouet. $375 will buy you a VIP All Access wristband and express admission to Rain Nightclub, Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub, & Ghostbar. And for an additional Benjamin, you get all of the above, plus the vodka/bubbles hosted bar at all venues from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m., except for Moon Nightclub. Buy your tickets here.

If you want to ring in the New Year with the Playmate Playmates, you may want to think about The Spectacular Spectacular NYE: Maroon 5 After Party at the Playboy Club (also at Palms). Tickets are a bit spendier than the Oakenfold gig – $125 for general admission, but the ticket pricing structure is basically the same as above for host bar and VIP All Access wristband. Buy your tickets here.

Wasn’t Nicole Richie recently placed on bed rest for pneumonia? Anyway, the rehabbed party queen (and mother of two) and her tattooed hubby will be on hand at LAVO at The Venetian for their NYE festivities. While Nicole plays host, hubs Joel Madden will DJ a special set. Tickets run $160 per person and includes entry to LAVO, open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres from 9pm to 11pm, and a champagne toast at midnight. After midnight, flash your LAVO New Year’s Eve ticket stub at TAO Nightclub in The Venetian (where Christina Aguilera is hosting NYE) for complimentary admission. Get your tickets here.  Via: globetrotting gourmet – VegasChatter

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Work Has Begun on The Encore Beach Club

Ok, so there’s this big thing opening soon in Vegas that rhymes with DittyDenter but if you’re Steve Wynnwhat are you really focusing on these days? Tearing down the front of your less-than-a-year-old hotel, Encore, and building an $80 million beach club.

The Encore Beach Club is set to open this summer and VegasCabbie snapped a pic of the construction that’s currently going on from the outside. Meanwhile, Two Way Hard Three has a pic of the inside. The tentative name of the club will be the Switch Beach Club because of its proximity to the Switch restaurant. But since Switch is a name that alludes to the culinary dinner theater that happens inside the restaurant, we don’t think that name will stick.

It’s also hard for us to even think about summer with the holidays on the horizon but if Wynn is building it, then we will come. If we don’t, there’s always CityCenter. (Burn.)  Via:  Julianna – VegasChatter

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Rockin’ Hotel Expansions – Plans for the New Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

The new Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel is a twenty-four acre expansion project to the current iconic Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It will comprise thirty-two bungalows and five towers including residential complexes. Conceived by Hard Rock founder and owner Peter Morton, the new hotel’s design and execution will be completed by Oppenheim in association with RTKL, Architect of Record.

The new Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel will be organized around the existing hotel and casino, and will provide unique architectural design to serve both function and fantasy in Sin City.  Via: Marissa Liu – HotHotelReviews

References: oppenoffice, designscene.net

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Las Vegas City Center Preparing to Open

www.citycenter.com

Scheduled to open this December, the CityCenter has been in the news all year. But what is it, and where will it be located?  Inquiring minds want to know right!  Well here is a little something for you to digest and get excited about.

The CityCenter sits on 67 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. Who knows where they found this space, but they are definitley using every bit of it. What we know is that the project is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Infinity World Developement Corp., a subsidiary of Dubai World….go figure right.

There are three hotels: Vdara, Mandarin Oriental, and Aria.

Vdara (www.vdara.com) will be the first hotel to open on December 1. 1500 rooms with a large spa at 18,000 square feet with 11 treatment rooms!  Vdara will be signed as a non-gaming condo-hotel, which means all rooms will have kitchens. Rates will range from $159-$2000, not too shabby.

Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas (www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas) will open on December 4. This will be the brands first move to the Las Vegas market, and will be considered an ultra-luxe property. It will be a non-gaming hotel with 392 guest rooms and 227 residences with the lobby sitting on the 23rd floor (47 stories in all). Opening rates are running $545 per night.

Aria (www.arialasvegas) will be opening on December 16. This mega hotel resort will have more than 4,000 rooms and a huge casino. Aria will be considred the core of CityCenter.  Cirque du Soleil will have a musical production based on Elvis Presley’s life at the resort. Expect the technology at Aria to be nothing but the best. The hotel will also have a two-level spa with 62…..yes 62 treatment rooms!

Shopping at the CityCenter will have high-end brands such as Luis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada, Christian Dior and Bulgari. The retail complex Crystals will have more than 500,000 square feet of shopping and dining venues.

So that’s your little sneak peek into the Las Vegas CityCenter. To find out more, just come out to Vegas in December and experience it yourself, it should be swell!

[Photo: Inhabitat.com]

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It’s The Most Fetishy Time of the Year: Hard Rock’s Massive Halloween Ball

Where: 4455 Paradise Rd [map], 89109

Not in the mood to get married over Halloween in Vegas? Then the place to meet the scariest and sexiest singles of the night will be at the Hard Rock’s Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball which is now in its 14th year.

The party kicks off at 10pm inside The Joint and will take over the Hard Rock’s convention meeting space as well. Here’s what to expect:

Daring fire performers, incredible lasers and lights, world class DJ’s, vendors, two huge dance floors, stilt walkers, freaks, monsters, surprises around every corner, and you in your naughtiest, scariest, sexiest, and most creative costumes.

The costumes will put your sexy little fraulein outfits to shame. Think lots of leather, lots of skin and lots of freaky stuff happening. And don’t assume this is just for PYTs. No, no, this party actually draws quite a healthy bunch of middle-aged folk too. (Do what you will with this info.)

A bunch of DJs and sexy-named acts like the Pussy Posse, the Girls in Rubber, and the Chain Goddess will also perform. (Remember, this is also a fetish party too.) Tickets start at a hefty $75 a person and rooms at the Hard Rock are still open but for a whopping $419 on Saturday, October 31st. That Friday is a little more doable at $179 a night.

And we don’t need to remind you to wear a costume. If you think you’ll look goofy in a costume, you’re wrong. You’ll look goofy in your jeans and t-shirt at this party.  by juliana – VegasChatter

[Photo: HalloweenBall.com.]

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Paris Hilton All Up In Your Eyes at The Hard Rock This Friday

Where: Las Vegas

Paris Hilton apparently has a sunglass line and she will be debuting it this Friday at The Hard Rock from 8pm to 10pm at the pool. The shindig is officially called, “Paris Hilton Fashion Show and VIP Cocktail.” Sorry but not even “VIP Cocktails” (whatever that is) could get us to party with Paris. But we are whores for free shades. Early birds will get Paris Hilton sunglasses for free.  by juliana – VegasChatter

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Hide Away from the Pool Party Scene in a Cabana

Cabanas at the Hard Rock (taken on a Tuesday morning.)

It’s no secret that Las Vegas pools are great for sunbathing, people-watching and (naturally) getting drunk in a chaise lounge. The downside: the places can be dirty madhouses, especially when the pool party scene is in full effect.

But that’s precisely what makes pool cabanas such a sensible choice. Though the pool party scene is winding down, these canvas “rooms” are still the ultimate choice for relaxing poolside. Besides, you didn’t escape the cold weather

For no more than a total of $400 a day (or no more than $200 for a half-day), you and your posse can luxuriate in the privacy of your own little fiefdom. Depending on how many people you’ve got, the cabana likely won’t cost more than $45 or $60 per person.

Most cabanas include a flat-screen television, house telephone, safe, a refrigerator stocked with non-alcoholic drinks and seating for six. On weekends, many also include complimentary snacks, such as fresh fruit or chips.

During a recent visit, we camped out with five friends in a cabana at the brand-new Garden of the Gods pool oasis at Caesars Palace. Over the course of the afternoon, we used the canvas hut to sleep, sunbathe, eat lunch and watch college football.

The cost: Roughly $50 per person.

Other Strip cabanas worth exploring are those on the pool deck at the Palazzo, the ones surrounding the dumbbell-shaped pool at Wynn, and the new swanky offerings at Tao Beach in the Venetian.

In Summerlin, the cabanas at Red Rock Casino Resort also are worth a try, especially if you like a more quiet an intimate pool experience overall.

Wherever you reserve your cabana, keep in mind the following pointers:

· Most cabanas do not include a restocking fee to restock the fridge after you leave. This is usually about $25.
· Gratuities for servers are included with cabana service, but tips for the cabana host are not (and are usually expected).
· The safe is there for a reason—use it or your buzz will be killed by theft.  by Whalehead – VegasChatter

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The Hard Rock Cafe Is Now Open On The Strip

Where: 3771 Las Vegas Boulevard South [map], 89109

The new Hard Rock Cafe just a few days before opening.

Finally, there’s a way to enjoy the Hard Rock without actually having to schlep on down to Paradise Avenue and fight through the drunken partiers at the Hard Rock Hotel. The brand’s new Hard Rock Cafe opened on the Strip over the weekend.

We told you back in June, the cafe was getting close to completion and now, the three-story building–with its interactive 18-foot Rock Wall that allows folks to see every bit of Hard Rock rock n’ roll memorabilia and its Rock Shop, for folks who want to take more than just the iconic Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt home with them–is wide-open.

The 42,000-square foot flagship cafe features a 950-seat restaurant, live concert venue and the world’s largest Rock Shop complete with Hard Rock’s limited-edition merchandise. This is Hard Rock’s second cafe location in the Las Vegas market. The original Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas at Hard Rock Hotel, located at 4475 Paradise Rd., remains open and will continue to provide Rock Star service for guests.

Meanwhile, the Hard Rock hotel just plunked down $48,000 at an auction in Australia for a white glove worn my Michael Jackson in the mid-1990s. No word on which place it will end up but we think the new Strip location might get more foot traffic.  by juliana – VegasChatter

[Photo: JohnJoh]

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10 Girls to Avoid in Las Vegas

We’ve told you the things Not to Do in Vegas but sometimes a trip isn’t classified by what you did, it’s who you did. And if you do…er meet the wrong people, that exciting weekend in Sin City can go south real fast.

So if you want to avoid being the butt of your friends jokes for years to come and having your first name be substituted for a noun referring to an embarrassing act (“You just pulled a Dave”) –read this before you go to Vegas — our list of 10 Girls to Avoid in Las Vegas.

1. Vegas Cougars
You want the cougar? You can’t handle the Vegas Cougar. She is more than likely late thirties to late fourties, may or may not look like she is in the middle of a skydive thanks to her wind tunnel look from too much plastic surgery, and she will definitely buy you dinner and a drink.

Wait, free dinner and a drink so what is the issue? Vegas Cougars travel in packs, may or may not be divorced and will be ultra aggressive with younger men. The real issue is the Vegas Cougar is the queen of the follow up text, call, email, facebook friending — so if you want to spend the next five years hearing about her marital issues, by all means join her for dinner and a drink, otherwise, walk away.

2. Hot Girls Looking Lonely & Lurking Around Casino Floors at 4 AM
Dude, she is not *that* into you. She looks way to good and way to put together for 4 AM — why? Quite possibly because she is just starting her night, and her job. She is probably looking for a drunk guy counting his winnings and looking for someone to go upstairs with.

Where can you find these natural looking and acting girls? Well, every casino floor really, leave it to Kid Rock to point out one of their favorite hang outs — Mandalay Bay.

We said it before and we’ll say it again, prostitution is illegal in Clark County. If you need help, study the women on this list before you go.

3. The Smoking Granny at the Slots.
We don’t mean the smoking Granny as in cougar. We mean the smoking Granny as in smoking butts until she hits jackpot on the penny slot machines. Granny will sit there for hours and hours all the while smoking some old brand of cigarettes that she stocked up on at BJ’s Warehouse before it was discontinued due to its direct link with lung cancer. Spend five minutes near Granny and you will be sick the next day with smoke inhalation injuries.

4. Bachelorettes
Some dudes probably seek out bachelorettes because they are easy targets and you can’t blame them for that. These are girls walking around in special “I’m the Bride” outfits and weighted down with penis paraphernalia, shotglass necklaces and always-overfilled drinks. They’re also sizing up the guys on the dance floor saying to themselves, “He could be the last man I ever have sex with/make out with/bump and grind with.”

But dude, have you seen the amount of alcohol that the bachelorette has been knocking back? Chances are, once you get that bride-to-be back to your hotel room, she’ll be too drunk to “hang out.” You also risk a sloppy, drunk sobfest over the near act of cheating on her fiancee. A night full of deep meaningful relationship talk with a stranger — is that what you want out of your trip to Sin City?

5. The Cooler Woman
Yes, coolers can come in the male variety too but we’ve often found that women coolers are the cruelest. Once you start hitting it big, the ever-vigilant pit boss will let you win a few more hands just to let you think you are invincible. Then he’ll bring in a severe-looking woman to slow your roll. Even if it’s 4:30am, she’s still sharp as a tack, ready to do her job which is to make you lose.

She will either remain completely silent or feign that she doesn’t understand English — cause you know, idle chatter equals winning hands for the players. Every once in a while, in between her relentless run of Aces and Jacks, she will throw you a wry smile, acting like maybe if you stick around long enough you will win your money back.

Wrong, before you know it you will be curled up in the fetal position crying in your room. Ditch her and the pit boss she rode in on.

6. The Not-a-Woman Woman
Like any night out in the big city, you have to be careful about who’s got the real goods and who’s got the cleverly hidden goods.

Hell these days even Lady GaGa is subject to web rumors about her private parts. That means it isn’t always easy to tell, especially under club lighting and the influence of booze. If you are questioning the femininity of any club goer it is best to just move along instead of declaring, “It’s a man baby!”

7. Hitler’s Woman
Avoid this crazy woman who yelled “Heil Hitler” at a Jewish man during one of those fiery Town Hall meetings over health care. Members of the Aryan nation need not heed our warning.

8. The Thief
Anytime some beautiful girl starts talking to you when there is a “Sexiest Man Alive” celeb sitting nearby (Pitt, Clooney, DiCaprio, Pattinson, maybe Efron), it is too good to be true. It’s not because you’re in Vegas and you must be feeling lucky. Don’t fool yourself. It’s because you’re sitting in the high roller section at Encore and she noticed your new Panerai watch. And you’re blessedly bodyguard-free.

This woman is also thinking that you might have some other goodies in your suite upstairs and wouldn’t it be fun if you brought her up there and ordered some champagne and caviar before she dropped a roofie in your drink and made off with all your expensive possessions? Do your best to shoo her away unless you want to leave Vegas thousands of dollars poorer. Hmm…that will probably happen anyways. So really, it’s up to you.

9. The Sex at Rehab Woman
If you meet a girl at Rehab, the Hard Rock’s raunchy pool party, and she wants to have sex with you, you should first consider this: This girl is pretty crazy to want to have sex with you in public. Still, that’s not so bad. After all it’s Vegas and that’s what a few drinks in 100+ degree weather will do to anyone. What’s worse is that this girl wants to have sex with you at Rehab where several other folks have already had sex in the very same water you’ve been swimming in. Condoms don’t work in water, do they?

10. Elvis Cross-Dressers
That’s just some kinky stuff we are not ready for yet.

[Photo: ktylerconk]

[Front Photo: Alaskan Dude]

Via: VegasChatter

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