Las Vegas Casino Resorts

Gone are the days when Las Vegas banked on luring tourists with cheap food and rooms so that they did part with their gambling dollars. Casino operators have now come to realize that they can make the tourists spend much more than that. Today's top resorts provide tourists with spacious rooms or suites, beautiful swimming facilities, fine dining experiences and excellent spa facilities. To stay in the competition, even moderate accommodations are gearing up to have a decent share of the tourists who flock to the city each year. In almost all of them you get Internet access. From limo service to shoe cleaning, you name any option and they have it.

Mandalay Bay's new hotel has each and every suite featuring a tile entryway, plasma screen television, wet bar, high-speed Internet access and a fax/printer. It can make you feel that you are in New York, with the glitz of Mandalay Bay right next door. You also find a spa, a gym full of modern equipment, a fine round-the-clock restaurant, and a coffee and pastry bar.

Located in the upscale suburban residential development of Lake Las Vegas, the Italianate Ritz is a gamble-free sanctuary of 349 rooms, some stretching over the water. It embraces the area's Mediterranean flavor with the Medici Cafe and Terrace. Moreover, championship golf is available in the immediate vicinity, and the 30,000-square-foot spa fulfills guests' relaxation and treatment needs.

The Venetian and Hard Rock attract the parvenus, but the old money charm still permeates the $1.6 billion Bellagio: Tuscan architecture, a Tiffany boutique and tons of panache. The Bellagio boasts of beautiful rooms that smell of Europe in comfort and style, a pool area that rivals the best spas in the west, a Gallery of Fine Art and an array of pricey restaurants and boutiques. Every room has a mini-bar, dual-line telephone with data ports, and luxurious bathrooms with separate showers and tubs. And for the attention of the tourists: Bellagio will shortly open its Spa Tower and a new restaurant called Sensi.

Situated on the Strip next to the Mandalay Bay, the Four Seasons' public areas are entirely gambling and smoke-free, and patrons are afforded all the access privileges of a Mandalay Bay guest, including pool and spa entry and preferred event ticketing.

In the center of the Strip, with plenty of dining, shopping and nightlife options, the Venetian is among the most bustling one-stop shops and a center of urbanity in Las Vegas. In the Venetian, all rooms are suites, each featuring a mini-bar, modem lines and a fax machine/printer.

The new-look Nugget offers the elegance of the new Vegas with the intimacy and relatively low prices of the old one. Business amenities are limited, but fax and concierge service are available 24 hours a day.

Just west of the Strip is the Palms Casino, which has a remarkable split personality. By day, it is more or less a joint featuring banks of nickel slots, movie theaters and cheap eats for bargain hunters. But after sunset, the resort can compete for the Hard Rock's glitter crowd. Its nightlife and restaurants draw huge crowds.

Clarion Emerald Springs is another non-gaming facility with 150 hotel rooms, restaurants, a fitness center and an outdoor swimming pool. The JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa and Golf is nestled in 54-acres of lush landscaping and streams, and framed by spectacular views of Red Rock Canyon, one of Las Vegas' best-kept secrets.