Added: 06/22/2005 |
The allure of a casino hotelIf you are particular about entertainment while traveling, looking for glitz and glamour, you should choose a casino hotel. Casinos attract males and females of all ages, whether the allure is the possibility of striking it rich or just the exciting atmosphere.
It's a common activity on many trips and the one that is gaining popularity. Gambling has been around in one form or other since ancient times, and has passed in and out of legality. Now a casino hotel can be found in any country from north to south, east to west.
In America the first state to legalize casinos was Nevada, that explains the abundance of casino hotels in Las Vegas. With more than 50 casinos, Las Vegas is truly America's gambling mecca. Famous casino hotels along "The Strip" include the Mirage, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, Paris Hotel and Casino, and many more.
The excitement sometimes begins outside the hotels, where crowds gather to enjoy spectacular free shows such as the Bellagio's 900-foot-long dancing water fountains and the Mirage's erupting volcano. Every major casino hotel on the Strip is expanding, remodeling or refreshing its property.
Additional hotels and casinos are located in downtown Vegas, including the 50-plus-year-old landmark, the Golden Nugget, home to the world's largest single gold nugget. It stands tall beneath the razzle-dazzle of the Fremont Street Experience, a four-block-long, 90-foot-high electronic canopy of sight-and-sound shows.
The East Coast's answer to Las Vegas is Atlantic City that opened its first casino in 1978 and now has a dozen. Slot machines can range from penny slots all the way up to the $500 slot machines found in Atlantic City's recently unveiled Borgata. With 2,002 guest rooms and suites and some 125,000 square feet of gaming, the $1-billion resort is the first new hotel casino to open in Atlantic City in 13 years. The Borgata is located on the marina; most of the others are on the historic Boardwalk.
Another famous casino city is Monte Carlo, Monaco. It boasts the oldest and the most luxurious casino architecture. Built in 1878, Casino Monte Carlo was designed by Charle Garnier, the same architect that created the Grand Opera theatre in Paris. Now other casinos have been built, including The Hotel Monte Carlo Grand with inside casino. The popularity of Monaco is growing among tourists, and casino business brings high revenues.
The casino hotel market in many cities is clearly on a big rebound, casino hotels are becoming extravagant and complex, constantly improving their service and adding new features. In Las Vegas, for example, casino hotels used to practically give food away, but now, almost every casino hotel has a world-class dining establishment. A couple of other big changes are the growing number of entertainment offerings available within hotel rooms and the need to deal with another customer demand: functional cell phones.
Besides, casino hotel designers are creating flexible spaces to host changing events, like shows, sporting events and banquets. The major appeal of a casino hotel is the sheer magnitude of the space, the amount of people and the openness of the floors.
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