Las Vegas - Venetian Hotel

They say that less than 10% of Americans have passports. Some reports put the figure as low as 5%. When you go to Las Vegas you can understand why.

Americans pile into Vegas, not just to win their “life changing” fortune, but also to “do Europe.”

On one street (The Strip), you have Italy, courtesy of Belagio, Paris and the Eiffel Tower (I do wonder how many Americans actually believe that the mini tower in Vegas is the REAL Eiffel Tower), an Egyptian pyramid (The Luxor Hotel), and, most spectacularly of all, Venice.

It is utterly extraordinary. An indoor “Grand Canal” winds its way through the hotel, and gondola rides are on offer, complete with gondoliers, in all their hooped shirt splendour.

The starlit Venetian sky is above, and a plethora of cafes and ristorantes line the canal, in between gift shops, and of course, the slot machines and gaming tables.

To the few Americans and foreigners, who have visited Venice, it must be both tasteless and ludicrous.  But the tragedy is that most of the obese, crimpeline clad Middle Americans, sunk into their Gondolas, probably believe this is it…the real thing.

And so on to the hotel accommodation.

An American Express upgrade secured a vast suite, in a hotel which claims that its rooms are the largest in Vegas, a town where the quality of a room is determined by its size, number of televisions and Jacuzzi. The check in assistant was ecstatic as he proudly announced how many square feet I was being allocated. Not being a surveyor or architect, I could not instantly visualize this and share in his glee. Undeterred, he unlocked the door and, as I gasped in disbelief at the barn before me, he repeated the square footage, pointed out the four televisions and led me to the expanse of sunken plastic which was the Jacuzzi.

The view across Vegas was spectacular but the quality and taste of the furnishings left the accommodation cold. It was extraordinary to have such a large suite and feel no desire to spend any time in it.

Of course, in Vegas guests are strongly discouraged from spending time in their rooms. Room service menus are available but inform you that you may encounter a long delay in waiting for your order, therefore guests are advised to use the many restaurants around the hotel.

Why? Because if you are in your room you are not gambling.  Increasingly, hotels are offering in-room gambling via the televisions but, hey, its not the same as being on the floor throwing all your money at the croupier or pumping it into a slot.

The Venetian Hotel is a must to visit if you go to Vegas, but there are better places to stay, such as the Wynn Hotel .

The Venetian
The Strip
Las Vegas