by Marlena Sullivan, Exhibit City News with parts of the Venetian Resort Las Vegas PR
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is celebrating 25 years of business, this May. When The Venetian Resort Las Vegas first opened, it made waves by pioneering the convention-hotel concept. They delivered Venice’s canals to the Las Vegas desert, gondoliers and all, while offering an elaborate array of meeting rooms and an exhibit hall once known as the Sands Expo Center.
Exhibit City News sat down with Tony Yousfi the Chief Sales Officer for The Venetian Las Vegas to learn more about their redevelopment program, 25 year celebrations, and their Food Rescue Alliance Program.
REDEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY
The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas has begun their two yearlong redevelopment project. The complete refresh will be completed by 2026, the project will cost $1.5 billion.
“The Venetian Resort’s innovative spirit has had a massive impact on Las Vegas over the last 25 years and paved the way for our visionary $1.5 billion reinvestment today,” said Patrick Nichols, president and chief executive officer of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. “This redevelopment marks more than just a surface-level renovation, it signifies a deep understanding of our guests and a profound reimagining of an iconic resort unlike any other in history. The beauty of this project lies within the balance of the beloved familiar and the never-before-seen.”
The resort’s extensive reimagining shall touch everything from the iconic logo to the 4,000 suites in The Venetian towers, all of which shall be newly updated.
The Venetian meeting rooms and public spaces shall be updated as well, while Exhibit City News has been told that the Expo Center itself will remain untouched. These meeting and public spaces will gain a refresh with an all new color palette, and upscale changes which will include new audio-visual capabilities.
“We wanted to take a thoughtful approach regarding the renovations. We will be working floor by floor, in a strategic manner to work through all the changes. Ultimately, we anticipate no disruptions to the events who choose to host with us and our groups who plan to visit,” says Yousfi. “I’m excited about the $188 million refresh. This refresh project is going to redefine who we are in this city. It will allow us to redefine luxury on the meeting scale.”
The renovations for the convention center are underway beginning in June.
FOOD RESCUE ALLIANCE PROGRAM
On February 27th the White House recognized The Venetian and their Food Rescue Alliance Program that they started as a collaboration with the Just One Project. This first-of-its kind initiative aims to serve the Las Vegas community suffering from food insecurity by donating meals that were untouched after meetings and events. These meals are repackaged and served across the southern Nevada.
“This is a project we are truly proud of,” says Yousfi. “The Venetian serves approximately 3.5 million meals throughout the meeting space. At no additional cost to our exhibitors, we are making real and substantial impact on our local community.”
Earlier this year the White House gave praise for the initiative during the press briefing in February for The White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities by 2030. According to the Venetian, who has been on the forefront of food rescue since 2014, this new partnership allows for a 100 percent increase in fresh meals donated to the community annually.
“It’s astounding to see the significant growth and development The Venetian Resort has made in the two years since we initiated this partnership,” said Daniel Cohen, partner at Apollo Global Management. “We wholeheartedly trusted in the vision and leadership of The Venetian Resort team and our shared mission to elevate the overall guest experience, but to see the resources we provided come to life in through extraordinary innovation is exciting for us all.”
The program continues to highlight The Venetian’s dedication to not only the Las Vegas community but their global impact.
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
Throughout the month of May The Venetian Resort will have a series of dining experiences celebrating the anniversary. These include:
- At Sala 118, Bar Luca, and Prestige Club Lounge sip on the Italia 25, a refreshing cocktail made with gin, sparkling rosé, Aperitivo Select, Italicus Bergamot, and strawberry.
- Celebrate with something sweet at Black Tap all month long with the Raspberry Almond shake complete with red, green, and white sprinkles on a chocolate frosted rim and topped with an Italian rainbow cookie cake slice.
- HaSalon and Miznon are getting into the celebration with two offerings, the beet carpaccio and a glass of Sarea Getaroako at HaSalon and the pita rock salad and bag of beans at Miznon.
- Mott 32 is featuring a $25 signature dim sum basket throughout May filled with traditional Iberico pork Shanghainese soup dumplings, hot and sour Iberico pork Shanghainese soup dumplings, dumplings filled with garoupa, prawn, and vegetables, and a scallop dumpling with caviar.
- Bouchon is celebrating all month long with the Lion’s Tail, a specialty cocktail made with bourbon, lime juice, allspice dram, and simple syrup.
- BRERA osteria and Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano are celebrating with $25 pastas. A few options include the fettuccelle at BRERA, and the maccheroncelli which is topped with black truffle at Matteo’s.
- CUT by Wolfgang Puck has created a Bespoke Negroni made of gin, Campari, Aperol, and sweet vermouth.
The Venetian will partner with FOX 5 Las Vegas to give away 25 staycations, to the Las Vegas community. This staycation will include a one-night stay, food and beverage credit, and a gondola ride. Additionally, those travelers looking to stay in the resort from June 23 to September 5th, 2024, are being offered a suite offer. This offer includes discounted rates. Venetian Rewards members receive additional discounts on the suite rates and more.
The Venetian team will give back over the course of the month by committing to 25 acts of service throughout May. The Venetian says that these volunteer opportunities will benefit several organizations including: The Just One Project, Three Square, Green Our Planet, U.S. Vets, HERO School, and Spread the Word Nevada.
About The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas features all-suite accommodations across The Venetian and The Palazzo. The iconic resort’s experience is marked by a commitment to sophisticated play and light-hearted luxury, with world-class restaurants from celebrated chefs; the rejuvenating Canyon Ranch spa + fitness; a five-acre pool and garden deck inspired by the Italian Riviera including TAO Beach Dayclub, a Balinese-inspired tropical oasis; two landmark casinos and a poker room; Voltaire, a new destination nightlife venue that blurs the lines between and intimate club, concert, and non-stop entertainment; TAO Nightclub, and unparalleled retail experiences at Grand Canal Shoppes.
A premier events and conference center, the resort is home to more than 2.25 million square feet of meeting, exposition, and convention space. The Venetian Resort’s brand-new loyalty program, Venetian Rewards, offers resort-wide earning and redemption for gaming play, including slots and tables, as well as experiential spend, such as dining, entertainment, hotel reservations, and more.
