The Palazzo at The Venetian

Opened in December 2007, and stacked next to the Wynn and the Bellagio as one of the premier “New Vegas” hotels, the Palazzo (meaning “palace” or “excellent residence” in Italian) is simply meant to wow its visitors with its scale, texture, and even scent -- like its next-door sister property, the Venetian, this hotel is famous for its perfume-scented air. Las Vegas may be known as the place that allows you travel to Egypt, Paris, Italy, New York, the Middle Ages, or Venice, but at the 3,068-room Palazzo, there is no recognizable theme or gimmick. It markets itself as "Vegas all grown-up" -- even though no one really goes to Vegas to act in a mature fashion.

Not that the place totally lacks for grand eccentricities. The lobby's 50-foot-high glass dome with elegant nude sculptures fashioned from blown glass serves as the backdrop for elaborate seasonal installations. Expect lots of polished marble, neutral tones, and well-designed fountain and greenery accents.

Boasting several pools, dozens of restaurants, and a casino, the Palazzo is perhaps an even fancier extension of the Venetian, though it can be difficult to tell the difference. A five- to 10-minute walk through the Palazzo's haute-couture shopping mall leads to the Venetian's lower-end retail and Grand Canal Shoppes, where plenty of Palazzo guests head to take an atmospheric gondola ride. Unfortunately, due to the size of the resort, personal service is not the hotel’s strong suit.

The Palazzo is located on the happening north end of the Strip, between the Venetian and the Wynn. The hotel is also across the street from Treasure Island and Palazzo guests seem to have the best view of the pirates extravaganza from the balcony of LAVO.

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the densely packed, three-and-a-half-mile-long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's also a monorail system, which stops at Bally's, Caesars Palace, Harrah's, the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the Sahara. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option. Ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft are also economical options.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport.

The Palazzo (and its sister hotel, the Venetian) have extremely large standard rooms, each containing a bedroom and a sunken living room with L-shaped sofas that open up to full-size beds. Art Deco-inspired touches in lamps, dressers, and the crushed-velvet couches add to the luxurious and tasteful ambience.

The comfy king- and queen-size pillow-top beds are dressed in Egyptian cotton sheets and topped with wool throws. Rooms also feature three flat-screen TVs: a 32-inch in the living room, a 42-inch in the bedroom, and a 17-inch in the bathroom. Each offers about 40 channels, but no HBO, and a wide selection of films on demand.

The bathrooms -- which, at 130 square feet, are larger than some New York City hotel rooms -- come with showers, separate deep soaking tubs and twin sink basins, plenty of soft towels, and quality bath products.

If all this luxury doesn't cut it, or you need some extra space, guests can book a 940-square-foot Fortuna Suite or 1,280-square-foot Siena Suite, both with Italian marble foyers.

The Palazzo and Venetian have 10 pools between them, with the separate pool decks connected via a pedestrian walkway. Select pools are kept open during the fall and winter months. The elegant pools are laid-back and have ample loungers, plus cabanas for rent. Poolside drink and food service is available. Adults may want to head over to the TAO Beach day club, which is for a 21-and-over crowd and allows topless sunbathing on select days.

The world-famous Canyon Ranch Spa offers more than the usual range of spa services. A (pricey) day pass buys access to "Aquavana," which includes the Herbal Laconium (a warm, ceramic-tiled room with individual thrones and color-changing ceiling), the Hydro Spa (a fancy name for a hot tub), a Finnish sauna, the Igloo (the opposite of a sauna), Experiential Rains (showers with new-agey names like "Cool Fog," "Tropical Rain," and "Caribbean Storm"), and other highfalutin features. One warning: the spa, especially the facilities for women, can get crowded.

The hotel’s fitness facility has a huge range of cardio and strength equipment (all with video monitors), an indoor climbing wall, and spinning and yoga classes.

Guests may upgrade to concierge-level rooms, which buys them access to an exclusive 23rd-floor lounge with free amenities like a continental breakfast, snacks, and early-evening cocktails. The cost to upgrade depends on the availability of rooms, which dictates the nightly rate.

The casino at the Palazzo is somewhat smaller and more intimate than most of the mega-property casinos, and the staff is more attentive. It offers 139 different table games and countless slot machines, but no poker room. (For that, you have to go next door to the Venetian.) Medium-rollers take note, the Palazzo does not provide comps to gamblers who are not shelling out the big bucks. That means no entertainment discounts or free rooms, food, and beverages.

Wolfgang Puck. Emeril Lagasse. Thomas Keller. These are just a few of the chefs who helm a restaurant (or two) at the Palazzo, and the property has a couple dozen restaurants in all. Of course, guests of the Palazzo can eat at any of the eateries at the Venetian. Meals at all restaurants at both properties -- except for the food court -- can be charged to a room.

The highlights at the Palazzo include the dueling steak houses (Puck’s CUT versus Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse), Asian eatery Mott 32, and the Japanese-Peruvian-Brazilian cuisine of Sushisamba. Several casual options and an extensive 24-hour rooms service menu provide more dining options.

What Entertainment and Nightlife are at The Palazzo at The Venetian?

A cool nightclub, several entertainment shows, and the sights of Italy just next door are at travelers’ fingertips.

Like most other hotels on the strip, the Palazzo offers high-quality entertainment and plenty of things to do on-site.

The hotel is home to several shows of performing artists and TAO Nightclub, where well-known DJs and celebrities often make appearances.

The Electra Cocktail Club offers craft cocktails in the heart of The Palazzo’s casino.

At the Venetian, next door, crowds gather for "street performances" in Saint Mark’s Square, gondola rides along the hotel's canals, and Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

Is The Palazzo at The Venetian Good for Families?

There are great rooms and pools for families, but nothing specifically geared toward kids.

At the Palazzo, you won't find a roller-coaster like they have at New York New York. But for the family that plans to explore the Strip as a whole, the Palazzo would be an excellent choice -- if only for the huge, suite-style standard rooms, which are the largest on the Strip and feature couches that pull out into beds. Rollaway beds are also available for an additional nightly fee (though the hotel allows them only in rooms larger than the standard Luxury Suites). Cribs are also available at no extra cost.
Kids will certainly enjoy hopping among the many pools. The fact that the adult-only party pool, TAO, is located next door at the Venetian arguably makes the Palazzo the more family-friendly of the sister properties.

Many of the more casual dining restaurants offer a kids' menu.

Is The Palazzo at The Venetian Eco-Friendly?

This is one of the largest LEED-certified green buildings in the nation.

This is one of the largest LEED-certified green buildings in the nation; 95 percent of the building's structural steel is recycled material in addition to 26 percent of the concrete.
According to the Palazzo, the entire hotel was built with sustainability in mind: the artificial turf reduces the need for irrigation; the swimming pools use a solar heating system; and air-conditioning systems in guest rooms have sensors to automatically adjust when no one is in the room. The hotel claims to save enough energy each year to light a 100 watt lightbulb for 12,100 years.