Binion’s has been making Las Vegas history since 1951 when Texas gambler, Benny Binion, bought the property at 128 Fremont Street. Benny Binion was a true innovator who understood the wants and needs of downtown Las Vegas visitors: offering a better deal for their money and an experience like no other. Benny pioneered Las Vegas-style customer service installing carpet and air conditioning for the comfort of his players at a time when neither was standard. In addition, he was the first casino owner to provide transportation for his players to and from the airport. In 1970, what began as an intimate poker game with 10 of Benny’s friends evolved into the World Series of Poker that today, is one of the largest and most prestigious poker tournaments in the world. Although the World Series of Poker no longer occurs at the property, Binion’s is still recognized among poker enthusiasts as the place that made poker famous. Las Vegas visitors and locals alike know Binion’s Hall of Fame Poker Room is the ultimate test of their playing skills.

http://www.binions.com/index.php

CITY OF GOLD: VEGAS’ CITYCENTER EARNS SIX LEED® GOLD CERTIFICATIONS FOR HOTELS, RESIDENCES AND RETAIL DISTRICT OPENING THIS DECEMBER
Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers Awarded LEED® Gold Certification

LAS VEGAS – November 20, 2009 – Affirming its commitment to bring a new level of environmental consciousness to the Las Vegas Strip, CityCenter has earned its fifth and sixth LEED®† Gold ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council with the certification of Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers. The accomplishment completes the certification process for all CityCenter components opening this December, and marks the highest LEED achievement by any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas. The 18-million-square-foot metropolis is one of the world’s largest sustainable communities.

“From its inception to design, development and construction, we had one single goal in mind for CityCenter: create a destination that is not only built in an environmentally sustainable manner, but also operates every day with an equal commitment to conserving natural resources,” said Bobby Baldwin, president and CEO, CityCenter. “As we approach CityCenter’s opening next month, now with six LEED Gold recognitions, we’re very close to sharing with the world a remarkable demonstration that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable.”

Due to its size and purchasing power, CityCenter is driving green economies of scale in multiple industry segments, paving the way for other entities to build and operate sustainably. The Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US®) recently honored CityCenter as the best commercial project of 2009 in the fifth annual Designing & Building with FSC Awards. CityCenter’s dedication to the use of sustainably harvested FSC-certified wood products is unprecedented in scale and resulted in a significant market transformation, including multiple wood suppliers receiving their FSC chain of custody certification to supply wood to the development. CityCenter has moved beyond existing green practices to empower industry-wide innovations. Sustainable highlights:
• First energy-generation on The Strip through its 8.5 megawatt natural-gas co-generation plant, providing efficient electricity on site, reducing emissions and using “waste heat” to provide domestic hot water
• World’s first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Water conservation technology and programs that will save between 30% and 43% of water within the buildings and 60% in outdoor landscaping, for an overall savings of approximately 50 million gallons annually
• Energy-efficiency initiatives providing a savings equivalent to powering 8,800 households annually
• Development of slot machine bases that serve as floor air-conditioning units, efficiently cooling guests from the ground up, rather than wasting energy on empty space by cooling from the ceiling
• Creation of a large-scale recycling operation that enabled the recycling or reuse of more than 260,000 tons of construction waste, more than 80% of the imploded Boardwalk Hotel
• Collaborating with the nation’s foremost sustainability and LEED consultants, CityCenter has introduced more than 10,000 construction trade and craftsmen to green building techniques that can be implemented at future developments
• More information on CityCenter’s Green initiatives can be found at: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/mgm/39529/

S. Richard Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC, said, “From its intense focus on water conservation to the multiple strategies for energy efficiency, the CityCenter team has delivered several exceptional properties that qualify for the LEED Gold rating. Extreme climates challenge the most creative of project teams, and the CityCenter team has risen to the occasion and then some. We congratulate them on their significant achievement.”

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas is the first hotel in the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to receive a LEED rating. A sophisticated sanctuary of modern elegance, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas will feature 392 rooms and suites and 225 residences. Opening December 4, 2009, the 47-story, non-gaming hotel and residences bring the legendary service of the renowned hotel group to Las Vegas for the first time.
Veer Towers, CityCenter’s only purely residential development, is a masterful translation of energy and excitement into physical form; its two 37-story glass towers shimmer day and night. Inclined at five-degree angles – a feature celebrated by the development’s name – the towers seem to dance with each other. Designed by famed architect Helmut Jahn, each tower will house approximately 335 modern condominium residences. Residential occupancies are slated to begin mid-January 2010.
Tony Dennis, executive vice president, CityCenter Residential Division, said “The LEED Gold certifications of CityCenter’s residential buildings are a brilliant example of sustainable development. In satisfying the growing demand for smart and environmentally responsible living, CityCenter’s green commitment is a meaningful point of pride for our homeowners and an element of value that is as important as our quality and service.”
CityCenter’s LEED certification effort was led by MGM MIRAGE’s Energy and Environmental Services Division along with a recognized group of sustainability consultants including CTG Energetics, Green Building Services, Viridian Energy & Environmental and Fore Solutions and Simon & Associates. CityCenter’s previous LEED Gold awards include ARIA Resort’s hotel tower, ARIA’s convention center and theater, Vdara Hotel & Spa and Crystals.

About CityCenter
CityCenter is an unprecedented urban metropolis opening in December 2009 on 67 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World. CityCenter features ARIA, a 61-story, 4,004-room gaming resort; luxury non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental and Vdara Hotel & Spa; Veer Towers, the development’s only strictly residential buildings; and Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. Vdara, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers boast approximately 2,400 residences total. Additionally, The Harmon, a 400-room luxury boutique hotel, is slated to open at CityCenter in late 2010. CityCenter also will feature Viva ELVIS™ by Cirque du Soleil® celebrating the timeless musical legacy of Elvis Presley; and an unparalleled Fine Art Collection with works by acclaimed artists including Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer, Nancy Rubins, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, among others. CityCenter is a design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and eight internationally acclaimed architectural firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Helmut Jahn, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Viñoly, Foster + Partners*, Studio Daniel Libeskind*, David Rockwell and Rockwell Group, and Gensler. At the forefront of sustainability, the 18-million-square-foot metropolis is one of the world’s largest green communities. CityCenter has earned LEED® Gold certification for ARIA, Vdara, Crystals, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers, marking the highest LEED achievement by any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas. The Harmon also is pursuing LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
For more information about CityCenter, please visit www.citycenter.com.

† The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The ‘LEED Certification Mark’ is a registered trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used by permission.

* As a consultant to AAI Architects, Inc.

The official naming ceremony for Oasis of the Seas will take place on Monday, Nov. 30 during a one night inaugural celebration fundraiser to benefit the non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The Royal Carribean Oasis of the Seas cruise ship will call on the Caribbean ports of St Maarten and St Thomas and Nassau, Bahamas. It is expected in Nassau on December 11 on its maiden voyage. These ports have completed dredging needed to accommodate the gigantic ship.

By Fabiola Moura
Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) — Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Jumeirah Group plan to open their first hotels in Brazil as rising incomes in Latin America’s largest economy and the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic games generate demand.

“The time is right now for us to be entering the Brazilian market,” James Erlacher, senior vice president of development for the Americas at the Dubai-based Jumeirah Group, said in an interview in New York.

Jumeirah’s priority is to operate hotels in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s biggest cities, and it’s also considering resorts “primarily in the northeast part of the country,” Erlacher said. The Four Seasons expects to reach agreements with developers of three projects in the next 18 months, including hotels in Sao Paulo and Rio and a beach resort, Alinio Azevedo, the chain’s director of development for South America and the Caribbean, said in an interview.

Rio’s victory over Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to host the 2016 Olympics will help sustain Brazil’s growth by bringing $51.1 billion into the economy through 2027 and adding 120,000 jobs annually in the next seven years, according to a Sao Paulo business school study prepared for the Ministry of Sports. Six straight months of job growth, coupled with tax breaks and record low borrowing costs, is driving up consumer spending in Brazil and helping the economy rebound from a recession faster than most countries.

‘Top-Tier’ Priority

Jumeirah currently operates only one hotel in the Americas, the Essex House in New York, and is developing a polo-themed resort outside of Buenos Aires as well as resorts in Costa Rica, and Saint Thomas.

Jumeirah views Brazil as a “top-tier” priority, Erlacher said. “Brazil is a healthy robust market with good supply and demand dynamics working in its favor,” he said in the Nov. 17 interview in New York.

The number of Brazilian guests in Toronto-based Four Seasons’ hotels and resorts is rising and its reservation desks are getting calls asking about accommodations in Rio and Sao Paulo, underscoring domestic and overseas demand for its planned hotels, Azevedo said.

“The number one attraction for us is really understanding the wealth creation that has happened in Brazil in the last eight to 10 years,” Azevedo said at a New York event Nov. 17 on investment opportunities in real estate and tourism in Brazil, a country with 192 million people.

Brazil’s Real Gains

Further strengthening of the Brazilian real, which has rallied 34 percent this year against the dollar, the most of any major currency, may drive away foreign visitors before Rio hosts the 2016 Olympics, Tourism Minister Luiz Barreto said Oct. 30 in a Bloomberg Television interview.

The real’s gains have been driven in part by investors buying stocks and bonds on prospects the country is among those emerging fastest from the global financial crisis.

Brazil won an investment-grade rating from Moody’s Investors Service in September, putting it one level above high- yield or junk at all three major ratings companies. Moody’s cited Brazil’s “strong economic and financial resilience” during the worldwide slowdown.

The $1.6 trillion economy grew 1.9 percent in the second quarter from the previous three months, emerging from a recession. Economists surveyed by the central bank Nov. 13 predicted gross domestic product will expand 0.2 percent this year and 5 percent in 2010, according to the median estimate.

The Olympic Games will add 1 percent to gross domestic product in coming years, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Oct. 4. The 2014 World Cup, which Brazil also will host, will add another 1 percent to GDP, Mantega said.

Misery Declines

Brazil’s misery index as measured by the inflation rate plus the unemployment rate, fell to 11.9 percent from 14.1 percent last year. That compares with 17.3 percent for Russia and 19 percent for India. The gross domestic product-weighted index for the eight largest economies is 7.1 percent compared with 10 percent a year earlier, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

“United States and Asia hotel chains who didn’t pay attention to Brazil before, all of them, absolutely all of them are focused on developing in the country,” Felipe Cavalcante, president of the Association for Real Estate and Tourism Development in the Northeast of Brazil, said in an interview at Bloomberg headquarters in New York on Nov. 16. He cited Hyatt Hotels Corp., Marriott International Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Six Senses Resorts and Spas, Amanresorts and Jumeirah.

“The crisis was good to Brazil, that is the truth,” said Cavalcante.

Marriott is interested in Brazil as “it shows enormous potential,” Thomas Marder, a spokesman for the Bethesda, Maryland-based company, said in an e-mail response to questions. Amanresorts, based in Singapore, has “many projects in the planning stage” and has no further information to release at this time, Anjali Nihalchand said in an e-mail.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aMUVcnDQ2VB4

http://www.fourseasons.com/

http://www.jumeirah.com/

MIAMI, November 13, 2009 – Royal Caribbean International’s newest cruise ship – the highly anticipated Oasis of the Seas – made her global debut today, arriving into her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. following a 14-day transatlantic crossing from Turku, Finland.  Hundreds of eager onlookers – ranging from Royal Caribbean top executives to local government officials, residents and media – came out to welcome Oasis of the Seas to the United States for the first time and to be among the first to catch a glimpse of the world’s most revolutionary cruise ship.
In the course of the next six days, the ship will undergo the final touches in preparation for pre-inaugural festivities kicking off with an exclusive private performance by pop music artist Rihanna, the first performer ever to take the stage on Oasis of the Seas’, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.  Oasis of the Seas will then make her national television premiere on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Friday, Nov. 20, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (EST).  Until that time, eager consumers can track her progress during the pre-inaugural activities via webisodes and updates, which are available at www.oasisoftheseas.com as well as join the conversation on Twitter by following @OasisandAllure and including #Oasisishere in Tweets.

The official naming ceremony for Oasis of the Seas will take place on Monday, Nov. 30 during a one night inaugural celebration fundraiser to benefit the non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.  Tickets for the once-in-a-lifetime event begin at $750 per person.  Guests who wish to continue their adventure onboard will receive an exclusive discount price, beginning at $650 per person, on a four-night cruise package sailing to the cruise line’s private beach destination, Labadee, departing the morning following the event on Tuesday, Dec. 1 (rates based on double-occupancy and stateroom package).  For reservations to this exclusive event combined with the four-night sailing, contact Cynthia Paez, Royal Caribbean International, at (877) 202-1520, ext. 12751, or cpaez@rccl.com.

The ultimate expression of Royal Caribbean’s legacy of imagination and innovation, Oasis of the Seas introduces unique industry “firsts” including a neighborhood concept – seven main themed areas providing guests with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood.  Within these seven neighborhoods – Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, Pool & Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone – are extraordinary elements such as the first living park at sea; a thrilling zip line that races diagonally nine-decks above an open-air atrium; an original handcrafted carousel; 28 multilevel urban-style loft suites boasting floor-to-ceiling windows; an amphitheater-style theater that serves as a pool by day and a dazzling ocean front theater by night; and an array of epicurean innovations that allow for new culinary experiences each day of a guest’s cruise vacation.

Oasis of the Seas is the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world.  An architectural marvel at sea, she spans 16 decks, encompasses 225,282 gross registered tons, carries 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,700 staterooms.  Oasis of the Seas is the first ship to tout the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.  The ship will sail from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Additional information is available at www.oasisoftheseas.com.

Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 21 ships currently in service and one under construction.  The line also offers unique cruise tour land packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.  For additional information or to make reservations, call your travel agent, visit www.royalcaribbean.com  or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN. Travel professionals should go www.cruisingpower.com or call (800) 327-2056.