Cruising the Web Strip
by Jeff Mellen
Arguably, the prime example of location-based entertainment is the
Las Vegas Strip. Along a three-mile stretch, you can visit New
York, Paris, Venice, an Egyptian pyramid, a tropical rainforest, a
lion preserve, ride on any number of rollercoasters, drop a coin (or
credit card) into any of hundreds of thousands of slot machines, indulge
yourself in hundreds of buffets, or swim in dozens of pools.
Las Vegas' attractions have become more and more opulent and impressive--
rising from the dust of the '70s and '80s with half-scale Eiffel towers,
New York skylines, and many mega-entertainment complexes.
The resort-casinos' Web offerings don't have nearly the allure of
the Strip, and understandably so. Their function is merely to
attract visitors to stay for a few days, gamble, or attend conferences.
However, some resort casinos do better jobs than others in doing so.
Although I've been to a few of the hotels, I'll take the perspective
of a Las Vegas neophyte, using only the Internet to decide where to
stay, in my evaluation of the resorts' websites.
Luxor (http://www.luxor.com)
Differentiating itself from the grand towers of the Strip, the Luxor
Hotel & Resort-Casino is now a recognizable landmark-- a giant
black pyramid against a blue desert sky. Its site is also one
of the most comprehensive-- showing visitors all facets and facts
about the hotel, such as its gigantic atrium, IMAX theater rides,
Blue Man Group, after-hours entertainment, nightclub, restaurants,
rooms, and more. It is also smartly designed (for those with
Macromedia Flash Player) and richly colored, displaying a good level
of information and visual density. Finally, it doesn't use many
words to describe itself-- what it can express with photos, it does.
The hotel *does* tilt toward a younger crowd, so that may have motivated
the quality on its website.
Bellagio (http://www.bellagio.com)
Whereas Luxor appeals to a younger crowd, Bellagio exudes class.
When you load the web site, classical music plays in the background,
reminiscent of a De Beers diamond commercial. Meanwhile you
see phrases such as "An Extraordinary Place of Beauty and Elegance"
and "The Best of Everything Presented in a Singular Setting."
The site focuses on its fountain show, art gallery, botanical gardens,
and luxurious accomodations and restaurants, all the while showed
muted photos of landscapes or artwork. A major section is devoted
to the resort's vast spa and salon complex. Attracting a more
upscale audience, Bellagio's site is decidedly reserved and just lets
its opulence show for itself.
Paris Las Vegas (http://www.parislasvegas.com)
Las Vegas tourist sites do a better job of selling Paris Las Vegas
than the website does itself. From the outside, Paris seems
like one of the most intriguing attractions in the city. Following
in the success of MGM's New York, New York casino, Paris features
a 1/2-scale (50-story) Eiffel Tower, a full-size Arc de Triomphe,
a Parisian shopping district, and many themed restaurants. You
wouldn't really know this visiting the Paris Las Vegas website.
The 3-D pictures that the hotel offers do not load correctly, there
is little detail about restaurant hours or accommodations, and unlike
many other casino web sites, you cannot reserve rooms online.
There is a lot of room for improvement, especially for such an impressive
resort complex.
Caesars Palace (http://www.caesarspalace.com)
One of the original themed casinos, Caesars Palace also seems to embrace
e-commerce more than any other site on the strip. Not only can
you reserve a room, plan a conference, or take a virtual tour of the
casino, but you can also purchase a wide variety of themed merchandise
from Caesars' online store, http://www.shopcaesars.com.
It may not be the newest casino on the block, but its website is the
most integrated and helpful of those I've visited. Luxor may
be the best designed, but all casinos (or hotels, for that matter)
should have Caesars' Event Planner, helpful "Ask the Emperor"
FAQ section, and online reservation system.