OTHER MARKETS
- Boston
- Chicago
- Las Vegas
- Miami/South Florida
- New York
- Orlando
- Toronto
- Washington

ADVERTISE | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIBE | ABOUT US | RSS

OUR TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS

CALENDAR

JOBS

Venues

NEW RESTAURANTS

BARS, CLUBS, AND LOUNGES

REDESIGNS AND REOPENINGS

Tournament Clubhouse at La Quinta

Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas

DECOR-DRIVEN VENUES

PERSONALITY PROFILE

Where to Take a Seen-It-All Group

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.30.09 6:00 AM

New Terranea Resort Sprawls Over Palos Verdes With Spa, Golf, and Oceanview Meeting Space

The Terranea Resort
Rendering: Courtesy of Destination Hotels & Resorts

Developers of the sprawling new Mediterranean-style Terranea Resort occupied some of the last, best oceanfront real estate in Southern California, taking over 102 acres at a cost of $475 million. Opened earlier this month and operated and managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, the property offers three heated swimming pools with a 140-foot waterslide, private cabanas, and food service; access to a bluff-top trail; a secluded beach cove; and sweeping ocean views.

The resort has 582 rooms, including a 360-room hotel with 20 bungalows. There are also 50 oceanfront casitas and 32 detached oceanview villas. The hotel also includes 32 suites, ranging from a 450-square-foot guest room with a balcony to the 1,800-square-foot presidential suite. MORE >>

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.29.09 6:00 AM

El Cortez Cabana Suites Reopen With South Beach-Inspired Colors, Vintage Decor

El Cortez
Photo: Thomas Muscionico

FROM LAS VEGAS Away from all the new construction on the Strip, downtown's El Cortez Hotel & Casino, which opened in 1941 and bills itself as the oldest continually operating property in Las Vegas, reopened in May after a complete overhaul that took $20 million and more than two years to complete.

The hotel's new El Cortez Cabana Suites—in the nearby building formerly known as the Odgen House—are intended to attract a younger, hipper crowd, with vintage style inspired by retro-South Beach Miami themes. Each of the 64 rooms has an iPod speaker dock and HDTV. Bold green and graphic black and white make the space pop, and bathrooms have new marble tile. The property also features a new fitness center. MORE >>

VENUE NEWS

06.25.09 7:44 AM

Dolce Closing—for Now—to Pave Way for Philippe Chow

Monday, June 29, will be Dolce's last day at Melrose and Sweetzer Avenues. Dolce Group partners Lonnie Moore and Mike Malin are looking to reopen the Italian restaurant in another West Hollywood location, to be determined. Dolce Group director of marketing and PR Marissa Knies Lanier explained: "Philippe [Chow] from New York made them an offer they could not refuse, so they are taking over the space." Word spread in February that Chow was looking for West Hollywood real estate.

"The Dolce Group has always been about reinvention, and Moore and Malin look forward to continuing to expand their restaurant and nightlife empire with such concepts as Rare 120° in Vegas and Les Deux in Hollywood," Knies Lanier said.

Dolce is offering customers food discounts through the weekend, and it will have a closing party next week. —Alesandra Dubin

The Dolce Group

LOCATION SCOUT

06.25.09 6:00 AM

3 Hotel Steak Houses With Private Space

The Blvd
Photo: Robb Gordon

To entertain a meat-and-potatoes group, try these steak houses in Los Angeles hotels—all of which offer private dining options.

1. Downtown’s Millennium Biltmore Hotel added a new restaurant in late May: La Bistecca, an Italian steak house in the hotel’s lobby, Rendezvous Court. Artist Anthony Heinsbergen designed the space, which has soaring ceilings in a Spanish-Baroque setting with Italian travertine stone walls, a three-story Moorish plaster ceiling decorated with hand-painted and carved wood beams, 24-karat gold accents, Italian bronze and crystal chandeliers, and a Tennessee rose marble fountain.

The menu at La Bistecca features six cuts of beef with a variety of accompaniments inspired by the cuisine of southern Italy and Sicily, as well as traditional sauces. The restaurant is available for full and partial buyouts, and has a capacity of 50. MORE >>

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.23.09 11:43 AM

Polycom Introduces High-Tech Linked Conference Centers in 26 Cities

Polycom's Solutions Center
Photo: Courtesy of Polycom

FROM NEW YORK For companies looking to cut travel costs for large corporate meetings, telepresence manufacturer Polycom is now offering its 26 business centers around the world for daily rental. Intended to be more immersive than video conferencing, Polycom telepresence facilities include high-definition visual and audio gear designed to make users feel as if they're communicating with people in the same room—even if they're actually in another facility across the country.

Polycom's West Coast flagship is located in Santa Clara, California, and last week the company showed off its new 8,900-square-foot East Coast flagship in New York. In addition to facilities near Boston, Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and in Toronto, it also has venues in Brazil, England, France, Germany, Israel, China, Australia, and Japan. MORE >>

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.22.09 6:00 AM

Nico Santucci Renovates Already Overhauled Parisian Palace for Opulent, "Rock Star" Feel

Parisian Palace
Photo: Courtesy of the Parisian Palace

FROM LAS VEGAS Every once in a while, one comes across a hidden space in Las Vegas—away from the towering casinos on the Strip. Such is the case with the Parisian Palace, a 14,000-square-foot French castle. Located on Palmyra Avenue off Jones Boulevard, the mansion speaks to the history and opulence of another continent and era. Owner entrepreneur/restaurateur/designer Nico Santucci (who also owns Capo’s restaurants on Tropicana and Sahara Avenues) completely redesigned and remodeled the property when he bought it in 2004—and again in recent months to give it what he calls a “rock star” feel. The latest changes added music memorabilia, authentic gold records, countless electric guitars, a stage and lighting in the mansion’s nightclub, and a custom-built chopper motorcycle.

With its Versace furniture and accoutrements, hand-painted ceiling murals, paintings on the mirrors done with 24-karat gold, and 13 imported chandeliers, the palace’s interior is a microcosm of post-war France, and also reflects the eclecticism that Santucci is known for. Ultimately, the designer added 5,000 square feet to the existing property, including a professional bowling alley. MORE >>

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.18.09 7:55 AM

Trader Vic's at L.A. Live Offers Private Space, a Patio, and a Peek at the Oven

Trader Vic's
Photo: Walter Robles for Trader Vic's at L.A. Live

The tiki restaurant and bar franchise Trader Vic’s has a new outpost at L.A. Live, and—like the other new venues in the shiny downtown complex—it's big and well appointed. The Valencia Group owns and operates the space.

The main dining room holds 170 guests for a seated event or 240 for a reception; the Outrigger Room holds 60 guests seated or 75 for a reception; and the bar holds 70 seated or 150 for a reception. The patio seats 35 or holds 50 for a reception, and is the only area not equipped with audiovisual capabilities. Event menus can be customized for plated meals, buffets, or platters.

A glass-enclosed oven sits in a room centered in the back of the restaurant, so guests can watch the the preparation of their meals. MORE >>

L.A. Live, Valencia Group, Downtown Renaissance

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.15.09 11:18 AM

A Steak House With Private Gaming

Capo's
Photo: Rose Stout Photography

FROM LAS VEGAS The new location of Capo’s Italian Steakhouse—a remake of the original Capo’s from 1964—opened off the Strip, behind a well-concealed door, in January, and plays up a heavy-handed mafia theme. The hearty menu includes “the Godfather’s filet mignon” and “Rat Pack rib eye,” and the venue includes a secret staircase for the suggestion of mystery.

Red banquettes and dim lighting give the space a dark and moody feel, and chandeliers hang overhead. The venue is available for buyout with a capacity of about 150. Private spaces include the roulette room for eight and the V.I.V.I. Room for four. There’s also an outdoor cognac lounge. MORE >>

THE WALKTHROUGH

06.11.09 6:00 AM

The Lab Offers Private Dining and Gastropub Fare Amid Environs Inspired by Science Class

The Lab
Photo: Ian Evenstar

U.S.C. Hospitality has added the Lab to its growing dining portfolio. The 20,000-square-foot spot offers gastropub fare from associate executive chef Thomas Moran in a setting reminiscent of a science lab, with slate-topped tables, beakers as vases, and bookshelves that house science textbooks. Director of hospitality Scott Shuttleworth worked with architectural firm AC Martin to create the space with an open floor plan, white and black tile , hardwood details, and a main dining room with a wall of sliding doors that open onto an outdoor patio. Communal tables run the length of the restaurant, and a banquette on the far wall affords a view of the entire space.

The Lab also has a private dining room wired for full audiovisual capabilities. It holds 18 guests for a seated event or 30 for a reception. MORE >>

U.S.C., AC Martin

LOCATION SCOUT

06.08.09 5:00 AM

New Meeting Options at Encore and Hard Rock

Encore
Photo: Russell MacMasters

FROM LAS VEGAS 1. This spring, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino completed a total overhaul that added 75,000 square feet of full-service meeting and convention space, including simulcast capabilities in the Rogue Joint theater (also known as the Joint). As part of Hard Rock’s $750 million expansion and renovation, the 40 meeting rooms offer rock-style decor and technology, like built-in flat-screen TVs with projection capability, wireless Internet, and CAT5 cables. The 82,000 square feet of flexible meeting space include Muse and Artist halls that total more than 25,000 square feet combined. The Studio Collection in the new Paradise Tower supplies an intimate setting for breakout sessions. MORE >>

MORE NEWS