La Dolce Vita

The Venetian celebrates 20 years in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - The iconic Italian-style resort/casino, The Venetian, celebrates its 20th year in Las Vegas this month. Designed for the discerning traveler craving a bespoke Las Vegas getaway, The Venetian is a destination-defining resort composed of three all-suite towers, boasting standard accommodations nearly double the size of the average on the Las Vegas Strip, world-class restaurants from celebrated chefs; a collective of intimate and elevated cocktail havens curated by the industry's top talents; Canyon Ranch Spa; a five-acre pool and garden deck; TAO Nightclub; a country club-meets-Vegas poolside experience at The Aquatic Club; an ever-evolving series of large-scale art installations; two casinos and poker room, and retail options at Grand Canal Shoppes, anchored by a three-story flagship Barneys New York.

This week kicks off a "Year of Celebrations," providing an opportunity for guests to choose an occasion to enjoy the resort -- from intimate weekends to large-scale parties and surprises.

The Venetian Resort opened its doors for the first time on May 3, 1999. The resort was a resounding success, even fueling "the overall renaissance of Las Vegas itself," according to Fortune magazine. For the past 20 years, The Venetian has continued to change the landscape of Las Vegas with its focus on the meetings and convention market, and its innovative integrated resort experience.

A marvel of modern construction, the foundation of The Venetian required the largest continuous concrete pour in U.S. history, using the contents of 125 cement trucks over a 30-hour period. This 68,000-square-foot slab supported the first phase of The Venetian. The Palazzo tower displaced the Pentagon as the largest building in terms of floor space in the United States, at 19 million square feet.

When The Venetian opened in 1999, it was the largest hotel in Las Vegas with 3,036 suites. When its sister resort The Palazzo tower opened in 2007, it became the largest hotel in the world, with 7,092 suites. Even today, The Venetian is the largest resort of its kind in the world.

The resort's Italian theme was inspired by a romantic honeymoon visit to the City of Canals by founder Sheldon G. Adelson (Las Vegas Sands Corp. President and CEO) and his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson. Word has it Dr. Adelson first shared the idea of bringing the magic of Venice to Vegas.

Legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren was a featured guest for the opening ceremony of The Venetian, launching the first gondola with a bottle of champagne accompanied by the Adelsons.

According to maritime tradition, this makes the actress the official "godmother" of The Venetian's picturesque floating gondola fleet.

About 500,000 people ride the iconic gondolas each year. This is just one reason why The Venetian has been named one of "the most Instagrammed resorts in America."

The resort's industry-leading ECO360 sustainability program ensures a relatively small carbon footprint. For instance, while guests sleep, the day's trash is sorted to reclaim recyclable materials, diverting an impressive 55 percent of trash from local landfills.

Upon opening, The Palazzo tower was named the largest LEED-certified building in the world. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

A premier events and conference center, The Venetian resort is also home to more than 2.3 million square feet of meeting and convention space, including The Venetian and The Palazzo Congress Center and the famed Sands Expo Convention Center.

For more information on upcoming events, visit www .venetian.com.