The Stardust Hotel & Casino, in business since 1958, will be closing later this year and torn down in 2007 to make way for a $4 billion development to be called Echelon Place it was announced last week. The 60-plus acre project from parent company Boyd Gaming will contain a grand total of 5,300 hotel rooms operating under four different banners.

The first, and by far the biggest, is the Boyd owned and operated Echelon Resort, a $2.9 billion hotel and casino that will feature 3,300 rooms – 2,600 “standard” units in one tower and 700 suites in a second.

Next will be a Las Vegas version of the chic Los Angeles hotel The Mondrian that will feature 1,000 rooms and a separate check-in, pool, restaurants, bars, and more.

The same group that is creating the Mondrian will also create a 600 room Delano hotel, patterned after the South Beach resort of the same name.

Finally, one of the leading hotel groups in Asia will build a 400 room Shangri-La hotel, complete with a 20,000 square-foot casino.

At the center of all of this accommodation madness is a massive casino and entertainment facility. It will feature 140,000 square-feet of casino space (that’s second only to MGM Grand on The Strip), a 350,000 square-foot shopping facility (roughly the same size as Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes), a 4,000-seat theater for major productions and concerts, a 1,500 seat theater for smaller events, 1 million square-feet of convention space, a giant pool and recreation area, and another spa.

The Echelon hotel rooms will most likely be built on top of the casino as is tradition while the other hotels popping up elsewhere on the property but with access to the central entertainment complex.

The whole thing will be an upscale development, going after the high-priced luxury market that is almost completely ignored in Las Vegas these days. Unless you count Bellagio, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, Wynn Las Vegas, and just about every other hotel being built in the city. Boyd Gaming insists that the middle-market will not be ignored in Echelon and future developments but from what they’re saying about the place you better start saving your money now.

Interestingly, there are no plans for any residential component at this time although that may be included on a 3-acre portion of the land that is not being developed in the initial phase.

Some of the people who helped develop and run Boyd’s very successful Borgata in Atlantic City are coming to Vegas to oversee the development and execution of the new mega-resort.

As mentioned, the Stardust is expected to remain open for business for the bulk of 2006 but will most likely close before the end of the year. Construction on the resort will begin in 2007 and is projected to be completed by 2010.

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Question: Loved your “best of” lists for hotels, restaurants, and show but what about stuff like casinos and nightclubs and all of the other things that Vegas has to offer?

Answer: Great question, Janet – okay… here you go:

2005 Vegas4Visitors Awards: Best of the Rest

Best Attraction
Atomic Testing Museum – This place goes beyond museum to become a fascinating, almost living testament to the good, the bad, and the ugly that was the Nevada Test Site, an above-ground nuclear testing facility just 60 miles from Las Vegas. Interactive exhibits, video, photos, artifacts, and much, much make this a must-see.

Best Casino
Bally’s – It’s not the fanciest or biggest or most lively, but the casino at Bally’s has a simple, easily navigable layout, all of the latest (and many of your older favorite) slot machines, video poker, plenty of table games, and an incredibly friendly staff. What more could you want? Okay, how about this: I have won more money in the Bally’s casino than in any other in town. It may not mean much to you, but this is my list so there, nyah.

Best Nightclub
Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce – Nightclub is probably not the exact, best word for the place but there’s something groovy, funky, and fun about this tiny sliver of a joint that features comely lasses strutting their stuff in the best burlesque in town. Who cares that there isn’t a dance floor – the great beats and fab drinks they serve will make you want to boogie wherever there’s an open bit of carpeting.

Best Shopping Experience
MonteLago Village – Note that I called this the best shopping “experience,” not necessarily the best shopping. There are a limited number of stores here and most of what they sell is on the expensive side but there’s something undeniably lovely about wandering through the cobblestone streets of this faux Italian village, maybe with a gelato in hand, as you gaze at the beautiful lake and maybe, just maybe, find yourself that perfect thing you were looking for in one of the boutiques.

Best Spa
The Bathhouse at THEhotel – I’m not much of a spa person, but The Bathhouse Spa at THEhotel is almost enough to make me become one. The stunning space, evocatively designed with dramatic alcoves, soaring ceilings, and intimate lighting makes you want to relax even before you get to the massages and treatments.

Best Recreation
Lake Las Vegas – Golf, hiking, boating, swimming, fly-fishing, star-gazing, kayaking, and mountain-biking are just the beginning of the offerings at Lake Las Vegas, a nature-lovers paradise. With the exception of Lake Mead, there is no other single place in the Las Vegas area that offers this much and you get the added bonus of fewer people and much more to do after you’ve had that hike (like eat, drink, gamble, and sleep).

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