The stunning luxury hotel located literally on top of Lake Las Vegas, about 17 miles east of The Strip, opened in 2003 as one of the lynchpins of the upscale development of hotels, mansions, condos, shopping, gambling, and recreation that was intended to become a playground for the rich and nearly famous. Heck, Celine Dion bought a house here. Its location was intended to set it apart from the crowd but unfortunately that worked just a little too well. It was too far away from the action for most Vegas tourists and too fancy for most Vegas locals.

Much of the Lake Las Vegas development has struggled financially for the last few years with big chunks of it sinking into bankruptcy, including The Ritz, which was taken over by a bank. Now that bank has decided to pull the plug and shut the doors for good.

This is bad news for the entire development. The Loews hotel continues to operate on the other side of the lake, but the Ritz was at the heart of the development next to all of the shopping, restaurants, and the casino. The impact of its closure could be devastating.

The hotel is currently scheduled to close on May 2, 2010.

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Songstress Celine Dion will be returning to Caesars Palace in March of 2011 for a three year residency at the Colosseum, the site of her record-breaking five year run that ended in 2008. But don't expect a rehash of her "A New Day" show that used to play here.

Instead of the Celine meets Cirque production that was such a hit, the new shows will be a more traditional affair as she will be backed by a full orchestra and band. The theme of the show will attempt to "capture the romance of classic Hollywood movies" and will feature large scale sets and visuals.

But the biggest change is the frequency. During her first residency at Caesars, Dion averaged roughly 175 shows per year but the new run will feature about 70 shows per year, about the same that more recent headliners such as Cher, Bette Midler, and Elton John have done.

The show is scheduled to kick off on March 15, 2011 and seats will range from $55 to $250. Tickets for the first set of shows are on sale now - for information on how to purchase them, visit the Celine Dion page in the Shows section of Vegas4Visitors.com.

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Jeff Ondash, a 51-year-old man from Ohio, spent 24 hours in front of Paris Las Vegas giving out hugs - 7,777 of them to be exact, obliterating the previous world-record of 5,000.

Going under the nom de squeeze of Teddy McHuggin, complete with a red jumpsuit costume, Ondash averaged more than 300 hugs per hour (or about 5 hugs per minute), embracing anyone who was willing to embrace him back.

The record-breaking was more than just an attempt to get in the famous Guinness book; it was also a fundraising effort for the American Heart Association.

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The Asian hotelier is a brand name most famous outside of the United States. Although they have properties across the world in Asia and Europe, this is only their sixth US hotel but they have entered the Las Vegas market with quite a statement.

As a part of the massive CityCenter development, the non-gaming Mandarin Oriental welcomes guests with what is probably the most stunning lobby in town. Located on the 23rd floor, the "Sky Lobby" is a simple black and red affair but is lined with floor to ceiling windows that soak in views of The Strip that can't be beat. Be sure to take a wander through after dark for the full impact of the city lights.

Unsurprisingly the entire property has an Asian theme to it but it is, thankfully, low key and quite tasteful. Perhaps the most obvious nod to the Oriental part of its name is the practice of its service employees to press hands together and bow respectfully to guests. I know President Obama got into trouble over this, but here you may feel free to bow back.

There are just over 600 units in the building with roughly 400 of them being hotel rooms and the rest upscale condo residences. There are separate entrances and elevators for people who live there but they have access to all of the properties amenities including the restaurants, pool, and spa.

Regarding the latter, it is located on the 7th and 8th floors of the building and also feature some spectacular views. All of the spa treatment rooms and several of its public areas feature windows so you can get a massage or soak in the hot tub while gazing at The Strip. The pool area is also located up here so get some rays while you are taking in the views.

A selection of gourmet dining and cocktail venues are offered on property, including the hotel's signature restaurant from award-winning Chef Pierre Gagnaire featuring classic French cuisine with a modern spin. Located in the 23rd floor Sky Lobby, the restaurant offers similar impressive views with its floor-to-ceiling windows as does the nearby Mandarin Bar.

The property features additional dining venues including Mozen Bistro, an all-day contemporary kitchen featuring authentic Asian dishes and multi-national fare. The Tea Lounge serves as a meeting place with an extensive menu of teas and High Tea rituals. Located on street-level lining Las Vegas Boulevard, Amore Patisserie serves a variety of gourmet pastries, cakes, sandwiches, coffee, teas, and hand-made gelato to passing guests and visitors.

That's it in terms of onsite facilities but note that it is a short walk to the rest of what CityCenter has to offer including gaming, dining, and nightlife at Aria and the shopping and dining at The Crystals.

The standard rooms are comfortably proportioned but not huge. It feels very much like a standard hotel room in terms of size but the subtle Asian inspired decor, all using the highest quality materials, makes it feel special and definitely luxurious. Beds are big and fluffy with crisp white linens; a built in entertainment unit features a mini-bar and a 42" flat screen television; a work desk allows you take advantage of the wired or wireless Internet capability; and the glass lined bathroom is appropriately marbled and stuffed with amenities. It's nothing ground-breaking but it's all very nice.

Larger and more luxury rooms and suite are available.

There are a couple of notable features. First, as with most of CityCenter, the rooms here are high-tech with keyless entry and a centralized control system (via a touchscreen or the TV) controls everything from lighting to temperature to drapes. Second is the valet closet with access from both inside the room and the hall. This allows guests to drop off their dry cleaning or get their morning paper without having to open the door.

Service is the hallmark of the Mandarin Oriental brand and it goes way beyond the bowing. Since it's a relatively small property (at least in Vegas terms) they have the ability to go out of their way to make sure that every guest is treated very well and the feeling of being at a true luxury resort is palpable.

It's difficult to pinpoint the range of rates for the Mandarin Oriental as they seem to be all over the map - even more so than most Vegas hotels. The original pricepoint was going to be very high - think over $300 per night - but I'm seeing rooms as low as $170 during the week and under $200 on some weekends. Those are good rates for a hotel of this caliber but don't expect to always get them that cheap.

So... does Vegas need another luxury hotel? Your call.

For contact information, website, and more details visit the Mandarin Oriental page in the Hotels section of Vegas4Visitors.com.

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Pocket Casino is the name of the new mobile gaming device that is currently being used at The Venetian and its sister resort Palazzo. It's a bit bigger than an iPhone but has the same basic concept - an interactive screen allows you to select from a variety of gambling options all in the palm of your hand. Whether it's small enough to fit into an actual pocket will depend on how big your pockets are, I suppose.

To use it you have register and deposit money into an account that the system draws from for your wagers. The main feature, and primary appeal of the device, is sports betting, allowing you to bet on pretty much any game that is offered in the sports book and includes the option for in-running bets (wagers placed during the game on various plays). It also features a few basic table games (poker and blackjack) and slots and video poker.

Currently you can only use it in certain restricted areas such as the casinos, the sports books, the high-limit areas, the Venetian poker room, and a couple of the restaurants/lounges. Plans are afoot, however, to expand the coverage area so you will be able to use it in pretty much any public area of the hotel including the pool. Note the "public" part of that last sentence. Even when fully implemented, you will not be able to use the device in your room or other private areas.

The interface is fairly intuitive - I got a 5 minute demo and was able to figure out the rest faster than I figured out how to use my iPhone. Whether or not I would actually ever use it is a whole other question.

As I said above, if you are an avid sports bettor then this could probably be a good thing for you. You could bet on, and watch the progress of, your game of choice while playing a hand of real blackjack in the casino or sipping a glass of champagne in the lounge. Likewise you could sit in the real sports book and play a game of virtual blackjack at the same time.

But is that a good thing? If you can't stand to be away from a blackjack table or a slot machine for the time that it takes you to drink that glass of champagne or have dinner, perhaps you should be asking yourself some more important questions than whether or not you should stand on 13.

I keep comparing it to the iPhone and I think that's appropriate. The Apple device is handy for checking e-mail and has a few useful applications but it sucks as an actual phone (please don't send me letters, it's just my opinion) and for the most part is just a distracting toy. I feel similarly about the Pocket Casino. I don't go to Vegas for virtual gambling; I go there for the real thing.

It is important to note, however, that I don't do sports betting. I don't do sports at all, as a matter of fact, so perhaps I'm not the target audience. If you are, you should check it out the next time you're at The Venetian or Palazzo. Maybe you'll find a more useful application for it than just as a distracting toy.

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