Don’t look now, but Las Vegas is intent (in fact hell bent) on becoming a serious city for sophisticated urban living. The Las Vegas Real Estate market is about to provide an abundance of the one thing that has gone missing (unless you were fortunate enough to stay in a penthouse high roller suite), world class high-rise condominiums. MS Las Vegas Real Estate, http://www.mslasvegasrealestate.com/ is very excited about the new opportunities soon to be presented to connoisseurs of urban chic. We have in mind that truly discerning urban animal that has never considered Las Vegas real estate because suburban living just doesn’t work for them.Although the ice has already been broken by Turnberry Place and Park towers, construction is soon to begin on “the” signature development that will truly mark the arrival of Las Vegas as a city to be reckoned with. Let the competition begin for the high rise luxury real estate dollar. In case you missed it, MGM Mirage Corporation made a stunning announcement last month that will change the way urban sophisticates view Las Vegas Real estate forever. How does a four billion dollar master plan spread out over sixty six acres sound? Not just any sixty six acres, but the sixty six that just happen to be wedged between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo right on the strip itself. By the way, MGM Mirage wants you to know that this is larger than Times Square, Rockefeller Center and SoHo combined. They also want you to know that a Gaming company is thrilled to be making a Las Vegas real estate investment on strip property that could very easily be converted into more casinos instead. Who wants to live right on the strip? Are they crazy? At MS Las Vegas Real Estate, we think not. How awful to be just minutes away from world class shopping, dining and nightlife (not to mention the airport), the three signatures of true urban luxury living. Add to this a multitude of Broadway caliber shows (Avenue Q opens soon) and the new Maserati dealer just up the street and we think that this is going to be a huge success. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is fully prepared to present the various high-rise investment options available to those whose adrenaline surges under these living conditions. Allow us to introduce to you a Las Vegas real estate option that you may not have previously considered. It would be our pleasure. Please visit our website located at http://www.mslasvegasrealestate.com/ for more information.

The “High Roller” rollercoaster that wraps around the Stratosphere at 111 stories has been closed since January. Recently, construction crews have been taking the track apart in pieces at night! Have you seen those nocturnal daredevil dismantling crews up there? Talk about a job with a view! What are they making way for? How about a 6,880 square foot nightclub with a revolving outdoor deck and VIP Sky Boxes! Yup, that’s the plan. The Stratosphere just keeps on trying to reinvent itself into something that works and makes sense. Next up, 360 degree dancing at 900 feet! MS Las Vegas Real Estate has spent some time at the Top of the World Restaurant on the 109th floor and we can see the appeal of the idea. We’ll send our next report from a skybox at the club!

Transportation in Las Vegas is big business. Just look at all of the Limousines and Taxis running up and down the strip 24 hours a day. There are probably thousands of Limousines and cabs on the strip at any given moment, considerably more on a weekend night.

Someone has got to be making a ton of money off of this wouldn’t you think? Of course they are! But probably not who you think! The people making the SERIOUS money (pure profit with ZERO expenses) are the REAL transportation power brokers in Las Vegas: The Doormen. You know, the loud guys standing next to the cab line in front of the hotel dressed in the funny looking uniforms, big hats, and white gloves which are always outstretched in your direction looking for money.

First off, don’t confuse the bellmen with the doormen, the bellman are the ones who carry your baggage to and from your room. Most doormen wouldn’t be caught dead doing this, they have much more important business to take care of outside the hotel, making money!

To understand how how and why doormen make so much money off of transportation in Las Vegas, you first have to understand the dynamics which go on in front of practically every hotel/casino in Las Vegas. The doormen control everything that occurs outside the front door of the hotel. EVERYTHING. A doorman personally opens EVERY cab and limousine door the hotels guests get into. This goes well beyond just giving good service to the guests leaving the property. By personally escorting EVERY guest into a cab or limousine, the doormen essentially control what form of transportation guests use to leave the hotel.

Doormen do NOT want guests leaving the hotel in taxi cabs. If a guest leaves in a taxi, the doormen aren’t making any money. Even though you might give the doorman a dollar or two for opening the cab door, he still is not happy. He might have received 100 dollar bills during his shift from people just like you, just for opening up the cab door. That $100 is pocket change for him. The doormen make the REAL money from working the cab line, talking to the guests waiting to get into cabs. The longer the doormen can make people wait in the cab line, and the longer the cab line becomes, the more money the doormen are about to make. Doormen are notorious for putting people into taxi cabs real slowly, to keep the line long.

The two or three doormen working out front do this together, working as a team. They do this so the doormen not loading the guests into cabs can work the cab line talking to everyone in it. They appear to be real friendly people, asking how you are doing, how you are enjoying your stay, and most importantly where you are headed this evening. All the while they are sizing you up. Do you appear to have money? Are you with your wife or girlfriend? Are you part of a large group all going to the same place? Are you part of a bachelor or bachelorette party? Are you going to a strip club (a doorman’s dream!)? Once they have this information they will always then try and sell you on the idea of travelling to your destination in either a limousine or a “super stretch luxury SUV or hummer”. They even promise to get you a “super good price, just a little bit more expensive then riding in a cab”. More often then not, they will even tell you the price right there on the spot. If you are heading to a strip club, they often will tell you that you can ride in that big beautiful H2 Hummer parked at the curb FOR FREE, as long as it drops you off at the strip club of your choice!

This is how the doormen make the vast majority of their money (some people have overheard doormen at major strip hotels brag about making $5000 PER WEEK IN CASH!). Every time they load you into a regular or SUV limousine they are given 20% of the total price you paid for the ride by the limo driver. So if the doorman quoted you a price of $50, the limo driver gives the doorman $10 for setting up the ride. If the doorman is REALLY lucky and you and your 20 friends are going to a strip club, he might still try and sell you the super stretch Hummer H2 limo ride for $100. If you balk and tell him you will just take cabs, he will ALWAYS give you the limo ride for free. Here’s why: Strip clubs in Las Vegas pay taxi and limo drivers $20 per head, YES TWENTY DOLLARS PER HEAD, for each and every customer they deliver to the front door of the strip club in their vehicle. Twenty guys getting out of a Hummer H2 limousine, multiplied by $20 per head, is $400. The limo driver has to give HALF of this money to the doorman. That’s $200 each!

Limo drivers HATE having to give this money to the doormen. But if they don’t, the doormen will NEVER load that limo driver with passengers again. He will never get another ride from that hotel again. For all intents and purposes limo drivers are held hostage by the doormen, they can’t make a living without them. Either pay the extortion or don’t make any money, that’s the limo drivers dilemma. Cab drivers (some of the hardest working and honest people in Las Vegas) also hate this practice. Whenever a doormen diverts customers going to a strip club from a cab (cab drivers do not kick back money for rides or strip clubs to doormen) to a limousine the cab driver loses money. Cab drivers and doormen are usually at each others throats over this issue. Cab drivers feel that doormen are stealing money from them by engaging in the practice of diverting customers from cabs to limousines.

So, the next time you are in line in front of your favorites casino with 20 of your closest friends heading out for a night of strip club hopping, and the doorman asks you where you are going, tell him the truth. Tell him exactly where you are going. When he starts drooling, you know you have him hooked. Tell him you want a free ride, AND you want half his strip club kickback. Tell him to hand you $100 in cash right there on the spot and you’ll LET HIM load you and your friends into a big stretch SUV limo. The funny part is he’ll do it. Funnier yet is watching him cry as he is handing you the money!

The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog continues the thankless task of chronicling the sad saga of the Las Vegas Monorail. How are things going this year? Well, it depends on how you look at it. The number of passengers is down again although by some miracle the monorail itself isn’t. Revenue is actually up slightly however, and this is due to a fare increase from three dollars up to five. One thing is for sure, the cab drivers continue to laugh hysterically. Once upon a time, they were highly concerned that the monorail would eat into their business considerably. Not any longer! The $650 million privately financed monorail has not turned a profit since opening in mid-2004. The monorail is believed to have lost around $20 million in 2005. What does $20 million buy here in the Las Vegas Valley? Well, let’s just say that the most expensive piece of Las Vegas luxury real estate sold to date went for $14.5 million. Twenty million is serious money and you can bet they wish they had it back. Why? Monorail officials are still trying to line up financing to run the thing from MGM Grand out to the airport despite hideous losses!

Construction on The Residences at MGM Grand, another Las Vegas luxury high-rise condo development, is moving ahead rapidly. Tower One is slated for completion in May of this year! Tower Two has progressed all the way to the 32nd floor and Tower Three has just hit the seventh floor.

Studio, one and two bedroom residences are available in Tower Three. Prices start from $600,000 and elevate to more than $2.5 million. Interior design features include crown moldings, raised-panel doors and high-speed voice/data connectivity. Luxury amenities include granite counter tops, Snaidero kitchen cabinetry, Sub-Zero refrigerators, Miele appliances, Jacuzzi tubs and flat-screen HDTVs. All three Towers will feature 24-hour front desk/concierge services and around-the-clock security. Residents will also enjoy state-of-the-art fitness centers and swimming pools. How are the neighbors? How do you feel about the fabulous MGM Grand Las Vegas! Please contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information at 888-349-2595.

The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog has been a big fan of the Hard Rock for years! As if you haven’t already heard, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is for sale! Peter Morton is finally ready to cash in his chips. He’s a super cool guy, but at 60 years old, how much longer can he do this? What would you think that Las Vegas Real Estate of this caliber would go for? If you’re not talking $750 million, you’re not in the conversation. Word around the neighborhood indicates that plenty of players are absolutely in the conversation. I’m betting on The Rank Group, the same guys that bought all his HR Cafe’s west of the Mississippi a number of years ago for over $400 million. They certainly understand the brand, but then again, baccarat ain’t burgers, so we’ll see.

The price just keeps going up! MGM Mirage just recently announced that Project City Center will now cost a cool $7 billion instead of the original $5 billion. Pretty soon we’re going to start talking about real money here! What’s the extra cash for? An expansion of the hotel component of the project and a larger commitment to the residential section. The market for Las Vegas high rise luxury condos has taken a beating in the press of late, but long ball hitters with long term time frames know that Las Vegas is the next major American metropolis. MGM Mirage could spend another $2 billion anywhere in the world, they’re not expanding right on Las Vegas Boulevard for nothing! How much Las Vegas luxury real estate are we talking about now? The new number is 2.3 million residential square feet right next to Bellagio! Phase One is set to debut in November of 2009. Major players with deep pockets have taken over the market for Las Vegas high rise condos. In our view, that’s a good thing. Please visit our website at www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Las Vegas Condos have become one of the most popular products in the Las Vegas real estate portfolio. Especially popular are the condo communities on or near the fabulous Las Vegas Strip! The Meridian condominium residences provide just such an opportunity to be in the heart of the action. Located at the corner of Flamingo Avenue and Koval Lane, The Meridian Residences are just two blocks from Ballys, Caesars and Bellagio! Featuring a Tuscan inspired resort style atmosphere, Las Vegas condos at The Meridian come with a wide array of amenities. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is ready to introduce you to this exciting opportunity. Give us a call for information on pricing and availability at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Rising above the Las Vegas Strip to an eventual height of 45 stories is yet another spectacular Las Vegas high rise condo. Located right on the Strip between the Sahara Hotel and Circus Circus, Sky Las Vegas is a bold and elegant design of striking blue-sky glass.Sky Las Vegas real estate ranges between 800 and 3500 square feet. As you would expect, Sky Las Vegas incorporates a wide range of luxury amenities including private lounges overlooking the strip, indoor and outdoor spas and fitness centers, private billiard room with bar, indoor racquet ball, private theater, professional putting greens, valet parking and a full service business center. The market for Las Vegas luxury high rise condos takes another step forward with the introduction of Sky Las Vegas. Please contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information at 888-349-2595.

ICON Las Vegas luxury high-rise condos will be located on Convention Center Drive just a few steps down the street from the Stardust Hotel. Las Vegas luxury real estate at ICON will be framed inside two stunning glass towers that will soar 48 stories skyward! Units will start at half a million dollars and you know where prices go from there. The smallest Las Vegas luxury homes at ICON are just under 1100 square feet and they get bigger from there as well, along with the prices! Floor to ceiling glass helps you to soak up some incredible views of Wynn Las Vegas. Granite and marble counter-tops are generously provided to help you impress your friends. Most importantly, a sixth floor pool and spa lounge-deck is provided to help you relax and enjoy what you’ve earned. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is available anytime should you have any questions. Call us at 888-349-2595. We even answer from the pool!www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Project CityCenter is a four billion dollar wager by MGM Mirage Corporation that one of the best bets in global real estate is Las Vegas real estate. Think about it…MGM Mirage Corp. can and does invest in developments all over the world. They just voted four billion times that the market for Las Vegas luxury homes and Las Vegas high rise condos is one of the very best in the world. Who are we to argue? Project CityCenter represents an entirely new concept for the Las Vegas Strip. The combination of gaming megaresort, boutique hotels, top-shelf retail, fine dining and residential high-rise condos woven together vertically in true “Manhattan Style” is nothing short of revolutionary. Like the title to this blog entry says….A City Within a City! For god sakes, there’s even going to be a Whole Foods Market! Project CityCenter is designed to be a real “urban village” where you can do what you want and have what you need without ever getting in a car and driving anywhere. Stay tuned to the MS Las Vegas Real Estate blog as we cronicle the rise of this amazing development over the next three years. For in-depth knowledge and insight concerning the Las Vegas real estate market, call Michelle and The Sterling Team at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

You know what they say about Las Vegas real estate…location, location and location. Las Vegas Luxury Condos at The Cosmopolitan have one of the most prestigious addresses in the western world. The Cosmopolitan will be located right between the Monte Carlo and the Bellagio on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip! Talk about being in the center of the action! The Cosmopolitan introduces a completely new residential paradigm to the Las Vegas luxury real estate market. Soaring 600 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard, The Cosmopolitan vision blends together luxurious hotel accomodations with high-end retail, gaming, fine dining, exciting nightlife, convention space and condo-hotel units. MS Las Vegas Real Estate invites you to experience the urbanization of Las Vegas first hand! Give us a call at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Las Vegas luxury real estate used to come in just the standard suburban variety. You know the routine…guard gate, lush fairways and beautiful custom designs. Nothing wrong with this type of Las Vegas home, that’s for sure. But a new kind of Las Vegas luxury home is making it’s mark, and one thing’s for sure, you’re not going to get any golf balls in your pool! Las Vegas luxury high-rise condos have become the rage over the past 3 years. It seems like every other day you read an announcement about another proposed development. Turnberry Towers is a beautiful new Las Vegas high-rise project on Paradise Road that will add two shimmering 45-story towers to the Las Vegas skyline. Each tower will provide 318 elegant Las Vegas homes that would work equally well for primary or secondary residential purposes. Amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center with pool, tennis courts, 24/7 security patrol, full service spa and touch-button concierge service. Tower One is presently under construction and completely sold-out. Tower Two still has availability. Contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

January 9th is the last day of operation for The Boardwalk Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s time to make way for the beginning of Project City Center! MGM Mirage has an incredible plan for a city within a city on a 66 acre plot of land between Monte Carlo and Bellagio. Slated for completion in 2009, CityCenter will feature a master-planned mixture of gaming space, hotel rooms, luxury condos, retail and fine dining. Residents will find themselves enveloped in an urban village motif that caters to their every need. Having Bellagio right next door is not so bad either! Las Vegas luxury real estate takes another step forward in 2009 with the opening of CityCenter. MS Las Vegas Real Estate is your guide to all that the “new” Las Vegas has to offer. Give us a call at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada drew 3.25 million visitors in August, a 2.6 percent increase over the same month in 2004, tourism officials said last week. So far in 2005, Las Vegas has lured 25.92 million visitors with bright neon, gourmet food, Broadway caliber shows, world-class shopping and the best nightclubs and lounges on earth! Wow, what a surprise……Las Vegas is on pace in 2005 to break the previous record of 37.4 annual visitors set way back in……2004! What a city! What an economy! What a place to be an entrepreneur! What a place to buy real estate! MS Las Vegas Real Estate is ready to get to work for you! Call us at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Less than a month after wrapping-up (no pun there, really) their amazing run at the Luxor Pyramid, Blue Man Group officially made their debut at The Venetian Hotel with a brand new show and also introduced their new theater! The Blue Man Group now has it’s very own 1,760 seat theater and it’s almost scary to think what these crazy guys might do with it! If you can do something really bizarre with a Gondola, expect the Blue Men to try it. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes Blue Man Group and wishes them the very best!www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

Mid-rise condominium development “Loft 5″ has broken ground on Las Vegas Boulevard South at Pebble. The 10 acre site will provide 272 new Las Vegas homes that combine location, convenience and style. The $75 million Las Vegas real estate development will have eight buildings at five stories each. The first residents are expected to move in by spring 2006. Three-fourths of the units were sold in preconstruction, with prices starting in the $300,000s. Contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information on Loft 5 at 888-349-2595.www.mslasvegasrealestate.com

The Las Vegas Monorail had a record breaking month in July! The monorail carried 1,020,796 people last month, for an average of 32,928 riders per day. July was also the monorail’s second-best revenue month ever. Farebox receipts last month totaled $2,945,701, for a daily average of $95,022. Don’t get too excited though…this thing cost $650 million and is still nowhere near covering it’s overhead. Maybe an extension to the airport would help, who knows? One thing is for sure, reliability is a key component to this puzzle. If the monorail starts working consistently and reliably, it can only help things. MS Las Vegas Real Estate would like to see the project succeed financially as well as mechanically, but we’re just not sure on either score.

My favorite piece of Las Vegas real estate on the Strip is about to get a major overhaul. The Mirage Hotel first opened it’s doors and fired up the volcano in 1989. It was a ground-breaking resort at the time and it’s done a great job of holding it’s own ever since. Now The Mirage is being given a new look and feel that revolves around restaurants and nightlife. The most dramatic of these is the new Cirque show being developed in secret and slated for debut next May. A little inside info for you…the show is to be based on the music of the Beatles and represents a new artistic exploration for Cirque. “Jet” nightclub is presently under construction and anyone who’s been to north valet has already seen the work in progress. Mirage will also create an upscale ultra lounge (a must for a top strip resort) to replace the lounge in the rainforest. Three new restaurants are also on the way to replace Moongate, Mikado and Renoir. Pretty exciting stuff! MS Las Vegas Real Estate can’t wait to check out Jet and Cirque! We’ll let you know.

Can you believe it? The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has been open for ten years! I can remember opening weekend with MTV broadcasting from the parking lot and the now famous swimming pool. How are things rolling these days at the Rock? Record revenue and an occupancy rate of 95% plus! Body English replaced Baby’s and has quickly become the hottest nightclub in Vegas. Celebrities are snapping up Las Vegas luxury real estate courtesy of the Hard Rock and it’s new condominium development. MS Las Vegas Real Estate salutes the Hard Rock Hotel on it’s 10th anniversary and we look forward to the next 10 years of hot and heavy action, Hard Rock style!

MS Las Vegas Real Estate is always happy to receive and respond to comments from the blog. Hey John, thanks for the comment! No question about it, Donald Trump is a serious ego-maniac…..and that was before The Apprentice! The guy definetly believes too much of his own press. You’re quite right about his financial troubles back in 1989, and I think Citibank was more worried about what it might do to them if he defaulted than what it would mean for “The Donald”. I’m not sure that his exit from Las Vegas will be as swift as you think though. Remember, this is not a gaming property, this is a luxury high-rise Las Vegas real estate development. One thing you can say about Trump, his success in the luxury high-rise market in NYC and Florida is difficult to argue against. The Las Vegas development is extrememly similar to the Trump International in New York. Anybody been there recently? Is the building as beautiful as it looks in photographs? How about more commentary about Trump in Las Vegas? You can view John Madonna’s comments and others as well by clicking on the “last comments” link right below the calendar on the right side of the blog. Who doesn’t have an opinion about Donald Trump!?!

Loft 5 is a 272-unit, $75 million project of mid-rise Las Vegas real estate. The development is reportedly more than 75 percent sold, with the first units being delivered to residents in about eight months. The grading process of the 10-acre site on Las Vegas Boulevard South at Pebble Road has begun and the foundation for the first of eight building pads will be poured in the coming weeks. The five-story lofts feature “true modern minimalist design” with 20-foot ceilings and private sky decks or terraces, says Richard McCann, project designer for Loft 5. This is another example of Las Vegas luxury real estate in a new and exciting facet. These unique Las Vegas luxury homes come in four floor plans ranging from 1,200 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information.

As Donald Trump entered the Las Vegas real estate market by breaking ground at Trump International Hotel & Tower last Wednesday, officials representing a different Trump project were preparing a sales meeting/party for real estate brokers and agents at Bellagio. Ivana Las Vegas is the newly announced condominium tower at the Strip and Sahara Avenue. In addition to lending her name to “brand” the project, Ivana Trump will assist in designing interiors for these Las Vegas luxury homes. The 923-foot Ivana Las Vegas will have 943 units ranging from 500 square feet to 1,900 square feet. Prices begin at about $800,000 and go up to $1.7 million. On-site amenities will include an ultra lounge, a spa, restaurants and a gym. Will this newest high-rise tower actually get built? The Donald doesn’t think so….something to do with financing.

An NBA team is negotiating to buy an entire floor of the 64-story Trump International Hotel & Tower that opens in mid-2007, a spokesman for Donald Trump confirmed. In case you were wondering, that’s 28 apartments total! How much? About $20 million. Now that’s a serious investment in Las Vegas real estate!

The World Series of Poker kicked off its nine-day championship series last week at the Rio Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas! With each player (or sponsor) paying a $10,000 buy-in, the World Championship no-limit Texas hold’em event is expected to have the richest pile of loot in the tournament’s 36-year history. The Rio Hotel built a 60,000-square-foot poker room inside the Rio’s convention center that housed this year’s World Series. The final two days scheduled for next Thursday and Friday will be held at Binion’s on Fremont Street downtown. The 36th World Series of Poker has been the most popular ever, with nearly 20,000 participants taking part in 41 events before the world championship match. Last year, a record 14,054 players, including a record 2,567 in the world championship event, took part in the World Series. No lack of excitement for owners of Las Vegas homes! We can watch it live, which is even better than ESPN! Check out Las Vegas real estate if you would like to practice your poker skills year-round.