Las Vegas

Focus on Fantasy at the Palms! The Palms Casino Resort’s new Fantasy Tower ups the ante for luxurious suites, over-the-top amenities, gourmet dining and nightlife offerings in Las Vegas. The N9NE Group, whose imprint can be found throughout the trendsetting hotel, has turned its attention skyward with the opening of the 12,500 square foot Moon, the exclusive 53rd floor nightclub loaded with high-end finishes, VIP accommodations and, in its main room, the most spectacular architectural feature in all of Las Vegas – a massive retractable roof that opens up to provide an awe-inspiring view of the stars! Guests will truly feel suspended in the starlit desert skies as the roof, 35 feet above the dance floor, retracts to reveal the moon and stars above while accompanied by theatrical music and a spectacular laser and fog show. When the roof is closed, the ceiling serves as one of the largest video screens in the world.

Additional features of Moon include a floor bedazzled with shimmering glass tiles in colors that change throughout the evening, a curtain of glass beads, appropriate for video projection, majestic floor-to-ceiling windows allowing for incredible views of the Strip, and a “lunar” color palette in mellow yellow, gold and silver. Two intimate rooms share their own bar for a relaxed ultra-lounge experience and a more exclusive mezzanine level with view balcony, accessed by two dramatic staircases, is the perfect spot for your next special event!

Joining Moon on the top three floors of the Palms new Fantasy Tower are two other N9NE Group venues: Nove Italiano restaurant and the Playboy Club. Also being rolled out is the new Palms Pool and Bungalow, showcasing three acres of spectacular aquatic-oriented food, drink and fun at the resort. These welcome new venues to the scene complement the N9NE Group’s legendary Rain nightclub, ghostbar ultra-lounge, N9NE Steakhouse, and a retail outlet introduced at the Palms in 2001. Join us for a focus on fantasy at this prime Las Vegas hot spot!

Contact the Las Vegas office of ACCESS Destination Services for your next site inspection or to discuss event production needs for your next Las Vegas program.

Los Angeles

Pasadena: The City that feels like a Village! Sun-drenched Pasadena, boasting an average daily temperature of 76 degrees, is located 9 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, nestled at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. With the mountains, culturally enriching museums and gardens, and extraordinary turn-of-the-century architecture, Pasadena is lovingly described as “the city that feels like a village.” The home of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl Game, the city of Pasadena offers a wide variety of restaurants and shops, first-class hotel properties, and endless sources of entertainment and recreation. Pasadena is easily accessible to the major airports in Los Angeles, Burbank, and Ontario.

The Pasadena Convention Center has embarked on a $121.6 million expansion. When completed in early 2009, the state-of-the-art Center will feature 85,000 square feet of exhibit space, 28 breakout rooms, a new 25,000-square-foot ballroom, and a 17,000-square-foot restored, historical ballroom. The center will remain open during the project. “We are pleased to be moving forward with this much-anticipated project,” said Michael Ross, CEO, Pasadena Center Operating Company. “By expanding, we will have a new, state-of-the-art facility that is nearly double the size of the current Center, giving meeting planners added capacity and flexibility.”

Pasadena Restaurant Highlights: Pasadena is a diner’s paradise with more than 500 palate-pleasing restaurants featuring cuisine from every region in the world. Just a few notable restaurants include: Bistro 45, Madre, (the chic Latin eatery owned by Jennifer Lopez), The Raymond, Arroyo Chophouse, Parkway Grill, JJ’s Steakhouse, Twin Palms, Yujean Kang’s, Xiomara, Celestino and many more.

Area hotels: Several fine hotels call the area home including the Sheraton Pasadena, adjacent to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and Pasadena Convention Center and the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, which completed a $19 million renovation in 2005. Also benefiting from renovations last year were the Westin Pasadena and the Hilton Pasadena Hotel.

Cultural Offerings and Off-Site Venues: A portion of the new Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Collection & Botanical Gardens will be open for a 6-month preview until February, 2007 as a “work in progress”, a phase of what is planned to be one of the largest classical Chinese gardens ever built outside of China. Additional cultural sites of note include the Norton Simon Museum of Art, containing one of the world’s finest and most prestigious collections of art; and the Pasadena Museum of California Art, with its innovative architecture and contemporary style galleries. The Pacific Asia Museum, The Art Center College of Design, and the Pasadena Historical Museum round out the cultural opportunities, some of which are suitable as off-site event venues. We can’t forget that there are many more Pasadena event venues, some of which are well suited for large scale events including the Rose Bowl, perfect for a grand-scale teambuilding event such as SuperSports or a karting event, and Santa Anita Park, one of the country’s top Thoroughbred racing parks and a 320-acre complex with grandstand seating for 25,000 and areas to accommodate groups from as few as 20 to as many as 26,000.

Special Note: February, 2007 marks the beginning of an extended run of the enormously popular musical Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, at The Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. The show will run from February, 2007 through December 31, 2007. Group tickets are now on sale through early September, 2007. Contact the ACCESS  Los Angeles team to create an exciting theatre evening for your attendees!

Contact ACCESS  Destination Services for all of your Destination Management needs in Los Angeles.

Orange County

Tuscan Treasures! Nestled discreetly in a natural reserve is a beautiful Tuscan-style villa, located on 1800 acres at the convergence of the Orange, Riverside and San Diego county lines, where rolling hills, lakes, streams and sage-covered canyons abound. The private estate of local philanthropists, the Villa grounds provide the perfect atmosphere in which to create a true celebration of the Italian lifestyle!

Access to the estate is via a 4-mile natural road, adding authenticity to your countryside evening affair. A pair of life-sized stone lions, atop river-rock pedestals, flanks the entrance to this palatial South County estate. The cobblestone road meanders past an intricately manicured Italian sculpture garden lushly filled with cypress trees, hedges, and meticulously crafted marble statues. A shoulder-high bronze wild boar dominates the exterior courtyard of the main house. It is a copy (one of only 4 in the world) of the famous fountain that sits in the Piazza di Cinghiale in Florence, Italy.

Of additional interest to guests, acreage near the main house is dedicated to a wildlife preserve housing an eclectic collection of exotic animals including camels, zebras, antelope, llamas, giraffes and more who live in a peaceful environment surrounded by olive, avocado and lemon trees.

Allow the team at ACCESS  Orange County to present a Tuscan winery themed event in celebration of the fruits of your successes. Golden urns, wrought iron candles and elegant linens dress the reception tables while wine huts offer vintage wines from Italy and California. Long serpentine dining tables are adorned with European-style floral arrangements, herbs, and delicate greenery in golden urns with amber votives, the perfect setting for an elegant Italian dinner. Strolling minstrels entertain during cocktails while living statues “come to life”, so realistic that is difficult to determine the live actors from the existing statuary on the grounds. Dinner music highlights the songs of such artists as Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick, Jr., and Cole Porter prior to taking on a more contemporary flair with the music of Elton John, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and more. This new venue offers the perfect retreat for an upscale off-property event and ACCESS  Destination Services has the resources to bring old-world Italian charm to you at your next conference or incentive program.

For your next special event, contact the Orange County office of ACCESS  Destination Services.