What’s new in Las Vegas?

In 2006 and 2007, expect some big changes to the Las Vegas hotel landscape, with many more planned for the future. Here’s a snapshot of what’s next:

Whats new in hotels In the next few years, several world-renowned marquee brands and high profile projects will be calling Las Vegas home.

One of the biggest hotel and casinos to open in 2006 will be Red Rock Station. The $475 million (over £270 million) property will have 70,000 square feet in meeting and convention space along with more than 400 guest rooms, including 38 suites.

In 2006, Loews Hotels will break ground on its new $1 billion (£600 million) property to be located at Lake Las Vegas. This will be the first hotel in Las Vegas for the popular chain. Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort will have an estimated 400 rooms with 40 suites and will feature 40,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants, a lobby bar, a pool bar, two outdoor pools with whirlpools, pool cabanas, a kids club and a 20,000-square-foot destination spa. The hotel is scheduled to open 2008.

Actor George Clooney and nightclub developer Rande Gerber have signed on to invest in the property which will be a hotel and apartment project located in the newly dubbed, “Harmon Corridor,” which is located next to the Las Vegas Strip. Las Ramblas is named after the famous boulevard in Barcelona, Spain. The $3 billion (£1.7 billion) project will include a casino as well as a spa, health club, dining and shopping. Las Ramblas is scheduled to open in 2008.

Two Las Vegas properties will be debuting brand new themes, beginning with the Hotel San Remo. The property will be transforming itself into the world’s first Hooters Casino Hotel. The $130 million (£75 million) “Hooterized” hotel will debut in February with eight new restaurants and bars including Dan Marino's Fine Food and Spirits, Pete and Shorty's Sports Book and Bar, Hooters Beach Club and 24-hour Owl's Nest Cafe. The property's casino and 696 hotel rooms also will be renovated with an updated Hooters look.

The Aladdin Resort and Casino is also undergoing a transformation. The resort is in the process of changing from its current Middle Eastern theme to a sleek and trendy look. The renovations began in October and will be executed in phases so that the property may remain open throughout the entire renovation process with minimal impact on the guest experience. Upon completion of renovations, the property will be re-branded and renamed the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Expect to see the new name and the new look during the second half of 2006.

Whats new in entertainment In February 2006, the Tony Award winning Broadway hit “Hairspray” will debut at Luxor Las Vegas. The 2003 Tony Award winner for “Best Musical” will have 10 performances per week. The play's plot was adapted from the 1998 John Waters movie about teenagers dancing in 1962 Baltimore.

In spring, Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary "Phantom of the Opera" will open at the Venetian Hotel & Casino. Twenty-time Tony Award winner Harold Prince will direct the new production. "Phantom" will be permanently housed in a new $25-30 million (over £17 million) theatre designed and built specifically for the production.

Cirque du Soleil’s fifth resident show will open at The Mirage in the Siegfried & Roy showroom. The title of the new Cirque du Soleil show has yet to be officially announced but the multi-million production will showcase the irreverent music of the Beatles.

Whats next for 2007 and beyond Come 2007, look for the debut of the Palazzo, a $1.6 billion hotel and casino that will have 3,020 hotel rooms along with 450,000 square feet of meeting space.

That same year, Wynn Las Vegas will debut the Broadway hit “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” The show is based on the movie, "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail." It tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their irreverent quest for the Holy Grail. Encore will be Steve Wynn's next property. The $1.4 billion hotel (over £900 million) and casino is scheduled to open in 2008 and will boast approximately 2,000 rooms. The hotel will be located next to Wynn Las Vegas.

Also in 2008 - Donald Trump will debut his luxury hotel-condominium property, designed to be the tallest residential building on the Las Vegas Strip. The 64-story Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas is expected to cost $500 million (over 285 million) and feature 1,282 luxury residential and hotel units, a spa and restaurants, but there will not be a casino. Trump says he has plans to build one "elsewhere" in Las Vegas.

That same year, W Hotels Worldwide, in partnership with Edge Resorts, will open its first hotel and residences in Las Vegas - the W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences. The $1.7 billion (nearly £1 billion), resort will embrace the stylish, signature comforts W is renowned for including striking architecture, multiple restaurants, nightlife and spa amenities. The development will be the brand's first property with a casino.

In 2009, MGM MIRAGE will debut what it is calling a multi-billion dollar “urban metropolis.” The 66-acre development is named Project CityCentre for now. The 18 million-square-foot first phase of the project calls for a 4,000-room hotel and casino, three 400-room boutique hotels, 1,650 luxury apartment-hotel units and 550,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space. Project CityCentre will cost nearly $5 billion (nearly £3 billion) making it the largest privately funded project in the United States.