Resort joins Mandalay Bay, Bellagio as LV’s newest entrants

Jace Radke and Gary Thompson

Tuesday, May 4, 1999 | 11:18 a.m.

The Venetian casino and part of its hotel opened today as the newest must-see megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip.

The 3,036-suite Venetian joins Bellagio and Mandalay Bay as the latest entrants in the nation's largest gaming market, which will see another 6,000 rooms open in the next year or so with completion of the Aladdin, Paris-Las Vegas and the Resort at Summerlin.

At the Venetian, Clark County safety inspectors cleared four floors of the resort's hotel tower for occupancy after workers scrambled to repair a faulty smoke-extraction system, enabling the $1.5 billion Venetian to open its casino for business shortly after midnight.

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said that around 10 fire department inspectors had been working with Venetian officials since 4 a.m. Monday trying to get everything in the building checked out.

"These resorts are like their own self-contained city, and when you're talking about something of that scope it takes some time to make sure everything is working correctly," Leinbach said. "We have to check smoke detectors in every room, fire pumps, exits, all the sprinkler heads and many other things."

A crowd started gathering for the scheduled 10 p.m. opening of the Venetian around 9 Monday night, but people ended up waiting until early today to get their first look at the new resort.

As Venetian officials, Clark County Fire Department personnel and building inspectors checked to make sure the building was up to code, eager people were jammed six and seven deep on the sidewalk in front of the resort.

"We thought it would be fun to go to an opening, but it turned out to be a mess," said Ted Rask, who is visiting from Montana with his wife Jan. "It would have been nice if someone would have told us what was going on."

About 1,000 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of the Venetian by 10 p.m., and by 11:30 the crowd was beginning to push out into the northbound lanes of traffic on the Strip, causing traffic to slow.

Metro Police arrived and shut down one of the northbound lanes of the Strip in front of the Venetian to handle the overflow crowd.

Some of those waiting left before the resort finally opened at 12:45 a.m., but others stuck it out.

"This is our last day in Las Vegas and we'll stay here all night if we have to," said Chika Matsumoto, who waited in the crowd with her friend Utako Suzuki, both of Japan.

At 11 p.m. the crowd let out a cheer when the lights at the resort suddenly went black, thinking that it might be a buildup to the opening. It was actually a power outage that lasted about 15 minutes while the resort's electrical system was rebooted.

Once the crowd was allowed inside, the highlight for many was the intricately painted ceiling decor that adorns the property's entry ways.

"The paintings on the ceilings were beautiful and they really catch your eye when you walk in," Yvonne Rodriguez, a local resident, said. "It is a very pretty and elegant hotel."

While some were pleased with the surroundings inside the Venetian, others didn't feel it was worth the wait.

"A casino is a casino and waiting in the cold since 9 p.m. in a crowd of people probably wasn't worth it," said Nicole Frasca, who was visiting from Chicago. "If the place wasn't finished, then it shouldn't have opened, especially if it's not safe yet or completely checked out."

Some of the first inside the Venetian liked what they saw, but said they were disappointed with the unfinished state of the resort.

"It's kind of a bummer to go in and only the casino is done," local resident Jessica Akins added. "I'll reserve judgment on it until it is complete, but I don't think it should have opened until more of it was finished."

Another local resident agreed.

"What I saw was nice, but until the rest opens and I can see it all, Bellagio will still be No. 1 with me," Carmen Rodriguez said.

Just before 9 p.m. Monday, county building inspectors issued temporary certificates of occupancy for the Venetian's casino, second floor and second-floor mezzanine areas.

By early this morning, TCOs were issued for floors 3 to 6 of the hotel tower and county officials were continuing their inspections of higher floors, said Sam Singer, a spokesman for the construction management firm Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc.

State law requires at least 200 rooms, a restaurant and bar to be available before a hotel-casino can open.

On Monday, Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson said he expects "more than 40" of the retail outlets in the resort's Grand Canal Shoppes area, as well as "most" of the 15 restaurants, to be open by May 17. Some of the shops may open May 14.

More than 300 journalists from outside Las Vegas who'd been invited to cover the Venetian's opening were forced to stay at competing resorts because rooms weren't available. Sophia Loren, the actress who participated in a Monday gondola-christening ceremony, spent the night at Caesars Palace.

Earlier, Clark County Building Inspector Ron Lynn said a smoke-management system designed to clear rooms in the event of a fire failed Monday afternoon, giving workers just hours to install and adjust new equipment before a scheduled black-tie event for invited guests.

Lynn called the smoke-management system failure "a small but significant problem," one of many that have plagued the Venetian during the construction process.

Three construction workers died in work-related accidents, and concerns about fire-safety delayed issuance of temporary certificates of occupancy on several occasions. Permanent certificates won't be issued until inspectors have reviewed the completed resort sometime later this year.

Building inspectors have issued correction notices requiring subcontractors to install fire-proof materials behind electrical outlets and around bathroom fixtures in each of the resort's 3,036 suites, a process that delayed the opening for at least two weeks.

"Time isn't our issue, and neither is the date," Lynn said. "Our issue is safety."

To expedite the opening, Lynn said, inspectors worked over the weekend and through Monday night to ensure all life- and fire-safety issues were working.

Sun reporterAdrienne Packer contributed to this report.

"It's kind of a bummer to go in and only the casino is done."Jessica AkinsLAS VEGAS RESIDENT