Strip casino unveils $188M remodel of convention, meeting space

The Venetian hotel-casino unveiled the first phase of a $188 million renovation to its Convention Center on Thursday, as invited guests and property VIPs took part in a luxurious opening celebration.

The Convention Center remodel is part of a $1.5 billion, multiyear reinvestment plan at The Venetian. The 2.25-million-square-foot Venetian Convention and Expo Center is being remodeled in stages, with the project expected to be complete by 2026.

Patrick Nichols, president and chief executive officer of The Venetian, and Tony Yousfi, the property’s chief sales officer, detailed the “how” and “why” during a TED Talk-style forum inside the 85,000-square-foot Venetian Ballroom. The Venetian, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, was the first casino-resort on the Strip purposely designed with convention and conference business in mind, Nichols said.

“Meetings have always been in The Venetian’s DNA,” he told the gathered crowd of roughly 200 attendees. “So why now? We’ve always been the market leader in conventions, and, frankly, our space needed to be a little bit updated.”

The dark blue and cream color palette on the Convention Center’s renovated level is in contrast to the more traditionally Mediterranean-inspired red, orange and yellow color scheme on the upper floors. The new space also includes technology enhancements, such as a massive digital messaging board in the main concourse, LED lighting throughout and faster digital connectivity.

Nichols said the Convention Center renovation — which was not part of the initial reinvestment “road map,” he noted — began with the customer in mind. From the artwork on the walls to the chairs around banquet tables to the silverware on the tables, Nichols said the “goal was to make your programs pop.”

Yousfi said the final product introduced Thursday was the culmination of two years’ worth of work. He characterized the undertaking as “exciting,” “fun,” and “challenging,” while saying the goal was to “build something that’s fresh, something that’s classy.”

“Frankly, I think we nailed it,” he said.

He went on to say that the renovated Convention Center space was designed to answer the question, “What separates you from the competition?”

“It’s different here (at The Venetian),” Yousfi said. “Group business is the foundation of everything we do. It’s not a market segment. It’s not a piece of the puzzle. And that’s the approach we take every day.”

As part of the $1.5 billion reinvestment project, nearly 4,000 suites in the Venetian will be renovated. The resort will also host several new restaurants, some of which will be opening in the coming months.

Other improvements include enhancements to the gaming offerings, such as a new high-limit slot room and the recently opened poker room in the Grand Canal Shoppes.

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Tony Yousfi’s title.

David Danzis can be contacted at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com. Follow AC_Danzis on X.