Wynn Las Vegas to Unveil Agent Web Site and Reward Program

Ever since the Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2005, it has garnered praise for its attention to quality. The hotel's visionary billionaire namesake, Stephen Wynn, is often credited with spearheading a Las Vegas renaissance in the 1990s with lavish magnitude. His Wynn Las Vegas is no exception, and the hotel continues to add more components to position itself as the premier lodging and gaming destination on The Strip.

The only Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond casino-resort in the world

The 2,054-room Wynn Encore is being built adjacent to the Wynn Las Vegas. It broke ground in April 2006 and is set to open sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2008.

The Wynn Las Vegas is especially keying in on travel agents, who are understood as the gatekeepers to ensuring that the Wynn's occupancy rates stay running above 90 percent. To that, the hotel has announced that a new travel agent web site will launch within the next three to five weeks, augmenting Wynn's established agent educational Ambassador Program. The web site will include up-to-date hotel information, streaming videos, information on upcoming familiarization trips and a new booking engine. The new technology will provide agents the ability to book and gather commissions in real time.

While further details on the new online tool are still under wraps, Lance Evans, Wynn Las Vegas' executive director of hotel marketing, understands the vitalness of the travel agent community and how equipping agents with as much information as possible will allow them to sell the property that much better. "For one, we try and impress on agents the fact that we are the only Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond casino-resort in the world," Evans says. That distinction can be enough to sell most luxury travelers, but making sure that all travel agents know it is paramount. "We've brought out our Ambassadors and told them to sell that point. Personal recommendations are the most powerful influence. In the end it's going to mean better commissions for agents."

The Wynn Las Vegas has 296 Tower Suite rooms whose guests have separate check in, valet and pool

The hotel will also launch an agent reward program this summer. Details are still being finalized, but Evans does share that a third party will facilitate it, and further promises that there has "never been a program like it." "We want to try and find ways to incentivize agents," Evans says.

Luckily for the 2,716-room Wynn, finding new things to sell isn't a problem. Complementing its acrobatic La Rêve show will be the smash hit Broadway musical Monty Python's Spamalot starring John O'Hurley (best known as J. Peterman of "Seinfeld" fame) and directed by Oscar winner Mike Nichols. Opening night for the new show is March 31.

Another specialized amenity that travel agents can sell is the hotel's exclusive golf course, which, quite literally, is right outside a guest's room. "You can roll out of bed and be on the first tee," says Evans. Yet maybe what's most unique about the Tom Fazio-designed, par-70 course is it's strictly for guest use only.

Though known for its beauty and lushness, it has quite a steep price tag. A round of 18 holes will run your clients $500, although the fee does include club and shoe rentals. Tee times can be booked 90 days in advance.

The Tower Suites' atrium—a verdant oasis in the Las Vegas desert

If golf isn't your clients' forte, perhaps eating and shopping is. The Wynn Las Vegas offers seven fine dining options, highlighted by Alex, a AAA Five Diamond restaurant under the culinary tutelage of Chef Alessandro Stratta. Meanwhile, the Wynn Esplanade offers 75,000 square feet of retail shopping, including such luxury labels as Cartier, Brioni, Chanel and Oscar de la Renta. One of the special shopping amenities is Wynn's personal shopper service, whereby personal shoppers select merchandise for guests to review privately in their rooms.

Yet it is the rooms that star at the Wynn Las Vegas, stamping the property as a luxury lodging destination. This is particularly showcased in the hotel's Tower Suites, which function like a hotel within a hotel. There are 296 Tower Suite rooms with a separate check in, valet and pool from the main hotel. At the top of the heap sit the six Villa rooms, which include private butler service, pool and garden.