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This past January 2012, Caesars Palace celebrated the grand opening of its luxurious new Octavius Tower—its sixth hotel tower that brings overall availability at the venerable property up to nearly 4,000 rooms and suites. The tower has already proven to be a high-demand destination, which is understandable given Caesars Palace has long maintained one of the highest regular occupancy rates in Las Vegas even during the recent economic downturn.

Awe-Inspiring Accommodations
While it’s seamlessly integrated into the resort at large, the Octavius Tower stands majestically as its own 23-floor boutique, non-gaming hotel with its own private valet entrance and separate lobby and registration desk. The tower features 668 lavishly appointed rooms that include 62 suites of varying sizes and layouts as well as 3 luxury villas. All boast today’s top technology and a wealth of amenities.

Photo Credit: Caesars Entertainment

Starting at 550-square feet, each room looks and feels spacious. The décor is rife with relaxing earth tones punctuated with dramatic splashes of color. The mix of textures throughout the space is notable, and includes cool marble floors, plush patterned carpets, dark wood, chrome, stone, granite and velvet furniture and upholstery. Beds are king sized and come replete with plush pillow-top mattresses and soft linens. Each of the oversized bathrooms includes large whirlpool tubs and separate glass showers—some with multiple shower heads—as well as complimentary Gilchrest & Soames bath products. My room during a recent stay included a sitting area and large floor-to-ceiling window panels, offering spectacular mountain views. Suites at the Octavius Tower vary, with categories that include Parlor, Royal, Senator and Emperor, which add further square footage and separate rooms. There are also 20 penthouses of varying sizes.

For those who seek the ultimate Las Vegas vacation experience and can benefit from a bit more elbow room, the tower boasts 3 three elite villas that each average a stunning 8,800 square feet. Set to open this summer, no expense has been spared and no detail left unattended to these architectural masterpieces. The opulent appointments include imported marble, inlaid wood floors, hand-painted wall and ceiling murals, wood and stone archways and contemporary artwork. The villas also feature a private elevator, a billiards room, a home entertainment theater, steam mist showers, fully integrated audio and visual systems to connect entertainment to every room and an outside private terrace with a spa tub and fire pit. Separate butler and concierge services are provided for each villa to ensure around-the-clock, personalized attention to a guest’s every whim and wish.

Tech Savvy Services
Each of the Octavius Tower rooms, suites, and villas are outfitted with advanced and innovative technologies to provide a high-touch experience for guests. A Web platform facilitates enhanced and interactive communication with the hotel that can be accessed through any type of mobile web browser. Guests are enabled to communicate directly with housekeeping, valet, butler service, concierge transportation and room service. This communication hub even offers guests exclusive offers and inside information about the resort.

For the laptop carrying road warrior and gadget gurus alike, there is also a MediaHub that offers a way to stream entertainment and information directly to and from a guest’s smartphone, mobile device, computer or tablet and also interact with the room’s 42-inch plasma television. Providing greater convenience and ease-of-use, the plug-and-play technology is so smart that it can immediately sense what type of device the guest is trying to connect with so that it can switch to the right input automatically. Guests can access a variety of entertainment applications like Pandora, Hulu, and Netflix. Of course, there are also multiple outlets and docking stations for iPods and other handheld devices.

On-Site Escapes
The Octavius Tower is perfectly situated to provide direct and speedy access to the Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods pool oasis and gardens. This vast outdoor space is nothing short of spectacular, offering numerous pools and water areas to enjoy, including the Apollo Pool with cabanas, the Fortuna Pool with swim-up blackjack and bar area for gaming and drinks, the Neptune Pool with cabanas and social areas, the Temple Pool for a more relaxing experience with multiple cabanas and daybeds and the Venus Pool Club, which offers an exclusive experience with food, drinks, couches and music that requires a separate admission fee. In total, there are eight stunning pools on three levels that offer beautiful waterfalls, statues, classic landscaping and plenty of room to relax and mingle. Be sure to hit the patio Snackus Maximus snack bar for a bite of sushi, a salad, or a sandwich…and, from personal experience, I can verify that the Cranberry Coconut Mojito is divine.

Also at the property, adjacent to the fully equipped fitness center, is the award-winning Qua Baths & Spa, which is a not-to-be-missed experience if you’re looking to relax and unwind in serene surroundings. It was named by Conde Nest Traveler in 2011 as one of the Top 100 Resort Spas and also received five SpaFinder awards in 2011. With more than 50,000 square feet, there are both hot and cold spa therapies modeled after the Roman Baths. Also unique to the spa experience here are the Arctic Ice Room, Cedar Wood Sauna, and the Laconium Room. Traditional spa treatments are offered, of course, along with more specialized services like hypnotherapy and chakra balancing. Also notable, service at Qua Spa is second to none with each staffer more willing than the next to assure each guest’s needs and desires are met in short order.

Famed Food
After a session at the pool or spa, be sure to head over to Central Restaurant—the handiwork of world renowned chef Michel Richard who opened the first location under this banner in Washington, D.C. The 24-hour dining experience offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, dishing up American cuisine and comfort food with a dash of French inspiration. The spacious restaurant seats 220 guests on the inside while the exterior terrace provides seating for 80 more. I visited Central for the lunch service, and my party heartily indulged in the Deviled Eggs, Asian Style Tuna Carpaccio, and a decidedly unique and savory Matzo Onion Soup. The Corned Beef Sandwich also did not disappoint. This was all enjoyed with Mimosas on the outdoor patio under the balmy desert sun. For those who just want to enjoy a libation and people watch, this is the perfect place as the expansive lounge opens up to the hotel lobby for a great view.

Perhaps Caesars Palace spokesperson Ramesh Sadhwani said it best, having noted, “Caesars Palace is forever tied to many profound, historic events yet continues to raise the bar, pushing the industry to higher standards with its continuous innovation and progressive objectives. The current renaissance led by Caesars Palace positions the resort as a frontrunner on the Las Vegas Strip, maintaining its image as a leading, world-class destination resort.” Indeed.

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***