Lauryn Lantela's Las Vegas FAM Trip Proves the City Has Reinvented Itself for Everyone

The wind came first. Then the papers began to swirl, and leaves lifted off the floor, and for a moment, inside the most technologically advanced entertainment venue on earth, Lauryn Lantela forgot she was sitting in a theatre at all. "When the tornado happened, the wind started going, papers were blowing around and leaves," she recalls. "It really felt like you were in a tornado. I just couldn't believe they could get an effect like something in that size." This was the Sphere, Las Vegas's 18,000-seat immersive arena, and the experience playing was The Wizard of Oz, one of Lantela's most beloved films since childhood. By the time an apple physically fell from the screen and she reached out and caught it, she knew this trip had given her something no brochure ever could.

Lantela, a travel advisor based in Vancouver, spent four days in Las Vegas from March 9 to 12, hosted by the Las Vegas Tourism Board on a FAM trip that took her through a carefully curated circuit of the city's newest, most ambitious, and most surprising offerings. What she came back with was not just a list of hotel recommendations, but a fundamentally revised picture of a destination that has quietly, and dramatically, grown up.

Arrival and the New Las Vegas Strip

The trip opened at the MGM Grand, freshly renovated and polished, where the group settled in before heading to dinner at Luccini, an Italian restaurant Lantela describes as a genuine standout. The dishes arrived in waves, each one more considered than the last, and the desserts drew the kind of enthusiasm that no amount of online research can manufacture. The next morning brought breakfast at the Commons Club inside the Virgin Hotel, a property that quickly earned Lantela's admiration. The Richard Suite, with its full pool table and sweeping layout, struck her as one of the best values she encountered all trip. "I would love to stay here," she says simply, and in that economy of words sits the full weight of a professional verdict.

The Fontainebleau, positioned a little further down the strip, ultimately claimed the top spot. Lantela describes walking through it as a distinctly un-casino-like experience, all soaring ceilings, enormous rooms, and a lightness that set it apart from the city's more theatrically themed properties. "I loved this hotel, it was my favorite of all of them," she says. "It doesn't feel like you're in a casino. Amazing rooms, huge rooms." For clients who want the Las Vegas address without the sensory overload of the classic Strip experience, Lantela now has a clear, first-hand answer.

Old Vegas, Completely Reimagined

Perhaps the most professionally useful revelation of the entire trip had nothing to do with a luxury hotel. It happened on Fremont Street. Lantela admits she arrived with modest expectations for old Vegas, the historic downtown corridor that many Strip loyalists quietly dismiss. What she found was something entirely different. "I really didn't expect Fremont Street to be so hip, so happening, so fun," she says, her enthusiasm unfiltered. "I love that they have the zip lines across the top of Fremont Street. I just love the whole entire vibe of the area."

The Circa resort and casino, adult-only and decorated in a deliberately moody, dark aesthetic, impressed her with its rooftop Legacy Club, where panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip unspool in every direction. The Stadium Swim, a year-round heated rooftop pool and betting area, reinforced Circa's positioning as the clear choice for guests seeking a more grown-up, design-forward experience. Just around the corner, the Golden Nugget offered a completely different proposition: a family-friendly property with remarkable value, a sprawling aquarium reportedly the largest in the city, and a pool slide that threads directly through it. Lunch at the famous CJ's, where Lantela ordered the beef dip and declared it fantastic, sealed the case. For a travel advisor who regularly matches clients to properties, the contrast between these two Fremont Street neighbours is precisely the kind of nuanced, first-hand knowledge that changes the conversation.

A short walk from Fremont Street, she notes, lies the Arts District, a neighbourhood of galleries, independent restaurants, and creative energy that adds yet another dimension to the area's appeal. The proximity of culture to kitsch, of local to legendary, is exactly what makes this corner of Las Vegas feel newly relevant.

Experiences That Redefine the City

Beyond the hotels, the trip surfaced a Las Vegas that has invested seriously in experience. The group visited Atomic Golf for a high-energy round fuelled by good drinks and good company. They ran F1 simulations at an arcade experience built around the sport's growing footprint in the city. They attended Absinthe, a Spiegelworld production that Lantela describes as "a dirty, funny, unapologetically raunchy 18-plus show" and recommends without reservation. The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, though, remained the undisputed centrepiece. "And just seeing it and catching the apple, and that the apples even fall," she says, "it was just a really amazing experience that you only get once in a lifetime."

The Sphere, she is emphatic, is non-negotiable. Whatever is playing during a client's visit, the experience itself transcends the content. The 4D environment, from wind to scent to physical sensation, represents a category of entertainment that simply does not exist anywhere else on earth.

A Destination for Everyone, Year-Round

The professional insight Lantela carried home from the trip is one she plans to share with every client who has ever hesitated over a Las Vegas booking. "Vegas really isn't about only gambling anymore," she says. "It's really all about the whole experience and really doing everything that you want to do." The city now holds within it a genuine proposition for families, couples, food lovers, show enthusiasts, golf devotees, and design-minded travellers who want beautiful hotels without necessarily wanting a casino floor beneath their feet.

For Canadian travellers specifically, Lantela flagged a timely incentive worth knowing. Several hotels in the Fremont Street area, including the Circa, are currently offering Canadian dollars at par for eligible bookings, covering elements of room rates, food, drinks, and gambling. It is a promotion designed specifically to draw Canadian visitors, and for clients flying direct on Air Canada from Vancouver, the value calculation becomes considerably more compelling.

Lantela also came home with sharper instincts around accommodation. Having personally toured suites at nearly every property on the itinerary, she now understands something that is difficult to convey from a listing page alone. "I probably would upgrade to suites knowing how much little extra they actually cost," she says, the kind of insight that only comes from standing inside a room and seeing it for yourself.

What Comes Next

Matching clients to the right Las Vegas experience is now something Lantela can do with genuine precision. The Fontainebleau for couples who want luxury without noise. The Virgin Hotel for value-seekers who still want style. The Golden Nugget for families who want a Fremont Street base with kid-friendly appeal. Circa for adults who want atmosphere, sport, and a rooftop view that justifies every dollar. And the Sphere, for absolutely everyone, without exception.

As for what is next on Lantela's own travel horizon, she is already looking ahead with characteristic anticipation. A third visit to Cabo is planned for November, this time at a property she has never stayed at before. "I cannot wait," she says, and given everything Las Vegas just delivered, it is clear that wherever Lantela goes next, her clients will be better for it.