Hard Rock Hotel & Casino: Hip Squared

Las Vegas Hotel & Casinos: The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened in 1995 and continues to compete for the hottest spot in town with new restaurants, clubs and concerts. The ambiance is pure rock 'n' roll, as it was meant to be. A chandelier with 32 gold saxophones dangles over the entry into the round casino. Ringing the main floor are restaurants, such as Lucky's, Pink Taco, Simon and the infamous Nobu.

This is the world's first rock 'n' roll hotel and it features rock memorabilia throughout that offers "wow" moments from Baby Boomers to the X generation. Small by Vegas standards, the Hard Rock has only 607 rooms so you are sure to receive fast service. The Joint, which holds only 1,400 people, regularly features top chart residents such as Sting and Nickelback.

The latest nightclub addition is Body English, which attracts the best DJs in the world as well as a slew of A-listers nearly every weekend.

The hotel has also brought "cool" to the outdoors in this desert town. The lagoon pool, replete with a floating craps table and waterslide is a popular year-round destination for hotel guests. On Sundays it turns into Rehab, a themed pool party for overextended partiers, during the summer months. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is located at 4455 Paradise Road at Harmon Avenue (look for the giant guitar outside the Hard Rock Café that sits in front of the hotel, two blocks east of the Strip). Call (702) 693-5000, toll-free (800) 473-7625 or check out the hotel's Web site.