THE RITZ-CARLTON, Lake Las Vegas resort has a new corporate meeting venue: a 3,952-square-foot floating stage. It can be towed to different parts of the resort: MonteLago Village, Reflection Bay Golf Club, The Ritz-Carlton, or The Hyatt. The stage has already hosted concerts by LeAnn Rimes and the Beach Boys, as well as a corporate event for Red Bull, the energy drink company. The same floating stage was transformed in November into a floating ice rink directly adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton. It offers group buyout availability for as many as 60 skaters in winter months. www.ritzcarlton.com

Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel opened in early December adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center with 548 guest rooms and 30 suites. The hotel has 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 9,850-square-foot ballroom. It is directly across from a monorail station. www.renaissancelasvegas.com

The 541-room JW Marriott Las Vegas claims to have the best of both worlds for corporate groups: it's secluded from the distractions of The Strip, yet convenient enough to it to take in the action when the spirit moves. The hotel's Conference and Banquet Center features the 14,627-square-foot Marquis Ballroom. There are two smaller ballrooms and 32 breakout rooms. At press time, Shizen, an outdoor Japanese dining venue, was scheduled to open in January. www.gowestmarriott.com/lasvegas

Scheduled to open December 23 as we went to press: two-story Skylofts at MGM Grand. On the hotel's top two floors, each of the 51 lofts features 24-foot floor-to-ceiling windows with dramatic views of the skyline. The Skylofts range in size from 1,400 to 6,000 square feet and come with personalized service, including airport limousine transport and a 24-hour butler. www.skylofsmgmgrand.com

In November, MGM Mirage in Las Vegas announced plans to build a massive resort and urban development project, dubbed Project CityCenter, on a 66-acre site on The Strip. The first phase will have a 4,000-room hotel/casino, and three 400-room boutique hotels. Plans call for retail shops, dining and entertainment venues, and private condominiums. It is expected to take 18 months for plans to be completed, and construction on Phase I should last three and a half years.

Starwood has acquired a second property in Las Vegas: Aladdin Resort & Casino. Over the next 18 months, the Aladdin will remain open while being transformed into Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, A Sheraton Hotel. It will have a new façade, 2,500 renovated guest rooms, a 114,000-square-foot casino, a 7,000-seat theater, and 75,000 square feet of pre-function and meeting space. www.aladdincasino.com

New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, has finished a $30 million remodel of its 1,370 standard rooms. www.nynyhotelcasino.com

The $750 million Niagara Falls-view Casino Resort opened in June in Ontario, Canada, with 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, including a 30,000-square-foot exhibit hall. The complex has a 200,000-square-foot casino, 368-room hotel, 1,500-seat theater, spa and fitness center, retail shops, and 10 restaurants.
discoverniagara.com/fallsviewcasino

Embassy Suites Hotel Las Vegas Resort has completed a 6,000-square-foot expansion, nearly doubling its meeting space to 11,724 square feet. The new space includes the 3,184-square-foot Chancellor Ballroom, which divides into two separate rooms, as well as a 950-square-foot and an 875-square-foot meeting room. www.embassysuites.com

Also in Las Vegas, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino now operated by Harrah's Entertainment Inc., has nearly completed an $80 million renovation. A $39 million expansion of the Rio's Pavilion Convention Center, also completed in December, added 60,000 square feet of convention space to the existing 100,000 square feet in the Pavilion. www.harrahs.com

Opening in spring 2005, L'Auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino is being built on 227 acres in Lake Charles, La. It will feature a casino, more than 700 guest rooms and suites, restaurants, meeting and entertainment space, pool, spa, and a Tom Fazio — designed golf course.