Where can I stay? Do we get a reduced rate at the host hotel?
Bally’s Las Vegas is our host hotel, and the APP reserves a block of rooms for attendees of the Conference. When making your reservation, request rates for The Association of Professional Piercers. By booking in the APP room block you are supporting our event. The APP is able to expand its budgets for Conference instructors, perks, and events when the room block is filled. Staying in the host hotel fosters a bigger sense of community at the event and keeps you close to your “home base” for the week!
Please support our Conference by staying at Bally’s! If you plan to stay at the hotel the weekend before or after conference book as soon as possible, weekend rates are subject to availability.
APP Reservation link: Bally's APP Room Block
Or contact Bally’s at 800-358-8777 – before the room block cut off date!
OUR ROOM BLOCK CLOSES ON MAY 15, 2012 - BOOK EARLY TO GUARANTEE A ROOM!
PLEASE NOTE THESE ARE 2012 RATES!
ROOM RATES are per guestroom, per night, single or double occupancy. Rates are subject to Clark County Room Tax, currently twelve percent (12%).
South Tower Rooms $75.00 (any day of the week) – Save a little money but a little further away
North Tower Rooms $85.00 (any day of the week) – Closest to the Conference area, recently renovated
N. Grand Suite $450.00 (any day of the week)
N. Celebrity Suite $850.00 (any day of the week)
Please note that special requests such as non-smoking room, connecting or adjoining rooms, room location, king or double-double bed type, etc. are subject to availability at the time of check-in.
Rates are net, non-commissionable and will be subject to Clark County Room Tax, which is currently 12 percent (12%) - subject to change.
ADDITIONAL PERSON (for above double occupancy)
Additional persons will be charged at a rate of $30.00 per person, per night, with a maximum of four (4) persons per guestroom.
APP attendees will be making reservations directly with Hotel. Attendees may call Hotel at 800-358-8777 on or before the cut-off date. Individuals must identify themselves as part of the Association of Professional Piercers to receive the special Group rate. All reservations must be guaranteed with a deposit for the first night's guestroom and tax charge. If reservation is guaranteed to a credit card, the first night's guestroom and tax charge, per guestroom, will be billed immediately to the cardholder's account.
Hotel allows individual cancellations without penalty up to seventy-two (72) hours prior to the attendees’ scheduled arrival date. Hotel shall charge the individual attendee one (1) night’s guaranteed guestroom rate plus tax for cancellation within seventy-two (72) hours of the scheduled arrival date or failure of the individual to check-in on the scheduled arrival date. Any remaining nights of a “no-show” reservation will be canceled. It is policy to require a credit card or cash deposit for incidental charges.
Hotel accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club.
Check-in time is 4:00 PM and check-out time is 11:00 AM. Any departures after 11:00 AM are subject to the full day charge.
Each guestroom must have at least one registered guest twenty-one (21) years of age or older.
So I just got back from a trip and made a quick stop on the way home to check out Bally’s – our host hotel for the 2011 Conference and Exposition. I was in capable hands with Lauren from Shepard (our Exhibitor Services group) and Shaun from Bally’s. Lauren used to work as an event planner so she’s worked with Bally’s for many years in that role.
My first impression was that Bally’s will put our Conference in a great location on the strip – across from the Bellagio, next to Paris, on a monorail stop – within easy walking distance of the miracle mile shops and Planet Hollywood. So that means great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment all close by.
Bally’s is an older hotel in the Vegas world– but upon arrival felt quite a bit more classy and elegant to me than our recent previous venues. We spent a little time in the Hotel Registration lobby area which looks out onto the Casino floor and was easily accessed when we came in the front door. On the other side of the entrance is the South Tower – our room block includes rooms here for a slightly cheaper option.
It was a short walk over to the Convention area and we only had to cut through a small portion of the casino floor to get there. If you are staying in the North Tower – your elevators drop you right at the Convention area! You will pay a little bit more here but the convenience may be well worth it. Our Conference registration desk is right there with a large office space behind it which will make our registration staff happy and allow for ample storage room of materials and equipment.
The desk looks out onto a large foyer space. This will be full of professional piercers in June! Just off this space is our Attendee entrance to our Exhibition Floor. Just across from the foyer is the Palace rooms – they will be the location of our smaller classes, round table discussions, meetings and our workshops. In the immediate vicinity are the restrooms.
Off the foyer toward the far end is the hallway where our large classroom space is. We’ll have to work on the potential for congestion in this space as I know hundreds will be lining up for these, our most popular classes. Across from this end of the space will be our staff’s “command central.” Broken up into four small rooms – we’ll have plenty of space for storage and running the show – in a private and quiet area.
Shaun was quick to show me some additional spaces which we could easily expand into should we need or want to – he and Lauren put some ideas in my head about how we could do things a little differently in future years to shake things up a bit.
We took the elevators up to the 26th floor to view the Banquet Dinner space – a great view like we had at the Riviera – but in a prettier overall space –and a lot more space for pre and post dinner mingling. However, once again our smokers will have to venture down to the casino floor as it is a closed, no-smoking area. The elevators are much speedier and do take you right to the smoking area – so I’m sure it won’t be that big of an inconvenience.
Bally’s both felt like the space was compacted (no lengthy hallways that stretch on forever) but spacious – not congested. There are a range dining options on the main floor between the conference area and casino – including a café with PIE. There are three lounges/bars also pretty close by. I think our group will land at the Indigo Lounge – but if there’s overflow or other tastes – the other two main options are on either side – Scully’s in the middle of the casino floor – or the Tequila Bar with $2.00 tacos (I hear). Rumor has it there’s a “dive bar” across the street from Bally’s for the seedier side of things, like karaoke.
Just downstairs via an escalator – there’s less expensive dining options like Sbarros and Johnny’s Delicatessen; HaagenDaz Ice Cream and Krispy Kreme Donuts for your sweet tooth. Oh there’s also a really nice sushi place down there. mmmm sushi.
Downstairs is also how you access the pool and tennis courts. The pool I hear is the deepest in Las Vegas – and well, the hot tub outside is HUGE. There’s a café out there and plenty of cabanas. It’s not surrounded by lush greenery and gardens (I will miss that about the Trop.) but it is fine for our purposes. I didn’t get to see the inside tubs as the pool was technically closed for the season, but it appears as if there are some smaller ones in the locker room/changing area.
Back upstairs it was a short walk across the casino floor to the walkway to Paris – I was shown the cigar bar (Gus, I immediately thought of you…) and a number of other eateries and a few other ballrooms ala Paris style. We ate at the Burger Brasserie – burgers made from meat, seafood, fowl or veggies – with amazing fixings – all served by beautiful ladies in skimpy outfits. Well, it is Vegas after all.
I don’t get out much in Vegas – but I was excited to see that without going far I had many more options when it came to eating (and eating late)– and that our Attendees have a wealth of options for doing any thing they want virtually at their doorstep. Bally’s is a classy and welcoming hotel with a comfortable feel to it. Not too big, not too small – how about – just right. Hope to see you there! – Caitlin McDiarmid
