Venetian Las Vegas Turns 25, And So Does It’s Haunted History

Happy Birthday to one of the most popular hotels on the strip. The Venetian Las Vegas is turning 25 years old and the new owners are doing some serious renovating. 1.5 billion dollars in renovations, to be exact. The rooms are getting a makeover, new restaurants are coming, and not only are they revamping the poker room, but they're changing its location as well.  

Hopefully these new owners are dropping all this cash on renovations for the right reason. Such as to freshen up the place or attract a modern clientele. If they're doing it in hopes of chasing out old ghosts, they might be disappointed. Because the hotel's haunted history goes back decades, and down to the very foundation of the property.

When I first moved to Vegas in 1998, someone not named Goldman was the mayor. You could still get .99 shrimp cocktails (although did you really want to risk that?). And The Venetian Las Vegas was just a shell. It was a hotel not finished (and wouldn't be for another year). A structure being built on the ashes where the Sands once was. The hotel was known as the hippest place in Vegas during the 50’s and 60's, The Sands was the place to be seen. It was the Rat Packs haunt. 

And there are some who believe they still haunt the place, and they weren't super stoked about their spot being blown to bits and replaced with a gondola and dudes running around in tight white pants with girlie shirts on.

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I remember all the rumors while the Venetian Las Vegas was being built. It felt like a horror story came out everyday about the workers finding themselves on the bad end of an 8-ton wall, or a 30-story elevator shaft.  

According to usghostadventures.com, there was one worker who trapped himself in between walls and died a slow death over a few days. Others believe that Tupac Shakur is haunting the Venetian. According to letsroam.com, its because he was shot close to the Venetian that fateful night.  

Lets get real though, Tupac isn't haunting the Venetian. That's just ridiculous. He’s doing his best Casper the Friendly Ghost at Palazzo. There's more honeys there and its younger.

Vegas Strip clubs see their share of people doing crazy things. Including fighting. Over chicks, over money, whatever. But recently, it's the clubs themselves doing the fighting. Two Las Vegas strip clubs are going at it right now, and not in the way most would fantasize. There ain't no pillows in this fight.

Spearmint Rhino, is one of the most tried and true Gentlemen's Clubs in Las Vegas. The club has recently filed a lawsuit against fellow strip club, Peppermint Hippo, reviewjournal.com reported. According to the report, the Rhino claims that the competitor's name is too “confusingly close” to their own. They also say the Peppermint Hippo infringes on their trademark.

Are they right? I mean Spearmint Rhino has been here since 1992. And has one of the most recognizable names in the strip club industry. The owner, John L. Gray, says the name doesn't come from anything logical or has some crazy backstory. He just wanted something memorable, according to laweekly.com.

Related: Strippers Are Some Of The Hardest-Working People In Las Vegas

The Peppermint Hippo, on the other hand, has been with us a mere two years. It resides where the Olympic Garden once was (memories... so many memories). According to reviewjournal.com, the owner, Alan Chang, says he got the name from the TV show South Park.

In the fictional town of South Park, the Peppermint Hippo is a mainstay and very important part of the community. In one episode, Stan, Kyle and Cartman go undercover to bust up the biggest crime syndicate in South Park and a gun fight ensues. Side note: The fictional place looks more like Cheetahs than Spearmint Rhino. Don't ask how I know.

In another episode, the Peppermint Hippo is where the boys help un-brainwash Chef, with what they call “Spontaneous Booty.” The main point of the fictional Gentlemen's Club is that it is a very important part of the community, and it should be treated with respect.

Gentlemen's Clubs are an important part of Sin City too. But all too often, at least in our Las Vegas strip clubs, I've seen patrons do things that lose them all of their dignity and self respect. So, boys, I'm here to give you a few tips on how you can keep some of your dignity while enjoying all the gentlemen's club has to offer.

These tips are especially important in the Champagne room, where guys tend to get a little less dignified. How do I know? Fun fact about me. I dated a stripper for over two years. Here are the mistakes those guys constantly make that you should avoid.

Don't pick girls with glitter, aka "Divorce Dust." I mean it's bad enough you’re going to come home smelling like cotton candy in an ashtray, but avoiding glitter is just elementary. If you know how a lap dance works, then you should know not to ever pick a chick glowing in the D dust. Because the happiest part of your pants is going to be lit up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The entire city within a 60-mile radius is going to know what you were “up” to.  And then, at your after party meal at Denny's, the waitresses is going to be laughing at you as they drop off your sad eggs because that's all you can afford after maxing out your credit card at the Boom Boom Room.

Don't touch the carpet. Look, it's bad enough you're on a couch that is basically Disneyland for biohazard materials. But the floors are worse. Let me tell you a secret: you know those drinks you buy for the dancers? Yeah... the chicks are dumping them on that nasty floor. So, all that money you're blowing is ending up on some 1979 shag carpet (or conveniently placed potted plant nearby). So why even get near carpet that could be tested for STD's and alcoholism at the same time?

Don't try and get the party moved elsewhere. Didn't you watch Hustler or listen to Cardi B? Ok, never mind Cardi B, but the Movie “Hustler", starring Jennifer Lopez, was based on a true story.  You’re going to get ruffled, robbed and end up in a bathtub full of ice because they just sold your kidney on black market. Ok, I’m being over dramatic. That wasn't in the movie. But if you bring the party outside the club, you're going to end up losing more than a kidney. You're going to end up on a shopping spree buying them a new wardrobe and killing your credit line.

Don’t order shrimp cocktail at a strip club. I mean I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but strip clubs are putting their focus on them dancing and you drinking. They're not exactly looking for the highest-quality seafood to feed your face. And throwing up your own brand of shrimp and liquor cocktail isn't a pretty sight in the Champagne Room.

And while we are on the subject, just don't order food at all. Usually there's some syphilitic bruiser playing Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen.

When you've got a dancer with you, don't invite their “friends”, aka the other girls in the club, into the Champagne Room. This is one of the costliest mistakes you can make. Before you know it, 12 girls are all up on the bump and grind, champagne is everywhere. And next thing you know, you’ve made everyone's mortgage payment. Trust me, they have a nicer house than you do.

And the number one mistake to avoid. Whipping out the ol’ Black card. This is by far the costliest blunder you can make. Because it puts all the other mistakes in play. Sure, you thought you were going to buy a boat this week. But darling, it sunk. At least that's what you're going to tell your wife.

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Instagram – X1075

X – X1075LV

Stalk me! – Carlota