The Venetian is bringing a bit of Old Europe to the Strip, pigeons and all. And while the canal waters flow and gondoliers sing, hotel executives are striving to give visitors a one-of-a-kind experience with an underscored word: upscale. The upmarket concept will be found everywhere, from shops to suites.

Set to open April 21 where the Sands Hotel once stood, The Venetian will eventually have 6,000 suites in what will not only be the largest hotel and only all-suite property of its kind in the world - it will also have a price tag of about 2.5 billion an be the most expensive.

The work is an undertaking of art. "Las Venice" will present the Doges’ Palace, Campanile Tower, Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Cantarini Palace, Ca d’Oro and Saint Mark’s Square, all on 63 acres of prime real estate in the center of the Strip. Painstaking effort is being taken to present replicas of the great architectural and Renaissance icons in careful detail, and as much to scale as possible. The Doge’s Palace will serve as the grand entrance to the resort’s 120,000-square-foot casino, with wall frescoes and marble excavated from the same quarry that supplied marble for the original structure. The Rialto Bridge will support a people mover that will take visitors from the impressive sidewalk entrance of canals, the Clock Tower and 315-foot Campanile Tower to the Grand Canal Shops.

Stellar Shopping

In addition, canals will run in and out of the resort, winding through the 800,000-square-foot Venice-themed mall of upscale boutiques and cafes. Along cobbled walkways, a dozen dining establishments and 65 retail stores will bring yet another exciting diversion to the gaming capital. As gondoliers sing to the beauty of the female passersby while polling guests around in the three-foot-deep waterways, artisans will ply their trades amid jugglers and other entertainers in a festive 16-th century atmosphere.

Among the stores to open in April, guests will find boutiques to rival New York, Milan and Beverly Hills, CA. Agatha will offer fine faux jewelry from Paris, Davidoff is a Geneva-based tobacconist for cigar lovers. Il Prato hails from Venice to sell authentic Venetian masks and paper goods. Jesurum will bring fine embroidered lace and linens from the Venetian school of this art founded by Michelangelo Jesurum in 1868. Jimmy Choo, shoemaker to Princess Diana, will offer his designs. Movado will have an outlet for its fine Swiss timepiece products. Sephora, a leading cosmetic chain in France, will open an outlet with hands-on testing of European scents and lotions. Ripa de Monti will offer one-of-a-kind collectibles of imported Venetian glassworks, and Tolstoy’s will sell pens and writing instruments while displaying original pages of the renowned Russian author’s work.

Spa

Meanwhile, The Venetian will also offer the largest spa in Las Vegas. The Canyon Ranch Spa Club will be the first of a chain of Canyon Ranch Health resorts, hailing from the original company in Tucson. At The Venetian it will not only offer massage, facials, skin care and other rejuvenating therapies - it will also bring Pilates studios, Watsu pools, a 40-foot climbing wall, spinning gym, an indoor pool for lap swimming and movement-therapy classes.

Spa services to be delivered at The Venetian will include hydromassage; aloe glaze, mud, salt and seaweed treatments; Vichy showers, and such an exotic body treatments as Rasul, and ancient mud-and-steam treatment, and the King’s Bath, which uses a heavy bronze tub that holds heat and keeps it at constant temperature. Half- and full- day packages will combine hiking, private fitness and nutrition consultations, fitness classes, private instruction, spa cuisine and pampering, allowing guests to experience the renewing properties of the desert and give their bodies a treat.

Luxury Living

Suite at The Venetian are large and luxurious, offering an average of 700 square feet and featuring a sunken living area with a convertible sofa, oversized chairs, desk, table and television, separated from the bedroom space by a rail banister and stairs. Bedrooms feature quality linens and bedding with a canopy bedrest, personal ceiling lights above each side of the bed, spacious closets, and large marble bathrooms with separate tub and glass shower.

Each suite carries a stocked minibar, an unusual feature for a town that places so much emphasis on keeping the customer out of the guest room. Each suite will also have a dedicated, private fax machine that triples as a copier and computer printer; computer dataports; three phone lines; and two 27-inch televisions.

Dining

The choices will include 12 upscale restaurants, among them Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, Joachim Splichal’s Pinot, David Overton’s Grand Lux Cafe, Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico’s Steakhouse, Stephan Pyle’s Star Canyon and a new concept by Larry Mindel of Il Fornaio fame. In addition, The Venetian is in the process of finalizing the partnership with Warner Bros. That would present the first and only entertainment, dining and retail venture by the film and music company.

Not to be missed in a town known as much for its bizarre museums as it is for its behemoth hotels is Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum. The Venetian will open the first such entity outside of London.