On July 19, 2007 Harrahs Entertainment, Inc announced a billion dollar expansion of Caesars Palace Hotel Casino, the historic hotel located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. The centerpiece of the expansion will be the 23 story, 665 room Octavius Tower. The $375 million Octavius Tower will connect to and closely resemble the 3 year old Augustus Tower.

Of the 665 new guest rooms in the Octavius Tower, 594 will be 600 square foot hotel guest rooms and the remaining 71 will be suites, including 19 1 1/2-bay suites, 41 two or three bay suites, 4 four bay suites, 3 five-bay suites, 1 six-bay suite, and 3 opulent pool villa suites. The 3 pool villa suites are sized over 10,000 square feet, and include private entrance and butler, and will overlook 3 newly built swimming pools, a garden wedding area, and a pool side cafe. When the new tower is finished the total number of rooms at Caesars Palace Las Vegas will increase to 4013 from 3348.

Wilson & Associates will design the Octavius Tower interiors. The large guest rooms will offer quality entertainment amenities, including large flat panel televisions and bedside clock radios with iPod docking stations. Beds will be dressed with premium linens and bolster pillows, luxurious marble bathrooms include dual-head showers and whirlpool tubs and televisions above double vanities. Suites will occupy the top three floors and will require a special card for access.

A new 263,000 square foot meeting and convention center will be located adjacent to the new Octavius Tower. The convention and meeting facility will be constructed on two levels, and connected to the existing Palace Tower meeting and convention center. The new convention and meeting center will include 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting, ballroom and exhibit space with additional breakout areas, grand promenades, banquet kitchens and support facilities and includes two ballrooms, each expandable to 52,000 square feet, and two executive boardrooms. The upper tier will overlook two new swimming pools.

In addition, the Forum Tower will be receiving an $83 million dollar refurbishment. In-bedroom whirlpool baths will be removed to increase living space, and the guest rooms and suites will be upgraded and improved, and receive the same premium bedding and flat screen televisions as the new Augustus Tower. The guest rooms should be completed in early 2008, and the tower's two penthouse suites will be finished by March 2008.

Work will also include a complete revamping and expansion of the casino entrance, enlarging the sports book, and improving the casino floor and corridors.

Remarkably, all of this work is scheduled to be completed by early 2009.