Review: NineBlue Travel Guide for Las Vegas

I was contacted last week by a PR Intern from NineBlue travel. She asked me to review her company’s recent guide to my fair city. After some clarification about my review policies, I’m happy to provide this feedback to my readers.

In a word…”meh.”

This Web-based publication is available to download from nineblue.com. Pay them through paypal and they’ll send you the PDF.

Since I was unable to open the full file that the intern sent me, I based my review on the preview copy they have available on their website.

Based on what I saw, there were some good tips for people who are traveling to Vegas with their families. Nothing earth-shattering (e.g., don’t leave your kids in a daycare room in one hotel and then traipse about the strip gambling their college funds away), but solid advice (e.g., pack a light sweater since the casinos are notoriously over-air conditioned).

In terms of the content, there wasn’t much there that you couldn’t find for free through the state or local tourism office or just a thorough search through the Web. I wasn’t impressed by the lack of professional layout that made navigating through the copy a little confusing. The piece also needed a thorough proofreading (e.g., “King Tut’s Tumb” and “piece-of-mind”).

The index indicates there is information to come regarding specific shows and attractions. This may be a great resource for now, but given the transient nature of my city’s entertainment culture, the show listings will likely be outdated in a matter of months.

Is it worth the $11.99 price tag? Hmmm, probably not in most cases. If you were looking for a basic launchpad to quickly plan some basics, it could be helpful. But you could probably do some basic online research and ask any good hotel concierge for specific recommendations when you get here and do just as well.