Travel Roundup: Las Vegas Sands Layoffs, Union Pacific Sells 33 Miles, 60 Las Vegas Hotels Under $50 and More

(MoneyWatch)  Las Vegas Sands lays off almost 200 -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. reported it laid off nearly 200 employees in its Las Vegas operations. A spokesman said the the 194 layoffs from several departments were a response to the current economy. Las Vegas Sands, which owns the Venetian and Palazzo hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, also owns resorts in Macao and Bethlehem, Penn. The company laid off 280 workers last March. [Source: Associated Press]

Union Pacific sells 33 miles for $118 million to Denver commuter rail -- Union Pacific Railroad sold 33 track miles of track north of Denver to Colorado's Regional Transportation District for $118 million. It's the first of four land-transfer deals being made to create a commuter rail system in the greater Denver area. The 33-mile stretch runs from Commerce City to the outskirts of Denver. The RTD will use the tracks as part of its planned 122 miles of rail transit. [Source: Journal of Commerce]

Sixty Las Vegas hotels now under $50 a night, some $20 -- There are 60 hotels offering rooms less than $50 a night. Last year, the figure was only 42. The least expensive rooms were found at several hotel-casinos including El Cortez, Gold Spike, Golden Gate, Plaza, Sahara, Terrible's and Wild Wild West, which averaged less than $20 a night. The higher-end hotels are also lowering prices, including New York-New York offering a room for $53 a night; Palms, $55; Paris, $64; MGM Grand, $66 and Planet Hollywood for $71. [Source: Dallas Morning News]

Man tries to rob hotel with butter knife -- A man tried to rob a Howard Johnson Express Inn with a butter knife this week, but the clerk refused to give any money to the alleged robber, who then left on foot, Rapid City, S.D. police reported. Police said they spotted a man fitting the suspect's description and arrested 34-year-old Robert Lee McKinney. Police said they also recovered the knife suspected of being used in the robbery. [Source: Rapid City Journal]