Vegas' Resort Fees Killed Our HotelTonight Booking Buzz || HotelChatter

Interesting trip report about Resort Fees at Caesars.

Vegas' Resort Fees Killed Our HotelTonight Booking Buzz || HotelChatter

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Fashion’s Night Out at The Forum Shops 09/08/11

(Click individual photos in slide show to get a larger image.)

by Julie Kasperson

My roommate, who works at Caesars Palace Forum Shops as a concierge, tipped me off to the fact that Caesars was participating in the third annual Fashion’s Night Out, which is a one-night global celebration of fashion and style. If I could have attended all the events, I would have. Crystals at City Center, the Palazzo, Fashion Show Mall, and even the Galleria Mall in Henderson all had events and giveaways to lure fashionistas and shoppers alike.

Matt Goss, a local entertainer based at Caesars, hosted at the reflecting pool and presented awards to three local Las Vegas designers, sponsored by the Art Institute of Las Vegas. Best New Designer Grand Prize of a $500 shopping spree and scholarship to the Art Institute was awarded to Jimi Urquiaga, with first runner-up award going to designer Franki Ortiz and second runner-up was Mikayla Marrujo.

Most of my time was spent photographing the eye-catching male and female models as they showcased fashions from Forum Shops’ stores on an hourly basis. Shoes, handbags, and jewelry were featured as well during the informal accessory shows.



Roman handmaidens gave out brochures that outlined which shops were participating in the event. There were lots of freebies to be had, including hors d’oeuvres, champagne and chocolates that were offered to patrons as they shopped. Some clothing items, lingerie, and handbags were only offered for sale or at special prices during FNO.

When the models weren’t strutting the runway at the reflecting pool, they stood atop platforms placed throughout the Forum Shops. One lingerie model drew a crowd when she posed in front of grainy black and white film footage, in the display window of Agent Provocateur, a luxury lingerie store.

FNO was created to celebrate fashion, restore confidence, and boost the industry’s economy. Las Vegas may not be a center of design and production, but it definitely is a major player as far as retail is concerned. Jimi, Franki, and Mikayla prove that there are creative minds at work here as well.

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All photo credits: Julie Kasperson,

© 2011 Julie Kasperson - All rights reserved.

-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.

Please vote for one of Julie's photos in the Downtown Las Vegas Photo Competition in the Las Vegas Review Journal! Thank you!

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Fashion’s Night Out at The Forum Shops

Shania Twain Gets Two Year Residency At Caesars Palace In Las Vegas:

The country superstar announced on Wednesday that she will begin a two-year residency, "Shania: Still the One," at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, opening Dec. 1, 2012.

Read more:
Shania Twain gets two-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas: Show will begin in 2012

Ten Most Influential Vegas Hotels « Measuring Online Influence: The Official Klout Blog

"Klout", invented by klout.com, is a measure of online influence. The measurement is a number from 1 ( lowest ) to 100 ( and possibly higher ) which is computed by analyzing three components that indicate your social network presence. "Klout uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score." True Reach is the size of your engaged audience. Amplification Probability is the likelihood that your content will be acted upon. Network Influence is the influence level of your engaged audience. More information can be found at their web site.

Given all this, my Klout would probably be a big, fat zero :)

10 Most Influential Vegas Hotels « Measuring Online Influence: The Official Klout Blog

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Goss Swings Into Caesars Las Vegas

Matt & The Band

Living in Las Vegas since 2003 has given me an opportunity to see shows, bands, and singers evolve, change and hop from venue to venue. You might see a band play for six months at a casino at one end of town, and move to another venue after their contract is up.

Matt Goss and his band took up residence at the 210-seat Lounge at the Palms from September 2009 to January 2010. After talks commenced between Caesars and Goss’ manager and Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, it was announced shortly afterwards, in January 2010, that Goss would take over Cleopatra’s Barge.

Cleopatra’s Barge is one of the original fixtures from the old Caesars Palace days of the 1970’s. It now holds 165 seats in an intimate, red-swathed nightclub. Red chairs, carpeting, and curtains are part of the new look of the party lounge’s overhaul.



After seeing Goss, his band, backup singers, and backup dancers the Dirty Virgins in their new digs, I still enjoy the show, and the sound was excellent. The way the show is designed patrons can walk by on Cleo’s Way and hear the show spill out of the lounge, or sit next door at the bar to get a listen, if not the visuals. Then afterwards party-seekers can enter the space for free and dance the night away to dance tunes spun by a resident DJ.

I think the band and the backup singers’ movements are limited, however. The Barge was redesigned to accommodate the band, but there are so many performers on it (including horn players and the Dirty Virgins) that they cannot move about as much as they did in the Lounge at the Palms. That’s a shame, because so much of the music is lively and audience-friendly.

Matt still exudes Rat Pack-cool and even has some new tunes including one he put together for the local Fox 5 “More” show: “Lovely Las Vegas.” The show costs $40, which is more than the $25 I paid for the show at the Palms. The Cosmo martini I ordered cost a whopping $16.50. So the show is not a bargain, but it’s worth the cost. I don’t know what tourists will make of the cost of the show and the cocktails, but Matt’s engaging manner and stylish delivery should be able to draw them in.

Photos By Julie Kasperson

Matt Playing Guitar

Matt & Backup Singers

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All photo credits: Julie Kasperson

-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.

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