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Las Vegas increasing in popularity as a family reunion destination
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JOHN LOCHER/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Members of the Jones-Deadwyler family reunion prepare to bowl with the family at Texas Station. » Buy this photo
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Members of the Ramsey family pose for a group portrait during their reunion. JASON BEAN/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Aug. 15, 2010 | 5:52 p.m.
Sin City has never been so sexy.
Doubt it? Just look at any billboard posted along I-15's Strip corridor. Women in various stages of undress beckon grown-ups to debauch themselves at nightclubs, dayclubs, concerts, bars. And there's no question the entertainment is for adults only with all the showgirls in sequined bikinis, topless dancers and cocktail waitresses in barely-there costumes.
But those women may as well be moms wearing aprons, tantalizing visitors with freshly baked cookies. Because as hard as Vegas tries to be an adult playground, it can't seem to shed its family-friendly reputation. And that's why the city has become a popular family reunion destination.
"This is the perfect place for families with kids," Darla Grant says of Las Vegas and Texas Station, the location of her family reunion. About 200 members of the Jones/Deadwyler family came from California, Arizona and Nevada to meet at the hotel-casino Aug. 4-8.
Grant, a local, chose Texas Station as the site of the reunion because it had everything they needed: bowling, movies, a Kids Quest, swimming, buffets and bingo. They had so many activities to choose from that they never had to leave the building, she says.
On a recent Friday night, the family gathered at the casino's bowling alley and donned yellow T-shirts. They hugged long-lost cousins, caught up with aunts and uncles and met new children over a session of cosmic bowling.
As odd as it may seem, the adult aspects of Las Vegas haven't stopped people from holding their reunions here. They've been doing it for years, local resort representatives say. In the past, when times were flush and convention space at a premium, such events were given cursory attention, especially on the Strip. But that's changed.
"It has become a lucrative market for us," says Michael Toney, vice president of corporate hotel sales for Station Casinos. "We do quite a few family reunions, as a matter of fact. During the summer months, they become our bread and butter on weekends."
Toney declined to say how many reunions the company hosts, citing increasing competition for those events.
Family reunions haven't always been viewed as attractive business to Strip hotels. Not when weekend volume was routinely high and conventions absorbed blocks of hotel rooms and event space.
"Reunions have been popular for Las Vegas, but not everyone ... took that business as seriously, due to the availability of the more lucrative corporate market," says Valerie Moon, director of sales and convention services for Luxor and Excalibur.
Georgia resident Gary Jones organized the Bennett family reunion at Excalibur last month. About 75 members of his wife's family, including small children, stayed for four days. The group saw shows, held a banquet and took short trips around the valley.
The youngest children visited Hoover Dam while the teenagers went to Treasure Island's pirate show, the Secret Garden at The Mirage and the roller coaster at New York-New York.
Jones, a travel agent, says he isn't surprised Las Vegas is a popular spot for reunions.
"There's a lot to do in Vegas other than gamble," Jones says. "It's very kid friendly."
Indeed, Ayanna Lemon, 11, and her sister Athena, 8, had big plans during the Ramsey family reunion at Excalibur.
"I'm looking forward to eating," Ayanna says. She also planned to check out the MGM Grand, something her sister had already done.
"I saw lions, and then I went to the (Rainforest Cafe) and saw a fake anaconda," Athena says.
Did she like it?
"Yeah, it was cool," Athena says.
Phyllis Ramsey Harris, 59, lives in California and visits Las Vegas often. She thought the city was the perfect location for the Ramsey family reunion.
"It's a great (money) saver. Costs are limited, food is reasonable, rooms are affordable and it has all the amenities" you need, Harris says. "It's easy to fit into everybody's budget, and that's what really sold us."
Affordability is a major draw for such groups, says Veronica Smiley, director of marketing for Harrah's Entertainment. The location is a selling point, too.
"It's very easy to get to Las Vegas than, say, the Caribbean," Smiley says. "And I do think the diverse entertainment is really key. There might be a younger part of the group who wants to hit the clubs while Grandma and Grandpa want to go see Donny and Marie. And you get a lot of value for your money here, and that's what a lot of people are looking for these days."
The Flamingo and Caesars Palace are two Harrah's properties that are popular for reunions, Smiley says.
Last year, management noticed that guests were asking for help planning itineraries for their reunions, so the company instituted a program called Total Experience. Guests who book five rooms or more receive what amounts to personal concierge service at no charge. A resort representative will organize outings for the family, make restaurant reservations, book spa visits and perform other duties. They can plan just about anything the guest wants to pay for, Smiley says.
"We were getting more and more calls from groups wanting to celebrate occasions with, us and they were looking for some kind of help with planning," Smiley says. "I think this went hand in hand with some changes in the economy."
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.
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Michelle, if a parent ignores a child on vacation how is that Las Vegas' fault? It could just as easily happen at a hotel bar in Tennessee, and I'm sure it has countless times. Bad parents are bad parents regardless of the locale.
If a family chooses to come here to vacation and spend time together there is as much, if not more so, opportunity for good times, good entertainment and good memories as anywhere else.
I'm surprised to see people lamenting that families choose Las Vegas as a vacation destination. I thought we needed tourism. Why should it matter who's coming, as long as someone's coming?
You know I really never understood how or why we got away from marketing Las Vegas to families like we used to in the 90's. I have family and friends with kids that haven't been here in years all because they are so turned off by the what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas campaign. The reality shows about Vegas pool parties and what not. It is a real turn off to families who are steady dollars coming in to this town. Not the fleeting Club scene dollars they market towards.
Las Vegas is "the perfect place for families with kids...they never have to leave the building."
How did we get to this point? Where did we go wrong?
Why would you want to bring kids here? To introduce them to the wonderful world of gambling? The REAL vegas target market is anyone stupid enough to waste their money... I have not seen any marketing geared towards families, strange.
While I'm not trying to put down these families experiences here, I can't tell you how many times, as a VERY former casino employee, I have seen kids sitting on the steps at 1, 2, and more in the morning. Watching and waiting, very tiredly, as their parents sat at some machine. Pluggin them quarters in. I will never forget the little girl in Mesquite who sat in the Coffee Shop, while her dad sat at some table, in the Peppermill. Between the Keno runners and restaurant staff, we did our best to keep her occupied while security hunted him down. Since it was an extremely busy weekend, it hadn't been discovered she was alone till she started crying. The restaurant staff just thought he had gone to the bathroom, or something. This was well before Sherrice Iverson.
Family time? Not in my opinion.