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Did Caesars Palace Benefit From The “Hangover” Movies?

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posted on 3 years ago

Did Caesars Palace Benefit From The “Hangover” Movies?

"Did Caesar live here?" [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="346"]

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/215328425913756897/[/caption] These are the four memorable words that Zach Galifianakis' character, Alan, says when the four friends arrive at Caesars Palace in the first "Hangover" film of 2009. Silly words, but they actually helped in redefining the hotel. The "Hangover" film franchise consists of the first movie, released in 2009, and two sequels, released in 2011 and 2013. Collectively, they have grossed over $1.4 billion both in the United States and around the world. They star Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="310"] hangover movie poster

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/70437466083167/[/caption] In a nutshell, they tell the story of a group of four friends that travel for a memorable and wild bachelor's party. One of the friends, Doug (Justin Bartha), is getting married, and what's the best place to have a bachelor's party? You got it! Vegas. The films are hilarious. I really enjoyed watching them. Just so that you know how much; I have watched them all at least four times. In my opinion, the sight of a tiger roaring in the bathroom at Caesar's Palace is one of the most iconic moments ever made in a film. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="350"]

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401172279320792231/[/caption] The franchise put Caesars Palace at the center stage because many scenes were made here. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="350"]

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4292562117240754/[/caption]

Caesars Palace and the Hangover

But did the hotel benefit from this PR bonanza? The kind of publicity that Caesars Palace got from these films was tremendous. According to Gary Selesner, the Regional President of Caesars Entertainment, from the first night of the release of the first movie in 2009, the front desk started getting calls from customers who wanted to book the film's suite. While these calls are no longer many, they are still there. Of course, the suite doesn't exist, but customers don't know that. The producers chose many visuals from the Emperor's Suite and other rooms in the hotel, but Suite 2452 doesn't exist. The elevators, pool, front drive, lobby, and even the roof all exist though. They are real. And they are shown throughout the film. Following the release of the first one, Caesars Palace aggressively began marketing its rooms and services. It didn't waste any time because it wanted to capitalize as much as it could on the party vibe that the "Hangover" brought out. In fact, it introduced "Hangover" hotel packages that were very popular among customers. The hotel also created a Facebook fan page that gained over 2,000 fans on the first day. The Twitter page it created gained over 4,000 followers. Another innovation that they came up with was the "Hangover" contest that allowed customers to win a getaway package of 2-3 nights. The interest that the "Hangover" created for Caesars Palace was unmatched. People simply wanted to visit the hotel and repeat lines from the movie during their stay. And I'm guilty of this. Of course, "Did Caesar live here?" was very popular. Another popular line was whether the hotel was "pager friendly." Customers tried to sneak to the roof to make a quiet toast just like the four protagonists did in the first movie.

Verdict

The "Hangover" movies drove the business of Caesars Palace through the roof. According to the executive president of R&R Partners, Rob Dondero, it brought PR and publicity to the hotel and generated tens of millions of dollars. Eager guests wanted to have the kind of experience that Alan and his friends had in the heart of Las Vegas. Therefore, Caesars Palace did benefit from the "Hangover" movies.