While only marginally tuned in to the baseball playoffs this week, I did pop my head up a few times when the new commercial for The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas came on. Here’s a brand-new hotel on the Strip, opening in a few weeks with some attention-getting features and crowd-pleasing amenities. The commercial is pretty cool, too, with shots of beautiful people in bizarre, somewhat decadent situations—it was reminiscent of an INXS video until the adorable kittens, hundreds of adorable kittens, begin to overrun the place. It ends with the tagline “Just the Right Amount of Wrong.”
Being in travel media, I've been familiar with the Cosmopolitan for a while now and have been anxiously awaiting its opening. Here’s a unique property, unattached to any of the usual "Big Vegas Names," that has suddenly been dropped right in the center of all the action. It’s no boutique either—with nearly 3,000 rooms, a dozen top restaurants, three pool areas and casino, it’s the real deal. And now, having seen the commercial, it seems apparent that this place is going to be making some noise in Las Vegas. Hopefully all of you agents out there have been in the know on this hotel through its own public relations and the trade press. (For those who may have missed it on TravelAgentCentral, check it out.) Watch for the opportunity to become a Cosmopolitan specialist through Travel Agent University as well.
It’s important to keep on top of the newest hotels. After seeing that commercial, I have no doubt many people started inquiring about the Cosmopolitan to their travel agents, who hopefully weren’t caught off guard. Recession or not, there are a lot of new, cool hotels going up all the time. There’s almost a need to flaunt some luxury and decadence in the face of the economic crisis. Agents need to keep tabs on the latest properties and hottest destinations through all means possible (and of course that includes Travel Agent magazine and TravelAgentCentral.com) and be ready with information when that first call comes and the voice on the other end says, “Hey, what do you know about this Cosmopolitan? The place with all the kittens?”