LOS ANGELES--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Feb 1, 2005--Quick! Loosen your toga and answer the following true-or-false questions about National Lampoon:
1. National Lampoon is the comedy sausage factory that produced such film hits as Animal House, the Vacation series and Van Wilder.
2. National Lampoon Networks reaches 4.8 million viewers at more than 600 institutions of higher learning � nearly one-fourth of all college students age 18-24 � with such highbrow television fare as ''Collegetown USA,'' ''Greek Games'' and ''Reality Bar Crawl.''
3. National Lampoon wants to teach an interactive master class, ''Spring Break for the Discriminating Traveler,'' on-site in Las Vegas and Cabo San Lucas.
If you answered ''true'' to all of the above, especially the last one, you may be ahead of the curve in spotting a new vacation option that doesn`t try to sell you a bill of goods (''it`s new and improved Napster!''). The most recognized brand in humor looks to extend its reputation as a trusted tour operator, with the common thread of offering quality entertainment across the board.
''We`ve eliminated the fear and mystery of booking Spring Break,'' says Jason Hollander, a young adult marketing expert appointed as executive vice president of the company�s new travel division, National Lampoon Tours. ''We know what we`re doing. And we know that student travelers want to be pampered, they don`t want to be treated like cattle, and they want to get a lot for their money, or their parents` money. In any case, we want to offer a Spring Break experience worth remembering, and even repeating.''
Sure, Chevy Chase always seemed to find disaster in its string of Vacation movies, and John Belushi led the quintessential Road Trip From Hell in Animal House. But National Lampoon prefers to evoke the image of master party organizer Van Wilder as it rolls out its new division. Its first two offerings for Spring Break 2005 focus on North America`s hottest destinations, Las Vegas and Cabo San Lucas.
In Las Vegas, National Lampoon has defied the odds to create the first-of-its-kind, all-inclusive student tour package that plays off two winning partnerships. The first is with the classic Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, which anchors the renowned Fremont Street Experience, a universe of restaurants, bars, clubs and casinos. National Lampoon Tours is building a 70,000-sq.-ft. rooftop beach club at the Plaza with tons of sand, hot tubs and other amenities, while the hotel`s showroom will be airing National Lampoon movies continuously. Then there`s the 24-hour open bar and breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, with dining options galore.
The other partnership is with preeminent event promoters John Lewis Promotions (responsible for the largest parties at The Palms), who serve as National Lampoon`s private entertainment directors. Creators of Club Rubber and Pimp `n Ho, John Lewis Promotions is planning to crank it up another notch in Vegas, which is what you do in Sin City, with a raft of top-notch themed entertainment nightly, including a bacchanalian Toga Party, Greek Games and Pajama Jam (hmm, play your cards right and you`ll rarely have to put on street clothes the whole time).
Professional gamers will also host a Gaming Academy where students can learn, play with the best, participate in the College Poker Tournament and earn redeemable ''points'' while spending their dough in the casino. Says Lampoon`s Hollander, ''If they�ve never been to Vegas, or even if they have, they`ll come back and really know how it works.'' The 21-and-over, four-night package starts at $279, with affordable airfare available from 30 cities.
National Lampoon Tours` packages for Cabo San Lucas, located on the beautiful Baja Peninsula, offer a decidedly upscale Spring Break experience. ''This is not Cancun or Mazatlan,'' says Hollander. ''Cabo is cleaner, safer, more refined. You see a lot of private planes touch down in Cabo because that`s where the stars come to party south of the border.'' With accommodations at the Cabo Las Flores and Costa Real Cabo hotels, it`s a short walking distance to the hottest bars, clubs and restaurants. Daily happy hours, parties and beachside activities await student travelers right after getting off the courtesy shuttle bus (and isn`t that how it should be?). The 18-and-over, four- and seven-night packages range from $569 to $1029, based on city of origin.
So why did National Lampoon, known for its yuk-filled films, TV network, magazines and website, decide to get into the travel business? ''It`s not as if we were on Travelocity one day and thought, `Hey... we could do that!`'' explains Hollander, whose former company served college travelers, becoming the dominant operator in Cabo San Lucas for 14 years. The National Lampoon brand, he says, has always been about having fun, whether watching, listening or now fully experiencing it. ''It`s been a staple of college dorm rooms for decades, and National Lampoon Tours is a natural expansion of that presence.'' Considering other activities that take place in college dorm rooms, the company isn`t ruling out any future ''fun-loving'' endeavors...
National Lampoon Tours can be booked by calling toll-free (877) 4NLTOURS or via the web at www.NationalLampoonTours.com.
PLEASE NOTE: Digital images to accompany this piece are available upon request.
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