MGM Grand's $20,000 Newlywed Skyloft Package

Comments

January 23, 2007 12:48 PM Posted by KY

Honeymoon or no, I will never take a vacation where close to 75% of my total costs go toward wristwatches.

January 23, 2007 1:44 PM Posted by Mike E

A friend of mine and his wife just did the 16 course dinner at Robuchon. It came out to $1200 and they didn't even over-splurge. If you happen to be in the market for Rolex watches and like expensive vacations, this isn't a bad deal :-).

January 23, 2007 3:00 PM Posted by Tom M

If you are worried about the cost of watches then this type of package is not for you. I am not a big fan of Rolex, maybe they would exchange it for another type of watch, say Patek Phillipe or Breitling. Frankly, I would want at least four nights and a few more shows and meals. My package would cost alot more. This is your honeymoon after all.

January 23, 2007 3:53 PM Posted by mike_ch

Yes, for $20,000 I should have all three meals of the day planned out for every day of the package.

There's so many things that can be bought with that kind of money that spending it on a wristwatch would blow my mind. You could see the world you could buy something that tells time. Hmm..

January 23, 2007 9:19 PM Posted by Mike E

Mike, for people who can afford those kinds of luxuries, I don't think it's a matter of either/or. They can see the world and afford the watch.

Don't mean to change the subject here, but diamonds and precious metals aside, a timepiece such as a Patek, IWC, or Breitling is an intricate work of art and worth every penny to those who can appreciate the craftsmanship.

January 23, 2007 10:53 PM Posted by mike_ch

But someone who can afford that without a second glance doesn't need it wrapped up into a Vegas vacation package or, if they do, they'd probably like to have a dinner arrangement for their second night also.

Sorry, Mike, but while I understand some upper-class pleasantries like how wine becomes finer with age, brand new overly elaborate clocks are just one of those things I don't think I'll ever understand. Can you really deny that they exist solely as status symbols? Usually in most products as they got smaller and simpler to design it's considered to be progress. *shrug*

January 24, 2007 2:35 AM Posted by Mike E

Mike wrote, "Can you really deny that they exist solely as status symbols?"

Perhaps, but of the most personal kind. Unless they've got a serious inferiority complex, I highly doubt one buys a modest looking Vacheron or Patek to gloat over the tens of thousands it costs and months worth of man hours, especially when most people are unfamiliar with those brands.

January 24, 2007 7:06 PM Posted by Tom M

I agree with Mike E, to me the engineering, craftsmanship and design of many of these watches make them works of art. Really, is a woman's diamond earings any more than a status symbol? Or an engagement ring for that matter? Many of these watches are over the top with jewels etc, but I appreciate the more understated kind that still are incredible engineering accomplishments and beautiful to look at and wear. I don't own one yet but I look forward to the day I can afford it and don't worry about the price.

January 24, 2007 9:46 PM Posted by Chris

This is just another example of a tried and true Vegas marketing gimmick - arbitrarily adding something to a package that is only tenuously related to the core components, but that increases the total price of the package to an amount so outrageous that the price ITSELF becomes something that can be marketed and attracts attention from newswires and blogs (case in point- here we are).

You are not buying a "$20,000 Honeymoon experience". You are buying a $6,000 Honeymoon experience and two $7,000 watches.

Other examples of this technique in action:

"$2,000 Martini" at Body English - Really a $14 dollar martini and a $1,986 ruby-encrusted swizzle stick

"$6,000 Carl's Jr. combo meal" at Palms - Really a $6 combo meal and a $5,994 bottle of wine.

While the watches, rubies, and wine may be worth the price you are paying, the marketing strategy is to position and sell the packages in such a way that implies that there is some kind of unprecedented quality in the other components as well.

These packages are not about the quality of the honeymoons, martinis, or cheeseburgers being sold - they are about artificially inflating the perceived value of those things by associating them with unrelated items that are included in the price, simply for the sake of ostentatiousness and bragging rights.

January 24, 2007 11:28 PM Posted by Mike E

Chris, don't forget the Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas $100,000 package. $50,000 of it is a gift certificate to Neiman Marcus.

January 25, 2007 3:37 PM Posted by Nathan Boone

i can only imagine...how much a couple would have to spend on a wedding to justify a 20,000 honeymoon!