Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2005 | 10:43 a.m.
The company that brought us Van Wilder, the Griswold family and "double secret probation" is on the verge of bringing Las Vegas hundreds of spring break tourists.
National Lampoon Inc., which for nearly 35 years has produced several comic films and a satirical magazine geared to a college audience, has opened a travel division and one of the first destinations it is focusing on is Las Vegas.
National Lampoon Tours is selling four-night spring break packages March 6-31 that include food, lodging and drinks as well as a staple from "National Lampoon's Animal House" -- a toga party.
"This is geared to college students who have never been to Vegas before," said Jason Hollander, executive vice president of National Lampoon Tours Inc. "To them, it's a place that they know their parents may have enjoyed."
The Las Vegas tour packages, which will strictly adhere to a 21-or-older age policy, are among the first offered by the new company. Hollander said the company also is offering trips to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which will be geared to students 18 and older.
"These are our launch trips," Hollander said. "We expect Cabo to be the high-price, low-volume tour while Las Vegas will be low price, high volume."
National Lampoon is partnering with Barrick Gaming and will make the downtown Plaza hotel the headquarters for activities, which will include nightly theme parties, a major concert, daily pool and beach parties, a late-night movie lounge, a college poker tournament and hourly drawings and contests.
Sponsors plan to import sand to the rooftop swimming pool at the Plaza to re-create a beach atmosphere for guests.
The company also promises gaming classes hosted by experts and low minimum table games.
"We'll teach them how to play the games and the objective won't be on winning so much as it will be on learning to play the games well," Hollander said.
Hollander said the National Lampoon brand has kept its appeal over the years and has stayed fresh over three decades. Today, the company operates a college television network serving 610 college and university campuses in the United States, reaching about 5 million viewers.
"National Lampoon's Animal House," a 1970s comedy about college life and the exploits of a rule-breaking fraternity house, helped launch film careers for John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen and Thomas Hulse.
"National Lampoon's Vacation" introduced America to Clark Griswold, portrayed by Chevy Chase, a man who goes from one misadventure to another in pursuit of getting his family to a California theme park. The fourth film of the "Vacation" series brought the Griswolds to Las Vegas, where Ellen Griswold is wooed by Wayne Newton and Clark's underage son wins car after car in casino games.
But National Lampoon promises there won't be any underage gambling among its Las Vegas guests.
"There will be no one under 21 allowed in this program," Hollander said. "On the reservation form, we're going to get driver's license information. All the information will be verified and the guest has to show up with the same ID they gave on the reservation form. If they're not 21 on the day of departure, they'll risk being turned away upon arrival. We'll have plenty of time to research backgrounds of our guests and if something seems a little funny, the name will be red-flagged."
Hollander said parents -- many of whom have been National Lampoon fans over the years -- are given an explanation of the trip as well.
The cost of the Las Vegas package varies based on the distance from which the guest comes. Las Vegas residents can purchase activity wristbands for $100 for the four days, while other packages include lodging, food and activities and others include an airfare component.
The Sunday-through-Thursday packages will provide plenty of time for spring break revelers to get to Las Vegas as well as to return to campus in time for the next week's classes.
Hollander said National Lampoon met with several casino companies before agreeing to partner with Barrick.
"They were able to offer us a large block of rooms," Hollander said. "It isn't easy to do that in March, with some big conventions and the NASCAR race and March Madness going on."
He said he thinks downtown is ideal for the college crowd because of the close proximity of several casinos and the Fremont Street Experience.
"Vintage Vegas is an ideal place to see the city for the first time," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said she expects the venture to be successful because of the niche National Lampoon is attempting to serve.
"National Lampoon has found a niche and is capitalizing on the opportunity," said Erika Yowell, a spokeswoman for the LVCVA. "The city has a great nightlife and it's a party town. I can't think of a better place for that kind of crowd."
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