Lasell University students studying hospitality, event, and resort and casino management met with hotel and casino executives in Las Vegas last month on an industry exploration trip.

Students traveled with Dina Tanvuia, program chair and associate professor of hospitality and event management, whose objective for the trip was for students to meet with professionals from different parts of the casino industry and to gain exposure to aspects of casino management that cannot be duplicated in classroom.

The week began at Caesars Palace, where students met with executives in casino operations, hotel revenue optimization, and VIP services. They attended sessions on high limit operations and butler services, and received private tours of the penthouse and Colosseum. The group also met with the Cromwell Hotel and Casino’s senior executive casino host, director of casino marketing, and head of hotel operations. 

“We were able to see so many different luxury resorts and casinos and met industry professionals (who are now part of our network contacts),” says Maggie Clukey ’22, an event management major and resort and casino management minor. “The trip helped me realize how much I would love to start a career in Las Vegas.” 

At Drai’s Beach Club and Night Club, the Lasell cohort connected with the venue’s vice president of hospitality and sales, vice president of events, and managing partner. Later in the week, the group toured Wynn Las Vegas’ facilities Lee Long, the hotel’s senior vice president of operations and general manager, and attended private speaker sessions with Brian Gullbrants and Charlie Stone, Wynn Las Vegas’ president and senior vice president of casino operations. 

The group’s week concluded with tours and meetings at Resorts World and The Cosmopolitan, the latter at which they met with Ray Ilano, lead learning and development specialist, to tour the property’s March Madness event setup.