Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas Nevada – Great Conference, Bad Ending

Other posts by MudslideMama

I spent the past few days in Las Vegas, Nevada. No, not for fun, exactly: It was the 10th annual Luxury Travel Expo, held at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, that got me there.

Now, normally I love these travel trade show types of events. This was no exception – it was well-run, and I found the Peru and Hawaii presentations especially engaging. The exhibitors were energetic and well-informed, representing a wide array of the luxury travel market.

I talked with representatives from Florence and Tuscany travel groups, Hawaii PR groups, sales managers for luxury villas in Europe and the Caribbean, and, of course, many people representing properties in the continental United States. They were universally professional and personable – right on the ball, as it were.

The happiest surprise of all? I got to meet Gavin MacLeod! Yes, of Mary Tyler Moore and Love Boat fame. Captain Stubing and The Love Boat are practically iconic of my childhood. Best of all, he is my town’s “honorary mayor” (it used to be Steven Guttenberg, but I guess he abdicated his throne). Small world.

I had dinner with Nancy Brown, a fellow travel writer and blogger who I’ve known virtually for several months now. Dinner was fun, and I enjoyed getting to know her better. But then my experience in Las Vegas took a serious turn for the worst. Someone stole my Blackberry, AGAIN. That’s right, it was taken out of my purse during dinner (Someone bumped me at one point, and her cohort probably got into my purse while she apologized). I was furious, and also very sad. After calling Verizon and shutting off my phone service, I filed a report with security and tried to get some sleep (it was close to midnight). I felt somewhat better in the morning, but I simply can’t believe that I’ve had two Blackberry PDAs stolen from me in less than one year. Crazy. My next cell phone is going to be much less enticing.

The 10th annual Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas was great. Falling victim to one of the oldest tricks in the book — not so much.

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December 5, 2008 | Filed Under Destinations, Luxury Travel, Travel Gear, Travel News 

Comments

14 Responses to “Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas Nevada – Great Conference, Bad Ending”

  1. Kim@Galavanting says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    That sucks!! I have the exact same phone (but I swear, I was no where near Vegas this week).

  2. Nancy D. Brown says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    Yes, we had fun in Las Vegas, except the phrase what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas should not apply to having your key possessions stay in Vegas.

    Otherwise, Luxury Travel Expo was a great show; especially if you are a travel agent.

  3. Jill Florio says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    Wow, that is so sucky. I feel your pain.

    Was your purse open, or did they have to deal with zippers and fastenings? I am just wondering how “good” the thieves were, as in, was it planned or simply an opportunistic move on their part?

    I wonder if Blackberries or iPhones get stolen nore?

    Again, I am frustrated for you. Two phones in one year. Sheesh!

  4. MudslideMama says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    Jill, I’m fairly sure my purse was closed…but now I’m second-guessing my every move. In any case, it’s too late now. My good ol’ PDA is probably available on eBay at this point.

    Thank you for feeling my frustration!

  5. Angela Nickerson says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    Oh, bummer. I’ve been robbed, too. It is such a horrible feeling (for me it was my entire suitcase on a train) of violation. Glad the conference was good, though!

  6. Mudslide Bartender says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    Next time, place a small explosive device inside it, so that when it gets stolen, you just dial your number and BOOM.

    It will ensure that you find it…and the thief…in pieces.

  7. Keith says:
    December 6, 2008 at

    I think the greater loss would be not so much the hardware (presumably, it’s insured?) but the information in it. I trust it was all backed up and password-protected?

  8. Ameda says:
    December 6, 2008 at

    I am sorry to hear that your blackberry phone got stolen! but I am happy to see that you are still in a good mood and sharing the wonderful time that you spent in Las Vegas!

  9. Lanora Mueller says:
    December 6, 2008 at

    How awful for you! I often think of your earlier hotel lobby BB loss when I put my BB down in a public place. This is just too much!

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    December 8, 2008 at

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  11. Sandra says:
    December 8, 2008 at

    That’s horrible. WTH is wrong with people? I wonder if they’ll start making some with chains like they do wallets. My uncle had his stolen right out of his RV and he really liked it too.

  12. jen says:
    January 29, 2009 at

    I’m afraid Keith’s right–this is a reminder to always back up everything!

    If it helps, I’ll commiserate with you two times:

    This past summer my hard drive crashed and I wound up forking over $1k to a data recovery service. Ouch!

    Long before email, the internet, etc, I did a post-college Eurorail summer. Towards the end of it, I spent a lovely day in Venice. After my companion for that day–a perfect gentleman and very easy to be around–departed, I went to make a phone call. I got to the booth (remember those?), found my backpack open, and my address book missing. All the contacts I had met that summer-gone! The info re: how to contact the friend who had made the reservations in the South of Spain a week later–gone! Addresses for aunts and others I owed postcards to–gone!
    Worst of all, the guy mailed me a set of lovely 5×7 prints of our day together, with no return address. I suppose he figured it was in my address book.

  13. MudslideMama says:
    January 29, 2009 at

    Thanks, Jen who commented with the sad ending to her great day in Venice. I appreciate the commiseration! And isn’t almost hard to remember those pre-email days?

    Now that several months have gone by and I’m used to my new PDA, it seems kind of…funny that I got ripped off in Vegas. I always lose money there anyway, this time it was just less direct.
    :)

  14. Guam-Hotel.Net » Blog Archive » Your Questions Answered - Child-Friendly Travel in Los Angeles says:
    March 23, 2009 at

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