http://www.minyanville.com/articles...oice-crescent-shape-boat-lagoon/index/a/26019
Worst Work Uniforms: The Venetian, Las Vegas
By Jarrod Dicker Jan 27, 2010 12:05 pm
Las Vegas is not Venice, and the uniforms aren't fooling anyone.
What’s the finest way to transport the picturesque life and culture of Venice to the United States without having to construct another “City of Bridges”? Build a theme reproduction in the heart of the nation’s biggest party city, where it will be surrounded by 24-hour buffets and various other imitative [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]resorts[/COLOR][/COLOR] such as Paris Las Vegas, Caesar’s Palace, and New York-New York (MGM).
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino (LVS) opened on "the strip" in 1999, unveiling two instantly popular gondola experiences for Italophiles and thrill-seeking guests. The indoor excursion navigates a 14-minute, half-mile route through the hotel's beautiful Grand Canal Shoppes, while the outdoor ride provides patrons with a more genuine experience as they're guided and serenaded by an oarsman or oarswoman, weather permitting. Flaunting the grandest of openings, the [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]hotel[/COLOR][/COLOR] was launched with a ceremonial release of white doves, the staging of an inaugural gondola ride with actress Sophia Loren and [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]Venetian[/COLOR][/COLOR] Owner Sheldon Adelson, and, of course, the sounding of trumpets and singing gondoliers.
Oh, those gondoliers.
Their whimsical outfits are modeled after real Venetian gondolier uniforms, but somehow miss the mark. Instead, the uniforms mimic that of what you might see on an unintimidating matador in the Nimes and Arles arenas. Sporting a horizontally banded shirt, a red scarf, complementary red sash, and the token gondolier hat, the get-up could be analogous to what you’d assume a prison cowboy would wear. That or Indiana Jones on a high-fashion runway.
The Venetian Resort Hotel spares no detail, save humility, when designing and constructing its “real life” gondola experience. Many of the gondoliers are even natives of Venice and other parts of Italy as explained on a Virtualtourist.com commentary post:
“What was so neat is that the gentleman who was our gondolier said this was very authentic and cleaner [than Venice]! He was from New York and [originally] came from Italy when he was 13. He had a lovely accent and sang so beautifully. We enjoyed his company.”
Cleaner, maybe, but authentic? The hotel exchanges the smell of mildew that lingers in actual Venice with that of lavender, which is pumped throughout the vents of the hotel to the delight of guests.
The gondoliers in Vegas take their jobs seriously, even though you can’t help but snicker at their exaggerated attempt to perform and dress like “true” gondoliers. The gondolas, however, are completely bona fide vessels and have no hidden tracks beneath their keel. Gondoliers maneuver the boat independently to further guarantee that their gimmick is no simulation.
In Venice, Italy, though, to become a gondolier is to join a respected trade. Controlled by a guild, only a select number of licenses are distributed and allotted after trainees complete a series of rigorous coaching and an apprenticeship. But it doesn’t end there. In Venice, an exam is administered to assess the knowledge of a gondolier’s foreign language skills, routing ability, and familiarity with Italy’s various [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]landmarks[/COLOR][/COLOR] and history.
Las Vegas… not so much.
Though not entirely a cushy training process, The Venetian Hotel shows leniency to its “shipsmen”. Vegas’s gondoliers are taught and instructed to the shallow limit of being able to assure their capability of properly navigating boats through a 31,235-square foot lagoon by co-gondolier guides. The red sash could also be used as a lifesaver alternative if someone falls into the kiddie pool-depth “lagoon”.
Many gondoliers, professional and recreational, love what they do and are admitted addicts when it comes to the crescent boat activity.
Greg Mohr, professional American gondolier and blogger at Gondola Blog, admits his obsession with his business:
So now you may ask what the perks are to wearing the gondolier outfit, for there has to be something beneficial about the garb.
Well, we hear that at least one oarswoman's voice got noticed by a casting professional in the hotel. She landed a role in the Phantom of the Opera show being produced within the resort.
And… if Venice (or the Venetian Hotel in this instance) ever permanently goes underwater; you can always repurpose the uniform and apply for the job of the Hamburglar in McDonaldland.
Worst Work Uniforms: The Venetian, Las Vegas
By Jarrod Dicker Jan 27, 2010 12:05 pm
Las Vegas is not Venice, and the uniforms aren't fooling anyone.
What’s the finest way to transport the picturesque life and culture of Venice to the United States without having to construct another “City of Bridges”? Build a theme reproduction in the heart of the nation’s biggest party city, where it will be surrounded by 24-hour buffets and various other imitative [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]resorts[/COLOR][/COLOR] such as Paris Las Vegas, Caesar’s Palace, and New York-New York (MGM).
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino (LVS) opened on "the strip" in 1999, unveiling two instantly popular gondola experiences for Italophiles and thrill-seeking guests. The indoor excursion navigates a 14-minute, half-mile route through the hotel's beautiful Grand Canal Shoppes, while the outdoor ride provides patrons with a more genuine experience as they're guided and serenaded by an oarsman or oarswoman, weather permitting. Flaunting the grandest of openings, the [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]hotel[/COLOR][/COLOR] was launched with a ceremonial release of white doves, the staging of an inaugural gondola ride with actress Sophia Loren and [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]Venetian[/COLOR][/COLOR] Owner Sheldon Adelson, and, of course, the sounding of trumpets and singing gondoliers.
Oh, those gondoliers.
Their whimsical outfits are modeled after real Venetian gondolier uniforms, but somehow miss the mark. Instead, the uniforms mimic that of what you might see on an unintimidating matador in the Nimes and Arles arenas. Sporting a horizontally banded shirt, a red scarf, complementary red sash, and the token gondolier hat, the get-up could be analogous to what you’d assume a prison cowboy would wear. That or Indiana Jones on a high-fashion runway.
The Venetian Resort Hotel spares no detail, save humility, when designing and constructing its “real life” gondola experience. Many of the gondoliers are even natives of Venice and other parts of Italy as explained on a Virtualtourist.com commentary post:
“What was so neat is that the gentleman who was our gondolier said this was very authentic and cleaner [than Venice]! He was from New York and [originally] came from Italy when he was 13. He had a lovely accent and sang so beautifully. We enjoyed his company.”
Cleaner, maybe, but authentic? The hotel exchanges the smell of mildew that lingers in actual Venice with that of lavender, which is pumped throughout the vents of the hotel to the delight of guests.
The gondoliers in Vegas take their jobs seriously, even though you can’t help but snicker at their exaggerated attempt to perform and dress like “true” gondoliers. The gondolas, however, are completely bona fide vessels and have no hidden tracks beneath their keel. Gondoliers maneuver the boat independently to further guarantee that their gimmick is no simulation.
In Venice, Italy, though, to become a gondolier is to join a respected trade. Controlled by a guild, only a select number of licenses are distributed and allotted after trainees complete a series of rigorous coaching and an apprenticeship. But it doesn’t end there. In Venice, an exam is administered to assess the knowledge of a gondolier’s foreign language skills, routing ability, and familiarity with Italy’s various [COLOR=#01509d! important][COLOR=#01509d! important]landmarks[/COLOR][/COLOR] and history.
Las Vegas… not so much.
Though not entirely a cushy training process, The Venetian Hotel shows leniency to its “shipsmen”. Vegas’s gondoliers are taught and instructed to the shallow limit of being able to assure their capability of properly navigating boats through a 31,235-square foot lagoon by co-gondolier guides. The red sash could also be used as a lifesaver alternative if someone falls into the kiddie pool-depth “lagoon”.
Many gondoliers, professional and recreational, love what they do and are admitted addicts when it comes to the crescent boat activity.
Greg Mohr, professional American gondolier and blogger at Gondola Blog, admits his obsession with his business:
I'm a "Gondola Fanatic", I've tried to quit many times but I just can't walk away from the crescent-shaped boat. I have rowed gondolas in many places, try to visit gondola operators wherever I go, and quite commonly look at waterways (from harbors to drainage ditches) and say to myself "hey, I could row a gondola there."
Mohr just does it for recreation so he isn’t required to serenade the occupants of his gondola and sport the controversial uniform. But if singing is your desire, then a gondolier is your fire. At the Las Vegas Venetian you can always catch the gondoliers warming up their vocal chords 15 minutes prior to their opening shift. Or if you want the real effect, you can pay $12 to $16 per person (depending on indoor/outdoor package) and hear the hosts sing a personal ode to you and your company while you take in the replicated experience firsthand. (See a video of the experience on Mohr’s blog).
So now you may ask what the perks are to wearing the gondolier outfit, for there has to be something beneficial about the garb.
Well, we hear that at least one oarswoman's voice got noticed by a casting professional in the hotel. She landed a role in the Phantom of the Opera show being produced within the resort.
And… if Venice (or the Venetian Hotel in this instance) ever permanently goes underwater; you can always repurpose the uniform and apply for the job of the Hamburglar in McDonaldland.
