I'm speaking at Windows Connections in Las Vegas this week, and have been fortunate enough to stay at THEHotel, the upscale hotel that's an extension of the massive Mandalay Bay resort and casino complex. My room is extremely nice, and it's been great to stay here (especially because I've had to spend so much time in it tweaking presentations and demos). I can't help but contrast Vegas from my recent experiences in Bali, though. The comparisons are more obvious when you consider that the hotel has a strong Southeast Asia theme. (Mandalay is the second-largest city in Burma, though it has no bay; it's over 400 miles away from the ocean)
Simply put, Vegas is entertainment on a massive industrial scale, and is cold and impersonal. The decor is gigantic, oversized, and mass-produced. The heavily-recirculated air is scented with a special scent unique to the hotel.
Bali is small, personal, and very warm-hearted. Its decor is human-scale and handcrafted. Its air is tropical, open to the world, yet scented with incense everywhere. It's the original from which places like the Mandalay Bay attempt to imitate.
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