NBJ PR Wire

Geary Interactive Launches Sahara Hotel & Casino Site - An Online Oasis of Rich Media

Release Date: October 3, 2006

Contact: Robert Arends

Las Vegas - October 3, 2006 - Geary Interactive, a Las Vegas digital marketing firm, and Sahara Hotel & Casino have launched a sophisticated new website for the classic Las Vegas casino, immersing visitors in the sights and sounds of the Sahara experience.

The site stars a friendly and vivacious video tour guide named Kristyn who gives online visitors entertaining overviews of each of the 10 main navigational sections: the Sahara homepage, Casino, Rooms & Suites, Shows, Food, Shops, Weddings, NASCAR (Café), The Drive (GM cars performance course) and Meetings.

Considered a first for Las Vegas and its famous Strip of casino resorts, this “video concierge” (as Kristyn is referred to as well) is also the only of her kind on any casino website.

“Kristyn’s unique, personable and amusing to watch,” said Andreas Roell, president and CEO of Geary Interactive. “She not only helps visitors easily navigate the Sahara property through a dynamic online experience, but has also contracted with the resort to be a part of their new offline advertising campaign. The site has built an optimized reservation path for the highest booking potential, while building a strong lively online brand experience.”

“By broadening the scope and use of rich media, we introduce a more human element to the online medium and realize its potential to move and connect with consumers,” Roell continued.

Kristyn even remembers visitors – their IP addresses, actually – and welcomes them back with new information instead of repeating previous section narratives. Based on Las Vegas seasons, Kristyn will bring season-specific messages and visuals.

To achieve the highest production quality, the Geary Interactive team filmed Kristyn in high definition on a professional sound stage. They also utilized the most up-to-date features of Flash 8 to overlay her video with animated elements, uniting scripted video with the capabilities of the Internet.

To meet Kristyn and discover other innovative features of the site, visit www.SaharaVegas.com.

Additional highlights of the optimized Sahara website include animation sequences such as roller coaster cars (with audible screams!) in the “NASCAR” section, a fountain splashing water on the “Food” page, curtains opening to a view of the Strip in “Rooms & Suites,” and a forthcoming 3-D animated wedding bouquet being thrown in “Weddings.”

The complex website is surprisingly easy to use; it features a self-administered content management system and one of the most functional, user-friendly reservation systems on the Strip, fully integrated with ResNet for direct response.

Sahara Hotel & Casino is one of the originals on the Las Vegas Strip, and today, after recent renovations, attracts Las Vegas tourists who are looking to be in the electricity of the Strip at a value price. Geary Interactive designed the website with this in mind, making it friendly and approachable, while keeping the user’s online experience interactive and exciting.

About Geary Interactive:
Geary Interactive is an award winning full-service digital marketing firm with services in Web development, media buying/planning, search engine and E-mail marketing. The agency has helped national brands such as Trump International, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Paramount Parks, 20th Century Fox and Eddie Bauer develop customized online campaigns, resulting in the highest return on investment of their marketing dollars.

Geary Interactive is headquartered in San Diego and has offices in Las Vegas and New York City, employing 50 interactive professionals. Named for the third consecutive year as one of the fastest-growing private companies in San Diego, Geary interactive is also ranked one of San Diego’s top five advertising agencies. For more information, visit www.gearyi.com or call (702) 214-4260.

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