Caesars Palace’s Hangover Suite: Ultimate Hollywood Mirage Exposed!

24

The renowned Caesars Palace’s Hangover Suite, known for its stint as a backdrop in acclaimed Hollywood movies, beckons travelers with an exhilarating promise of a high-roller, celebrity-like experience. A popular website, sincityvip.com, features this glamorous suite with a nightly price cap averaging at $1,760. No wonder it is a magnet for hundreds of starry-eyed guests who ring up Caesars Palace each year, opting to skip the third-party booking system. In doing so, unknowingly, they dodge becoming victims of an elaborate farse — the truth is, the Hangover Suite is a mirage, a figment of pure cinematic invention.

The tale of Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, a baby, and a chicken waking up in a nonexistent Caesars Palace suite is legendary. However, the reality is less glamorous. Dubbed the ‘Hangover Suite,’ the said suite is actually a set in Warner Bros.’ soundstage in Burbank. Reputedly, the set is inspired by a couple of the resort’s Forum Tower suites, with one even serving as a set for the celebrated 1988 movie Rain Man. But, without any resemblance to the interior of the Hangover film, the claim of the suite’s existence doesn’t hold water.


The tribute to the iconic escalator descent to the casino floor by Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in Rain Man was not shot in Caesars Palace, contrary to popular belief. Neither were the thrill-filled gambling scenes. Instead, they were captured at the Riviera, which unfortunately succumbed to demolition in 2016.

The million-dollar question remains – why was The Hangover not filmed in a real Caesars Palace suite like Rain Man? Perhaps the answer is simpler than it seems. “Because no hotel wants their property decimated by live animals,” reveals Danette Tull from the Nevada Film Office. A seemingly absurd explanation, yet it echoes the sentiment of the many who thought the same.

However, some of The Hangover incidents did indeed transpire in the hallowed halls of Caesars Palace. The valet and registration desk scenes were shot on-site, along with the sequences in the hallways and elevator lobby near the hypothetical suite – the launching pad for the epic ‘wolfpack walk.’ Fans would recall that these were filmed on the 24th floor of the Augustus Tower.

The unforgettable rooftop scene, where our bumbling protagonists kick off their night with a Jägermeister/Rohypnol toast was, in fact, filmed on the actual roof of the Forum Tower. Although, following in the footprints of Bradley Cooper and his gang might not be the wisest call, owing to the roof being strictly off-bounds for guests, enforced by a discerning security detail. Any ambitious attempt to bypass the forbidden might result in a lifetime ban from all Caesars properties, and perhaps wind up with an unscheduled trip to Las Vegas’ real jail, rather than the fictionalized version seen in the movie at the L.A. police headquarters.