Nelson Sardelli, and the Night the Eagles Nest Nearly Came Down
A nostalgic excerpt from "The Lobby Boys" recalls rooftop cabaret acts and an unplanned acoustic disaster caused by a flamenco troupe performing on bare wooden floors.
Nelson Sardelli, Las Vegas entertainer, a regular headline act at the Eagles Nest. — Photo by Pertlink Limited
A highlight of the afternoon shift, on the rare quiet moment, was slipping upstairs to the Eagles Nest, the rooftop restaurant, to catch a slice of a cabaret act by some visiting celebrity — heady stuff for someone who'd never previously brushed up against that kind of glitzy nightlife. Entertainers — singers, bands, dancers — were booked in from all over the world for the after-dinner shows. Some, like Nelson Sardelli from Las Vegas, were invited back every year; others, mercifully, only once.
Heady stuff for someone who'd never previously brushed up against that kind of glitzy nightlife.
Terence Ronson
RAJEEV: One of the “once was enough” acts was a flamenco dance troupe from Spain. On the first night of their show, around ten o'clock, we heard a soft thumping in the lobby and couldn't quite place it. It didn't take long to figure out. Nobody had considered that the dancers would be performing on the restaurant's bare wooden floor, with no extra sound insulation — and Flamenco dancers do enjoy their heels...
Read the full story ofThe Lobby Boys. Available now.
By Terence Ronson, on behalf of The Lobby Boys — Niale, Rajeev, and Terence
About Pertlink Limited
Pertlink Limited is a boutique hospitality technology and AI advisory consultancy. It was founded in Hong Kong on 23 October 2000 and now operates across the Philippines and the wider Asia-Pacific. Founder and Managing Director Terence Ronson leads the firm and is an inductee of both the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame and the CHTA Hall of Fame.
Pertlink helps hotel owners, operators, developers and tourism bodies make sound decisions about technology and AI, from pre-opening systems design to AI strategy, governance and adoption. Its work is built on its own frameworks, including TCPG (Token Cost Per Guest), HXO (Human Experience Orchestrator) and the Hybrid Hospitality Framework. Through its Pertlink Viewpoint series, the firm turns global AI and technology developments into practical guidance for boards, C-suites and operators.
The goal hasn't changed since 2000: technology that genuinely improves the guest experience, now with AI in the mix.
Media Contact
Terence Ronson
Founder and Managing Director [email protected]