Company Press Release: Caesars Pocono Resorts
December 21, 1999
LAKEVILLE, PA -- The man who catapulted Pennsylvania's Poconos into the national spotlight as the ``Honeymoon Capital
of the World'' announced his retirement today. Hospitality entrepreneur Morris B. Wilkins, creator of the heart-shaped
bathtub and the seven-foot-tall Champagne Glass Whirlpool Bath for Two, retired as President and Chief Operating
Officer of Caesars Pocono Resorts.
``Morris and his heritage are a tribute to a true entrepreneur and innovator,'' said Peter G. Boynton, president
and CEO of Caesars World, Inc. ``He is a friend to many of us and he leaves with a proud legacy.''
Wilkins began his career in the hotel and resort industry in 1958 when he, along with partner Harold O'Brien, purchased
the 18-room Hotel Pocopaupack located on the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack in Lakeville. The hotel, which Wilkins
renamed Cove Haven, was a successful venture for the pair for a few years until a late night idea changed the course
of history in the Poconos.
``I woke up in the middle of the night with the idea of a heart-shaped bathtub,'' Wilkins says. ``I immediately
ran down to the basement of my house and drew a big heart on the concrete floor and called Obie. He came over the
next day, and we began planning construction. I had always felt that hotel designers missed an opportunity when
it came to the bathrooms in hotels.''
The first heart-shaped bathtub caused a craze, especially after Life Magazine learned about it and published a
famous two-page photo spread of the bathtub in 1963. ``The phones began to ring like crazy,'' Wilkins recalls.
``Honeymooners were calling from everywhere in the world to book those rooms.'' As a result, Wilkins began marketing
Cove Haven as a honeymoon resort. Reservations were accepted from couples only. This marked the beginning of the
Pocono Mountains reign as the ``Honeymoon Capital of the World.''
Soon Cove Haven and the heart-shaped bathtubs began receiving extensive media coverage from hundreds of publications,
ranging from The New York Times to Playboy, as well as numerous television outlets. In 1982, the ABC network filmed
its movie of the week, ``For Lovers Only,'' on location at the resort, with Andy Griffith portraying Wilkins.
In 1969, Wilkins and O'Brien sold Cove Haven, which became a subsidiary of Caesars World of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Wilkins then became president and chief operating officer of Caesars Pocono Resorts. Within the next several years,
Caesars Pocono Resorts grew to four resorts -- Cove Haven, Paradise Stream, Pocono Palace and Brookdale. In 1974,
Wilkins' long-time business partner O'Brien died in a private plane crash.
Morris' creative mind didn't stop with the heart-shaped bathtub. In a series of resort industry innovations, Wilkins
introduced the all-inclusive package -- bundling the suite, meals, entertainment, sporting activities and gratuities
together in one price. Now, the sales marketing concept is used worldwide. He also created the private in-suite
swimming pool, an in-house tour operator, an advertising agency, and Caesars Pocono Resorts' ``Forever Lovers Club''
for frequent guests that today boasts more than 80,000 members.
In 1984, Wilkins developed and debuted a new and exclusive symbol for Caesars ... the seven-foot-tall Champagne
Glass Whirlpool Bath for Two. ``We figured that we would have to build an extraordinary space to house this type
of whirlpool, so we designed a four-level suite with a romantic spa-like environment,'' Wilkins says. The suite
included a heart-shaped swimming pool, dry sauna, celestial ceiling, wood-burning fireplace, steam shower-for-two,
and massage table. But all of those amenities were just support acts for the main attraction -- the Champagne Glass
Whirlpool Bath for Two.
Wilkins then built more than 25 units at Cove Haven known as the Champagne Towers -- and they were an instant success.
Even with numerous additional units built at all four Caesars Pocono Resorts, there was still a waiting list of
more than a year for guests hoping to spend at least one romantic night in the Champagne Towers. Today, over 200
of the company's 750 suites feature the Champagne Glass and they are always the first suites to sell out.
SOURCE: Caesars Pocono Resorts