Last month, I went to a casino in Las Vegas I hadn’t visited in a few months. I sat down at a Blackjack table. The dealer that was there was one I remembered from my previous visit – friendly, a good conversation, and a fun time. To me, a good dealer is half the benefit to a fun casino trip, so I’m inclined to sit down at tables with dealers I’ve had good interactions with.
What came next was a bit more surprising. He looked up, paused, and not only clearly remembered me, he referenced elements of our conversation, and even nodded over to the other table, where we had been sitting. I noted he had a remarkably good memory, and he casually replied it must’ve been a memorable conversation.
Bean counters at casinos may be doing their best to erode the experience nowadays in all sorts of ways – check-in kiosks, opt-in for housekeeping vs. opt-out, fees everywhere and on everything. But yet this trip, I noticed more than usual a specific number of scenarios where customer service was above and beyond what I’m used to seeing, and it gives me hope.
At one resort, there was a line at the players card desk, but one of the people came out from behind the counter and asked if anyone was waiting to register. With a mobile app, they began setting them up with an account without having to wait in line any longer. I had a similar experience with this approach a couple of years ago, and it was no less wonderful to see the second time around, in part because it’s so rare.
So many casinos don’t have an issue with players waiting in lines for gifts, food, hotel check-in, players club support. All that time in line is so expensive, so it’s great to see changes like the Palms AYCE Buffet switching to a reservation system so you can be assured a table and a quicker check-in experience, for instance.
The casino experience is slowly becoming more homogenized. More casinos are owned nowadays by larger chains, the slot selection is becoming more similar, casinos put the same chains in their casinos, whether it’s Hash House a Go Go or some Guy Fieri restaurant.
That means the way to differentiate is through experiences. What sets a good casino visit out from a great one could be a moment where an employee goes above and beyond, or takes that extra step to ensure satisfaction. This isn’t something that a high-end property has to monopolize, as I’ve seen some amazing moments and bright ideas implemented at all sorts of properties.
At a time when everything seems to just be getting more expensive quickly, and it makes figuring out what to do and where to go that much harder, those special moments are increasingly important as it could be the deciding factor of where to spend those limited entertainment dollars.
When I lived farther away, Vegas was a once a year sort of thing for me. Living in California means I go a bit more often, but the shorter trips that are possible also means I’m likely to be more selective about where I stay and play. Offers will factor into this, but so will the experience. Fortunately, it seems some casinos haven’t forgotten the latter aspect, and for us players that means a better overall vacation.
Definitely true. A few years ago at the Borgata in AC, I sat down at a 25 dollar BJ game. No mid shoe entry so I waited. Then there was a chip count that took 15 minutes. Then the shoe ended and some more time went by. Finally after the shuffle a supervisor changed the game from 25 to 50. I asked to be grandfathered in since I’d been sitting there for a half hour. The answer was no. Supervisor said the same. So I voted with my feet since I wasn’t staying there (they wanted me to color up) I just kept walking. Went back to my car and drove to the new Hard Rock. Got treated like a king and have been a customer ever since. Did go back to Borgata twice when they kept sending me offers since I had stopped going. Both times I had 50 dollars in slot play and 50 dollars in food. Played and cashed and got food to go. All because they were nasty to me. Makes me laugh now when I see the CEO of MGM trying to figure out how to raise revenue as they’re having trouble.
We really appreciate this point and example Harris – while we focused on the ways casinos can leave a positive impression, the negative ones stick with players too, and often leads to them voting with their wallet and their feet to spend their money elsewhere. Exceeding expectations and minimizing negative experiences is a good combo to strive for!