In a bygone era, the stereotypical casino was a windowless box with no clocks, no natural light and a maze-like interior, designed to capture guests and keep them at the slots or tables until their pockets contained nothing but lint. Fairly or unfairly, in those days casinos were sometimes compared to mousetraps.
What a difference a few decades make. This is the age of the integrated resort—a less-than-sexy label with a powerful meaning. As the term suggests, these resorts integrate gaming with scores of other entertaining diversions: day clubs and nightclubs, bowling and golf, water parks and theme parks, manmade beaches, swim-up bars and so-called “experiential” attractions, as well as dining and retail, spas and pools, wonderful accommodations and other amenities that help to keep the customer satisfied, gratified and eager to return.
In short, it’s not about capturing your guests, but captivating them.
Think of Casino Style as your vision board, with plenty of ideas to help you up your game, mine more value from existing guests, entice new ones and operate at peak efficiency (without sacrificing the fabulous).
In a feature on so-called “super amenities,” Michael Vanaskie explains how these non-gaming attractions dazzle customers of all generations and entertainment persuasions.
Dave Bontempo writes about robotic drink machines, which eliminate spillage and over-pours and the revenue that goes down the drain with them (unlike other automated gizmos, they won’t eliminate server jobs, and in fact may boost gratuities).
In Frank Legato’s piece on revenue management, the experts share how to truly keep tabs on customer spend—not just to maximize their value, but also to boost customer service.
Bill Sokolic contributes an excellent feature on how to get your fair share of trade shows, conventions and meetings, an increasingly important business segment.
Want to know about the latest food trends? Our experts define the fast-casual movement, and comedian George Lopez talks about opening his first restaurant, Chingon Kitchen, at a Southern California casino.
Mike Sheridan profiles Lifescapes International founder Don Brinkerhoff, the man who created the first oasis in the desert for Steve Wynn, broke the rules of landscape design, and made up some new ones that endure to this day.
In these pages, you’ll also learn what goes into the design and manufacture of a comfy chair, and why ergonomics matters, not only in the cubicle but on the casino floor.
Be sure to check out Dike Bacon’s column, in which the HBG designer shares how “healthy” guest rooms, abundant gardens and Outward Bound-style adventures work together (often subliminally) to create a happier guest. And Carl Long of PMI crunches the numbers about savvy FF&E purchasing.
Finally, Casino Style Publisher Roger Gros weighs in on the increasingly critical matter of security in the casino realm, how to keep our customers and staffers safe and our assets free from harm.
We live in an era of rapidly changing, often baffling technologies and tons of new competition (including the digital variety). For all the challenges, there may be no better time to be in this business, which has shifted from gaming-centric to “gaming and…” whatever else your customers want.
They’ll fill in the blanks. It’s up to you to deliver. Please share your success stories with us.
