Rolling Out the Red Carpet
Today's casinos offer a full array of amenities in addition to gaming, such as spas and theaters on property. Now, casinos are showing the group travel market—both leisure and business travelers—just how important they are by paying attention to detail and adding special touches to their trips.
Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment's hospitality department, Total Experiences, makes sure special event groups with five or more rooms find what they're looking for at any of the fourteen Caesars properties, including Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Whether they're celebrating a bachelorette party or having a family reunion, a personal VIP Manager is assigned to these groups.
Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort: In May 2010, Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort debuted its one hundred-foot motorcoach lobby, to welcome guests in style. The lobby provides comfortable seating and televisions, as well as an attached parking deck with five covered bays.
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino: "When a tour company calls, they're talking to me and I'm listening to exactly what it is they need," said Linda Spruill, leisure sales manager. Whether it's canoeing the Wolf River, setting up a shrimping tour, or taking a sunset cruise on a schooner, Spruill works closely with the regional convention and visitors bureau to ensure groups have an experience they'll remember.
Resorts Casino Hotel: Containing costs with an all-inclusive package is a welcome concept for meeting planners. William Jackson, director of sales and marketing, explained that Resorts Casino Hotel's all-inclusive group packages are designed specifically for meetings and include standard audio/visual equipment and meeting space in addition to rooms, taxes, gratuities, and all meals.
Foxwoods Resort Casino: Some higher-end groups, typically with twenty to twenty-five guests, complete a personalization sheet prior to their trip. Foxwoods asks guests about their preferences: room scent, newspaper and magazines, music, and more. The establishment then uses that information to personalize the guests' rooms.
Click here to read more about what casinos are doing to give groups a five-star treatment.
