When's the last time a casino surprised you? Maybe with an unpublished special, or with a flower on Mother's Day, or a half-price meal - well, there are plenty of things they can offer to catch my interest and make me happy. I'm really not jaded.
I remember the first time a poker room supervisor gave me a meal comp - "Anything you want," said Larry Alsop, the poker manager at Harrah's in Reno (yeah, that's a few years ago). That was great. Mostly because it wasn't asked for. He just offered it!
That little comp (all right, I got a few after that too) made me loyal to the club for years. Today I had some nice things happen, and I wanted to remind everybody, myself first and foremost, to appreciate the little things.
A few things I lovePlush slot chairs that lower to the ground when you sit in them, but are easy to move with one hand when they are empty because the rollers pop up. Those things are so expensive, but the casinos that care about their players have them.
Keno games where I can play multiple games for just 10-cents or 25-cents a way or on multiple game groups like 25 straight games.
Free drinks. Half-price meals for poker players. Two-for one buffets. Two, three or even five times comp-point days. Free Valet. Discount golf. Discounted or free show tickets for hotel guests. Ace-in-the-hole coupons, match play coupons, and free keno coupons.
Those things really don't cost the clubs much, but I still appreciate them. Some of the surprising things I've seen include a car wash for vehicles in valet, free pizzas, free shirts and hats given out randomly, and free baseball tickets from hosts who just walked the floor and handed them out. Nice. What are some of your favorites that we can remind our local casinos to offer?
You want to know what else I appreciate? Today my email included a note from MGM Resorts that said, "We haven't seen you at the Excalibur for a long time. Are you still interested in receiving our emails?" Well, there was an opt-out icon and I used it - and now I won't get emails from the Excalibur. I can't remember ever getting something that basically asked me to opt-out.
Seems like a risky marketing plan for MGM Resorts, but for me - well, I'm happy and I think it is a very classy thing to do. My hat's off to them.
Comments
You are exactly correct. Service sells customers in the casino just like it does in any business. To be made to feel “specila” is worth my business anytime. I may pay a bit more but good service is worth it.
Great promotional ideas! I especially liked the instance where hosts randomly handed out tickets.