| | September 20228IN MY OPINIONBy Saverio Scheri, COO, Agua Caliente CasinosNearly 38 years ago, I began working in the hospitality and gaming industries, specifically in gaming. In that time, I have seen a lot of things and the most important thing I have been able to witness and be a part of is the advancement of technology in the hospitality and gaming businesses.It is funny when I started in the information technology department, we were always instructed not to let technology drive the business, but rather the business drive the technology. That was all well and good in the 1980s, and possibly even the 1990s. Nonetheless, once we passed the 2000s, it began to invert and the technology really did drive the business, because the technology started to allow us to do things we could not even possibly imagine before that time. Joining a loyalty club and making bookings while on another trip someplace else, sitting by a pool, transformed the way we do business. That is currently occurring and will continue to occur. So I think it's been exciting to watch that inversion and now to appreciate all of the new technology, to see how we can embrace it and build businesses to support it.Technological Advancements Driving the BusinessWe now have technology that allows us to make the most of the opportunities--where guests can spend more time and remain longer while they are at the property and encourage them to visit us again. We can perform a push instead of waiting to mail them something to invite them back. We can send them a text message, not even an email, but a text message, which is instantaneous, and they're virtually forced to look at it, as opposed to an email, which is a poll with here.Then, once they're on property we leverage technology and lots of different ways to make their stay with us a memorable one. And that is what we aim for: to provide the best possible guest experience. And we know we can accomplish it with a great product or accommodation, a good restaurant, and exceptional customer service. We let guests use as ADVANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN AN EVER-EVOLVING HOSPITALITY SECTORSaverio Scheri
< Page 7 | Page 9 >